CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The Director Basic of the Organisation of Jap Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, says the French Caribbean territories aren’t on the margins of the regional integration story, however are lively gamers and leaders.
Jules, talking throughout a digital assembly with the Delegation of the French Senate for Abroad Territories, said that the French territories contribute sources, technical experience, and revolutionary practices that enrich the sub-regional grouping and strengthen cooperation throughout the Jap Caribbean.
The discussions with the Delegation of the French Senate for Abroad Territories had been hosted by the French Ambassador’s Workplace in St. Lucia. The discussions offered a chance for the Senate Committee to realize a greater understanding of the French territories’ engagement within the regional integration motion and the cultural and geographic significance of their interactions with neighbouring nations.
Jules recalled that the Jap Caribbean has established a novel mannequin of cooperation, outlined within the Revised Treaty of Basseterre and the Protocol of the Jap Caribbean Financial Union (ECCU).
He said that integration just isn’t an summary ambition, however a lived actuality for OECS residents, as illustrated by the free motion of individuals, a single financial house, and shared establishments, such because the Jap Caribbean Central Financial institution (ECCB).
Jules stated that this can be a sensible demonstration of how small states can confront international challenges extra successfully when working collectively.
“Once we discuss regional cooperation within the Jap Caribbean, it actually comes all the way down to one thing easy however highly effective: small states realizing that by pooling our efforts, we are able to obtain way more collectively than we might ever do alone.”
The Director Basic said that Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Martin additionally play an important function on this course of, and their contributions lengthen past participation, as their involvement has considerably amplified the attain of regional integration and launched new dynamism to OECS cooperation.
“The French Caribbean territories aren’t on the margins of our integration story, they’re lively gamers and leaders,” Jules stated, recognising Guadeloupe’s chairmanship of the OECS Biodiversity and Ecosystems Administration Committee (BEMC) “offering route on conservation priorities throughout the area”, and welcomed Martinique’s assumption of that management function in 2026, guaranteeing continuity in regional environmental priorities.
Throughout the discussions, environmental resilience was highlighted as a shared precedence between France and the OECS, with Jules citing collaborative tasks equivalent to REMAR (Resilient Ecosystems by Mangrove Restoration), a Euro 5.5 million (ne Euro = 1.29 cents) venture to revive mangrove ecosystems throughout OECS member states, supported by the French Growth Company (AFD) and the French World Atmosphere Facility, as examples of how partnerships can produce actual outcomes.
“What makes this venture particular is its robust collaboration with our French members, who deliver experience, native web site managers, and finest practices that may be shared throughout the broader OECS.”
The Director Basic concluded the assembly by reminding that integration is in the end about bettering lives throughout the area.
“On the coronary heart of all of this, our work is admittedly about individuals, guaranteeing that the residents of the Jap Caribbean really feel the advantages of integration of their day by day lives, whether or not by better alternative, stronger social companies, or extra safety in opposition to the local weather disaster, he stated.
An OECS assertion on Monday stated that the assembly with the Delegation of the French Senate for Abroad Territories, “marked one other step in deepening the relations between the OECS and France, reinforcing cooperation, addressing shared challenges, and delivering tangible advantages for the individuals of the Caribbean”.
