Caribbean Regional Program

Canada's Commitment
Some Key Results
Profile of the Region

The Caribbean is a diverse region including 27 independent countries and dependent territories. These range from the small islands of the Eastern Caribbean to the coastal countries of Guyana, Suriname and Belize. The region includes Haiti, one of the world's poorest nations, alongside relatively prosperous countries such as Barbados and the Bahamas.

Canada and the Caribbean enjoy a long history of close commercial, investment, cultural and political ties. Beyond sharing similar values and common institutions, many current Caribbean leaders were educated in Canada or were recipients of Canadian scholarships to the University of the West Indies. There is a large Caribbean diaspora in Canada.

The Government of Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), provides assistance to the Caribbean through a new regional program, as well as through bilateral programs in Haiti and Cuba.

Canada's Commitment

Through its new regional program, Canada is increasing its development assistance to the Caribbean region from $30 million per year to $600 million over ten years. CIDA's regional program supports the development agenda established by the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) member countries to achieve regional integration. These include English-speaking Caribbean countries, Suriname and Haiti.

The new regional program focuses on:

• strengthening the region's capacity in democratic governance-accountable public institutions and rule of law;
• economic renewal-adapting to a single market, improving trade and competitiveness; and,
• human capital formation-helping to train a new generation of Caribbean leaders, providing youth with employment skills and increasing equality between women and men.

It includes major new projects to:

• strengthen the Caribbean Community's ability to implement the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) and increase internal trade within the region, as well as to negotiate and implement international trade agreements;
• increase the capacity of national governments and local communities to manage natural disasters such as hurricanes and flooding and thus reduce their impact on the people of the region. (This builds on Canada's $20 million contribution to the World Bank's Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, where Canada is the largest single contributor.)
• help the region develop a new generation of leaders in the public and private sectors, equipped with the skills to resolve complex governance, economic and social issues and advance the values of gender equality, human rights, equity and democracy. This project will also support more transparent, accountable and effective public sector management of regional and national resources.
• support a new scholarships program with more than 1,000 short-term scholarships in economic and trade policy, good governance, rule of law, democratic development and other disciplines tailored to the needs of the Caribbean countries, and the establishment of a virtual university which will provide cost-effective distance learning opportunities.

Through its Canadian Partnership Branch, CIDA also supports Canadian non-governmental organizations and institutions working with counterpart organizations in the region.

As well, CIDA support to the region is provided through contributions to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank, as well as United Nations development agencies.

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Some Key Results

• CIDA provided technical and election observation support for the general and regional elections in Guyana in 2006-the first violence-free elections in Guyana since its return to democracy in 1992. Canada also sent more than thirty long- and short-term Canadian election observers.
• Among the island states of the eastern Caribbean and in Guyana, CIDA is helping governments introduce fiscal reforms and improve expenditure management systems. Participating countries have improved and increased their revenue collection.
• In the eastern Caribbean, CIDA has contributed to the strengthening of judicial practices by improving the efficiency of the court system, introducing a legal-information system, and increasing fairness with respect to prevention, sentencing, and rehabilitation.
• In Jamaica, CIDA is improving the capacity of both the legal system and the general public in Jamaica to manage conflict.
• Alternative dispute resolution has been incorporated into Jamaica's legal system. Police reports show fewer violent incidents in communities participating in this pilot project.
• CIDA is a leader in gender equality issues in the Caribbean. As a result of a ten-year program, progress has been achieved in empowering women at the household, community and national levels. In particular, significant progress has been made in addressing gender-based violence through awareness raising and policy dialogue with strategic partners, legal changes, coordination and dialogue among partners, as well as some service provision.

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Profile of the Region

The Caribbean countries share similar sustainable development challenges-small populations, human resource deficits, lack of access to central trading routes, susceptibility to natural disasters, lack of diversification, major dependence on commodities and tourism, and vulnerability to global developments.

Over the past decade, the Caribbean region has made progress in the areas of poverty reduction and social development. However, recent history has underscored the vulnerability of Caribbean states. There has been a decline in the region's traditional economic base, which focuses strongly on tourism and exports such as bananas and sugar. Crime, instability, and violence are serious problems. There has also been an increase in the frequency of natural disasters and HIV/AIDS is a growing health problem.

The region has taken bold steps to join twelve former separate economies in a single unified market and economy, although the process now needs to be completed. A more competitive regional economy will provide the basis for investment, economic growth and poverty reduction while cooperation on developing effective regional services will strengthen security and social development. Caribbean states are committed to freedom and democracy and are strengthening their human rights and anti-corruption efforts.

Through its new regional Caribbean program, Canada fully supports these efforts. Canada has helped strengthen key political institutions involved with integration and will continue to assist any new governance institutions. A stable and prosperous Caribbean Community can also be a strong partner for assisting with Haiti's economic, political and social development and integration.