The Greater Caribbean, an area over which major European colonial powers fought and still burdened by expressions of neocolonialism, is attempting to forge a common destiny, amidst the ethnic and cultural diversity stemming from the mix of European, African and Asian inhabitants. The Association of Caribbean States (ACS-AEC) is one of the area’s main tools on the difficult road to eradicating poverty and underdevelopment and achieving just, equitable and sustainable economic and social progress.
Tourism, trade and transport were identified as the three main priorities of the ACS at the First Summit of Heads of State and/or Government, held in 1995 in Trinidad and Tobago.
The organization was created to facilitate consultation, the strengthening of the regional cooperation and integration process and concerted action. The current focus is on these three main objectives, together with the reduction of risks stemming from natural disasters, along with strong interest in the preservation of the Caribbean Sea, seen as the main resource of the peoples of this vast area.
At this level, combined efforts are aimed at creating an enhanced economic space that will contribute to increasing competitiveness in international markets, and facilitate active, coordinated participation by the region in multilateral forums, with a unified voice.
Founded on July 24, 1994, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, following the signing of the Convention Establishing the Association of Caribbean States, the ACS began its activities on August 17 of the following year, at the First Summit held in Trinidad and Tobago, where the headquarters of the secretariat of the organization is based. The body currently has 25 member states and seven associate members.
It represents both small and larger nations, united by the Caribbean Sea, but with very different levels of economic development, territorial and population size. The ACS includes members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Central American Integration System (SICA), the Group of Three (G-3: Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia), Cuba and Suriname.
A NEW TASK
According to experts, including Colombian professor and diplomat Alfonso Múnera, the outgoing secretary general of the ACS, over the past five years the Association has seen a revival, with a renewed commitment from member states since 2011, and especially from Haitian authorities, who in 2013 hosted the 5th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government, and reactivated mechanisms for dialogue.
On January 19, 2016, the 21st Regular Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council was held in Pétionville, Haiti, during which Cuba assumed the presidency pro tempore of the organization for the period 2016-2017.
In addition, the Cuban proposal to host the 7th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government in Havana in June 2016 was approved.
Relations between Cuba and the rest of the Caribbean are excellent and constitute a high priority within the island’s foreign policy. In this regard, high levels of cooperation are maintained with the 25 ACS member states, in social policy areas such as health and education, and support is provided for the development of certain infrastructure.
Cuba has always reiterated its firm commitment to continue the revitalization of the ACS agenda, on the basis of its founding principles and the will to strengthen efforts to promote unity and cooperation in our region, such that the Association may contribute to resolving major problems facing the Caribbean.
“Cuba is an unconditional and enthusiastic ally of the organization’s tasks and understands the potential of the ACS for the implementation of strategic programs in the Caribbean area,” Colombian diplomat Alfonso Múnera said during an interview with Granma, while visiting the island as a special guest to the Festival of the Caribbean held in Santiago de Cuba in July last year.
In this regard, President Raúl Castro, speaking at the close of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Eighth Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power on December 29, 2015, noted, “This coming month, Cuba will assume the presidency of the Association of Caribbean States, with a firm, unequivocal commitment to the cause of unity, and Latin American and Caribbean integration.”
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AS THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE ACS
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), by the middle of this decade, 12 of the 20 major tourist destinations in the Americas and 13 of the 20 countries with the highest income from this sector were located in the Greater Caribbean, as cited by news agency IPS.
In some of the smaller Caribbean islands, the number of tourists visiting each yeah exceeds the local population, as is the case in the Cayman Islands, which with 30,000 inhabitants receives 610,000 visitors a year.
The report noted that sources from the Center for Demographic Studies of the University of Havana, warned that only by implementing measures to ensure the protection of the environment, will the negative impacts of 100 million tourists per year to the subregion be reduced.
With at least 10 of the 25 ACS member countries dependent on tourism, this sector constitutes the main economic activity for the majority of the Greater Caribbean.
As such, experts note the importance of the leisure industry’s sustainability, as a basis for the protection of culture and the environment, as well as improved distribution of the benefits of development in this sector.
The Convention for the Establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean (STZC), signed on November 6, 2013, marked a key development in this respect.
The establishment of the STZC brings many benefits for Caribbean countries and undoubtedly, the region as a whole. Not only will nations benefit from being part of the first Sustainable Tourism Zone in the world, representing a competitive advantage over other tourist destinations, but this initiative will position the area as a leader in the new era of responsible tourism.
The STZC will be based on the principles of sustainability, integration, cooperation and consensus. It aims to ensure the expansion of this sector in the long term.
The ACS highlights the possibility of complementary tourist offers, such as Caribbean beaches, the Aztec ruins of Mexico and several United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites.
This diversity provides the basis for the promotion of multi-destination tourism, and cooperation as part of a development strategy that seeks to include both the public and private sectors.
TRANSPORT, A COMPLEX CHALLENGE
According to experts, creating transport routes to interconnect Caribbean nations is one of the biggest challenges facing the region, in the effort to promote multi-destination tourism. This depends not only on public policy but also the global airline industry.
Hence the support for the objectives of the ACS program, “Uniting the Caribbean by Air and Sea,” a response to the absence of regular, economical and effective system of air transport in the area, which can guarantee the development of multi-destination tourism, and at the same time contribute to the consolidation of a space for trade and investment.
Undoubtedly, the ACS constitutes an inseparable family of nations, with a common destiny.
