OECS Chairman, PM Roosevelt Skerrit describes OECS 40-year existence as one of resilience and transformation

Chairman of the OECS, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said the last four decades in the sub-region have been marked by resilience and transformation.

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission on Monday unveiled planned activities for the 40th Anniversary of the OECS.

Activities to commemorate the June 18, 2021 milestone will include a virtual Thanksgiving Service, a series of public sector consultations and business-focused webinars, the launch of an OECS teachers resource booklet on regional integration, the launch of an OECS Youth Assembly, a development partners symposium and the premiere of a special bi-lingual production dramatised by the Che Campeche theatrical group.

“This 40th year is a historical marker on a road of increasing convergence, greater anticipation and unyielding possibility,” Prime Minister Skerrit said.

According to him, notwithstanding the bad weather through which we have journeyed, there have been bursts of sunshine.

“Notwithstanding the pain we have endured, we have also enjoyed the blessings of rain and we have reached this milestone for one simple reason — we have always focused on the things that unite us rather than the things that divide us,” Skerrit added.

Meanwhile, Director-General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules, in his remarks, noted the need to celebrate past success but also look to the future.

“Our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States will involve not just looking back at the road already travelled but importantly, also looking forward to the road ahead. In doing this, we will be acknowledging the incalculable contributions of many who walked before us and the significant accomplishments on this journey to regional integration laid out in the road map of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre,” he said.

The OECS was established on June 18, 1981 as an international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to regional integration in the Eastern Caribbean.

Seven Eastern Caribbean countries signed a treaty agreeing to cooperate and promote unity and solidarity among the members, known as the Treaty of Basseterre, named after the city in St Kitts and Nevis where the agreement was signed.

OECS Director-General Dr. Didacus Jules

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15 Comments

  1. August 4, 2021

    All your hints are very helpful. Thank You for sharing such great post with all of us.

  2. August 1, 2021

    Such an amazing article. Great share. Thank you. Loved it very helpful.

  3. Viewsexpressed
    March 18, 2021

    ..And very good at being this failed politician, obviously not sufficiently matured and focused to be Prime Minister of our poor struggling people & our Dominica. Those who aligned with him in government and his Party and those loyalists, some of whom who it is said travel long distances from the rural villages to Roseau, walk up the flight stairs to the 5th Floor of Government Building to receive their cash and to pledge loyalty to Failed Skerrit and that This “Skerro” is known as they say: “;We love our PM Wi”. What hypocrisy and deceitfulness just to gain loyalty and fame but to this day people still poor & know that Skerrit is that Failure & love fame. Our people are jobless and their families are still poor although we hear of and know of the level of our passports sold to all”; Tom Dick & Harriette”, for loyalty to Skerrit who isn’t focus on Soci-Economic Development of our people & Dominica. Agriculture,Economy are all dead.We Trust &welcome Hon.Linton &Team UWP in…

  4. 🇩🇲 Nature Island fan
    March 17, 2021

    The flag of Dominica is upside down in this picture 🤦🏻‍♂️

    • Rinaldi
      March 19, 2021

      Everything in Dominica is upside down, they like it that way.

  5. click here
    March 17, 2021

    Man skerrit best you just shut your mouth. resilience and transformation? under you the country doesnt have a choice but to be resilient. in terms of transformation, what has really changed here? you cannot even fix a bridge that fell since 2015. but you pwaysay to build wall around your farm with all you chinese workers doing it for you. Not even a local company you wanted to hire.

  6. LifeandDeath
    March 17, 2021

    Honestly I only glazed over the article. But what ticks me off is how our organizations celebrate and reward decadence and moral depravity.
    The Caribbean is in a terrible state of government leadership. Most of these guys are corrupt and void of any ideas to move their countries forward. Everybody knows Skerrit story by now. 20 years in Power and only a national passport selling industry to show in contrast his abuses of the National treasury is second to none. What does OECS and CARICOM have to say about this?..Total Silence!
    How can we celebrate any confidence in our regional organizations? Where is the benefit to the common regional citizenry?

    • click here
      March 18, 2021

      Not to mention lies about election reform just to steal another election.

  7. VereTere
    March 17, 2021

    Resilience and transformation? In case of Dominica the transformation in stark, from a Democracy to an autocracy and from a hard working people to beggars… Skerrit, you have single handedly destroyed our beautiful country but you yourself are doing extremely well out of it. Given half a chance you would do exactly with the OECS but luckily there are just a few head of states that got your measure and see right through you. You are a danger to Dominica and you are a danger to the OECS as well.

  8. Wanted criminals
    March 17, 2021

    The OECS is nothing more than a boys club, where rotten and corrupt leaders hide and one protecting the other. In fact nothing Roosevelt Skerrit is part of is good

    • Ibo France
      March 18, 2021

      @Wanted criminals

      You are harsh with your critique of the leaders of the OECS but you are perfectly spot on.

      A careful assessment of these countries one would find rampant crimes, widespread poverty, serious indebtedness, entrenched political division, destruction of the middle income class, filthy enrichment of the ruling class and their cronies, corrupt electoral systems, inequitable distribution of state resources, etcetera. We are domed for there is little or nothing to smile about.

  9. Truth Be told
    March 17, 2021

    You people have perfected the art of using words to mask and attempt to hide failure. You want to see Transformation, take a look at the UAE and Dubai that just a few decades ago was an unknown backwater fishing village. Take a look at Singapore which was a sub-tropical swamp not even fit for agriculture when the British gave it up about the time of the creation of the West Indies Federation. Transformation in the OECS, where? What? What has fundamentally changed or been transformed? Please show and tell. We got a bit more delinquent, a bit more authoritarian, a bit less democratic, a bit less self-reliant, a bit more corrupt, a bit more dependent on donors like China and Venezuela! Yes, that is resilience and transformation also but in the wrong direction!

  10. March 17, 2021

    Thank you very much. It looks excellent.

  11. Ibo France
    March 16, 2021

    I want desperately to say some GOOD things about Mr. Skerrit for his diehards constantly complain that I’m too tough on him. So I looked high and low; long and hard; inside and outside the country to find something GOOD to say about him. These are the GOOD things I found:
    * He’s exceptionally GOOD at LYING
    * He’s GOOD at CORRUPTION
    * He’s GOOD at VICTIMIZATION
    * He’s GOOD at enriching HIMSELF , FOREIGNERS and CRONIES
    * He’s GOOD at putting on a show for his CARICOM COUNTERPARTS
    * He’s GOOD at POLITICAL DIVISION
    * He’s GOOD at fooling the INDIGENT by giving them BONES in their SOUP (Little)

    Those are the GOOD things I found about the DICTATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE.

    • Viewsexpressed
      March 18, 2021

      Thanks 👍 much Ibo France, you hit and shared that nail where it should politically hurt. We know well who’s head the nail should rest on.
      The good things expressed by Ibo of Mr. Failed, incompetent, immature Skerrit. He’s not visionary, lacks Socioeconomic development concept and therefore unable to comprehend that bigger picture of Socioeconomic development concept where our people should be elevated and our Dominica’ National Pride must not be stained by this failed L’abour Government band it’s obvious failed incompetent Questionable inmature failed Skerrit and his failed questionable Labour government.
      Our Dominica and it’s dedicated people is in need of sound Leadership and commited trusted Leadership in our Government. This current inmature illogical current Prime (Odd) Minister must Get the Hell Out of our States funds and resources and our government. We had enough of the PM’ Slang”Go to Hell, Go to Hell, it’s non of your Damn Business”. Well it is! Welcome UWP &…

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