The Association of Caribbean States (ACS; Spanish: Asociación de Estados del Caribe; French: Association des États de la Caraïbe) is an advisory association of nations centered on the Caribbean Basin. It was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean coastal area. The primary purpose of the ACS is to promote greater trade between the nations, enhance transportation, develop sustainable tourism, and facilitate greater and more effective responses to local natural disasters.
It comprises twenty-five member states and seven associate members.[2] The convention establishing the ACS was signed on July 24, 1994, in Cartagena, Colombia.
A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organisations in the Americas (prior to 2019).v • d • e
The Association of Caribbean States is intended to promote regionalism among the member states. The success and functionality of the ACS is greatly debated among scholars. The main goals of the association are "to confirm the new concept of the Caribbean Basin by (A) accentuating those interests the Caribbean nations hold in common and (B) working to eliminate barriers left over from its colonial past."[3]
The organization seeks to use geographic proximity and regional cooperation (regionalism) for political and economic advantage[3] with respect to the global economy and trade blocs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), European Union, Arab League, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The ACS has four distinct areas of interest: Trade, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, and Natural Disasters. Each is pursued by a Special Committee which meets at least twice yearly in order to discuss current regional issues and draft treaties.[4]
The Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations works in an effort to create larger economic actions in the Caribbean by uniting its member states through integration and cooperation. Through various annual forums the ACS attempts to create economic cooperation in an attempt to benefit and expand the region's economy.[4]
The Special Committee on Transport works to promote an Air Transport Agreement amongst the countries which have ratified the agreement. Security of travelers and the policing of airborne crime like drug trafficking also falls under the auspices of the Special Committee on Transport.[4]
The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism aims to promote tourism which is environmentally friendly.[4] The committee promotes the use of sustainable tourism which is healthy for the environment, and at the same time economically beneficial to the Caribbean as a region.
The Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction which aims to coordinate the prevention and response to natural disasters in the Caribbean.[4] The main focus of this committee is to maintain organisation and attempt to maintain a high level of ability to cope with disasters.
Caribbean Sea agenda
One agenda adopted by the ACS has been an attempt to secure the designation of the Caribbean Sea as a special zone in the context of sustainable development, it is pushing for the UN to consider the Caribbean sea as an invaluable asset that is worth protecting and treasuring.[5] The organisation has sought to form a coalition among member states to devise a United Nations General Assembly resolution to ban the transshipment of nuclear materials through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal.
VERB programme
VERB (Value, Empowerment, Resources, Betterment) programme aimed by ACS for empowering Caribbean peoples in all sectors (agriculture, education, fishery, etc.) with better resources and betterment of infrastructures in Caribbean by prioritising ecological and community welfare values and using renewable natural resources.
Performance evaluation
The success of the ACS is debated by many scholars on both sides. Those who suggest the ACS is successful would point to the many initiatives the developmental coalition has undertaken, as well as its large membership and relations with other international organisations like the European Union. Those who suggest it is unsuccessful note how by the end of the 1990s, unlike CARICOM, the ACS had failed to establish a track record which was worthy enough to allow for the evaluation of the ACS as a developmental coalition.[6] Furthermore, some scholars suggest that the ACS is unlikely to become a true player on the international level. Skeptics often point to other failed attempts at economic coalition building like the Central American Common Market (CACM) as an example of the instability of the region.[6] The influence of NAFTA on the Caribbean outlines the future struggle of the ACS. The future of the ACS in relation to the western hemisphere is uncertain. "Despite governmental statements of commitment to liberalisation, it will be difficult for Caribbean countries to succeed in putting their economies on a firmer footing that would enable them to compete effectively."[7]
Summits
The ACS has held five summits involving heads of state and/or government:
Relationship with other supranational organisations
Parts of this article (those related to Anguilla) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2012)
A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various Supranational Caribbean Organisations and agreements.
^"ACS Leaders Pledge to Tackle Climate Change, Promote Sovereignty, Safe Migration & Reparations". ACS. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
^. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
^ abSerbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1-19
^ abcde. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
^The Caribbean Sea: A constant in the ACS agenda August 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine September 30, 2006
^ abHillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003. pp. 169
^Benn, Denis. "Global and Regional Trends: Impact on Caribbean Development." In, Caribbean Public Policy: Regional, Cultural, and Socioeconomic Issues for the 21st Century, edited by Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner and Dennis Gayle. London: Boulder Westview, 1997.
^"Líderes de la AEC se comprometen a enfrentar Cambio Climático, Promover Soverenidad, Migración sin Riesgos e Indemnización". ACS. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
^. Association of Caribbean States. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
^. ACS. Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
^"Key address by Raul Castro Ruz, President of the Council of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba to the Opening Session of the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States. Havana, Cuba, June 4, 2016". Association of Caribbean States. 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
^"Observers and Partners | ACS-AEC". www.acs-aec.org. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
Further reading
Gowricharn, Ruben. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migration, Pluralization and Social Cohesion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006.
Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies P, 2003.
Heuman, Gad. The Caribbean: Brief Histories. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication, 2006.
Hillman, Richard S. and Thomas J. D'agostino (editors). Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
Knight, Franklin W. The Modern Caribbean. na: The University of North Carolina Press, 1989.
Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia P, 1989.
Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. San Francisco: Westview P, 1994.
Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions". Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1-19. (This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean.)
Byron, Jessica Lewis, Patsy. Responses to the sovereignty/vulnerability/development dilemmas : small territories and regional organization in the Caribbean 2013 video from Manioc.org
External links
Official website
Association of Caribbean States—ACS members
January 09, 2023
association, caribbean, states, other, uses, spanish, asociación, estados, caribe, french, association, États, caraïbe, advisory, association, nations, centered, caribbean, basin, formed, with, promoting, consultation, cooperation, concerted, action, among, co. For other uses see ACS and AEC The Association of Caribbean States ACS Spanish Asociacion de Estados del Caribe French Association des Etats de la Caraibe is an advisory association of nations centered on the Caribbean Basin It was formed with the aim of promoting consultation cooperation and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean coastal area The primary purpose of the ACS is to promote greater trade between the nations enhance transportation develop sustainable tourism and facilitate greater and more effective responses to local natural disasters Association of Caribbean States ACS Asociacion de Estados del Caribe Spanish Association des Etats de la Caraibe French FlagMap indicating ACS members cream coloured Seat of SecretariatPort of Spain Trinidad and TobagoTypeRegional organizationMembership25 members10 associate members28 observersLeaders Secretary GeneralRodolfo Sabonge Ministerial Council ChairBridgetown Barbados 1 EstablishmentCartagena Colombia July 24 1994Websitehttp www acs aec org It comprises twenty five member states and seven associate members 2 The convention establishing the ACS was signed on July 24 1994 in Cartagena Colombia Contents 1 ACS objectives and goals 1 1 Caribbean Sea agenda 1 2 VERB programme 2 Performance evaluation 3 Summits 4 Membership 4 1 Member states 4 2 Associate member states 4 3 Observer states 4 4 Observer organisations 5 Relationship with other supranational organisations 5 1 Observer organisations 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksACS objectives and goals Edit A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organisations in the Americas prior to 2019 v d e The Association of Caribbean States is intended to promote regionalism among the member states The success and functionality of the ACS is greatly debated among scholars The main goals of the association are to confirm the new concept of the Caribbean Basin by A accentuating those interests the Caribbean nations hold in common and B working to eliminate barriers left over from its colonial past 3 The organization seeks to use geographic proximity and regional cooperation regionalism for political and economic advantage 3 with respect to the global economy and trade blocs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA European Union Arab League and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation The ACS has four distinct areas of interest Trade Transport Sustainable Tourism and Natural Disasters Each is pursued by a Special Committee which meets at least twice yearly in order to discuss current regional issues and draft treaties 4 The Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations works in an effort to create larger economic actions in the Caribbean by uniting its member states through integration and cooperation Through various annual forums the ACS attempts to create economic cooperation in an attempt to benefit and expand the region s economy 4 The Special Committee on Transport works to promote an Air Transport Agreement amongst the countries which have ratified the agreement Security of travelers and the policing of airborne crime like drug trafficking also falls under the auspices of the Special Committee on Transport 4 The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism aims to promote tourism which is environmentally friendly 4 The committee promotes the use of sustainable tourism which is healthy for the environment and at the same time economically beneficial to the Caribbean as a region The Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction which aims to coordinate the prevention and response to natural disasters in the Caribbean 4 The main focus of this committee is to maintain organisation and attempt to maintain a high level of ability to cope with disasters Caribbean Sea agenda Edit One agenda adopted by the ACS has been an attempt to secure the designation of the Caribbean Sea as a special zone in the context of sustainable development it is pushing for the UN to consider the Caribbean sea as an invaluable asset that is worth protecting and treasuring 5 The organisation has sought to form a coalition among member states to devise a United Nations General Assembly resolution to ban the transshipment of nuclear materials through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal VERB programme Edit VERB Value Empowerment Resources Betterment programme aimed by ACS for empowering Caribbean peoples in all sectors agriculture education fishery etc with better resources and betterment of infrastructures in Caribbean by prioritising ecological and community welfare values and using renewable natural resources Performance evaluation EditThe success of the ACS is debated by many scholars on both sides Those who suggest the ACS is successful would point to the many initiatives the developmental coalition has undertaken as well as its large membership and relations with other international organisations like the European Union Those who suggest it is unsuccessful note how by the end of the 1990s unlike CARICOM the ACS had failed to establish a track record which was worthy enough to allow for the evaluation of the ACS as a developmental coalition 6 Furthermore some scholars suggest that the ACS is unlikely to become a true player on the international level Skeptics often point to other failed attempts at economic coalition building like the Central American Common Market CACM as an example of the instability of the region 6 The influence of NAFTA on the Caribbean outlines the future struggle of the ACS The future of the ACS in relation to the western hemisphere is uncertain Despite governmental statements of commitment to liberalisation it will be difficult for Caribbean countries to succeed in putting their economies on a firmer footing that would enable them to compete effectively 7 Summits EditThe ACS has held five summits involving heads of state and or government I ACS Summit at Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago August 17 18 1995 II ACS Summit at Santo Domingo Dominican Republic April 16 17 1999 III ACS Summit at Isla Margarita Venezuela December 12 2001 IV ACS Summit at Panama City Panama July 29 2005 V ACS Summit at Petion Ville Haiti April 23 26 2013 VI ACS Summit at Merida Mexico April 28 30 2014 VII ACS Summit at Havana Cuba June 4 2016 VIII ACS Summit at Managua Nicaragua March 29 2019 8 Membership Edit 9 10 11 Member states Edit Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Venezuela Associate member states Edit Aruba British Virgin Islands Curacao France on behalf of French Guiana Saint Barthelemy Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Martin Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Observer states Edit Argentina Belarus Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Ecuador Egypt Finland India Italy Japan Kazakhstan South Korea Morocco Netherlands Palestine Peru Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia Slovenia Spain Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Observer organisations Edit The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America People s Trade Treaty Central American Bank for Economic Integration European Union Group of 77 International Organization for Migration Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development United NationsRelationship with other supranational organisations EditParts of this article those related to Anguilla need to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information March 2012 A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various Supranational Caribbean Organisations and agreements vte Observer organisations Edit Caribbean Community CARICOM Secretariat Caribbean Tourism Organization CTO Central American Integration System SICA General Agreement on Central American Economic Integration SIECA Permanent Secretariat Community of Latin American and Caribbean States European Union 12 Latin American Economic System SELA MERCOSUR United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ECLAC Organization of American States OAS See also EditEconomy of Latin America the Caribbean List of regional organizations by population List of countries by credit rating List of countries by public debt List of countries by tax revenue as percentage of GDP List of countries by future gross government debt List of countries by leading trade partners List of Latin American and Caribbean countries by GDP growth List of Latin American and Caribbean countries by GDP nominal List of Latin American and Caribbean countries by GDP PPP East Caribbean dollar Sucre currency International status and usage of the euro Internationalization of the renminbi International use of the U S dollar Central banks and currencies of the CaribbeanReferences Edit ACS Leaders Pledge to Tackle Climate Change Promote Sovereignty Safe Migration amp Reparations ACS Retrieved April 7 2019 ACS Membership increases Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Retrieved Jun 20 2020 a b Serbin Andres Towards an Association of Caribbean States Raising Some Awkward Questions Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 2004 1 19 a b c d e Association of Caribbean States 2007 Association of Caribbean States 21 October November 2007 Archived from the original on December 18 2007 Retrieved Jun 20 2020 The Caribbean Sea A constant in the ACS agenda Archived August 30 2008 at the Wayback Machine September 30 2006 a b Hillman Richard S and Thomas J D agostino eds Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean London Lynne Rienner 2003 pp 169 Benn Denis Global and Regional Trends Impact on Caribbean Development In Caribbean Public Policy Regional Cultural and Socioeconomic Issues for the 21st Century edited by Jacqueline Braveboy Wagner and Dennis Gayle London Boulder Westview 1997 Lideres de la AEC se comprometen a enfrentar Cambio Climatico Promover Soverenidad Migracion sin Riesgos e Indemnizacion ACS Retrieved April 7 2019 About The ACS Association of Caribbean States Archived from the original on August 22 2012 Retrieved August 24 2014 ACS Members and Associate Members ACS Archived from the original on 2015 02 19 Retrieved August 24 2014 Key address by Raul Castro Ruz President of the Council of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba to the Opening Session of the 7th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States Havana Cuba June 4 2016 Association of Caribbean States 2016 06 04 Retrieved 2016 07 15 Observers and Partners ACS AEC www acs aec org Retrieved Jun 20 2020 Further reading EditGowricharn Ruben Caribbean Transnationalism Migration Pluralization and Social Cohesion Lanham Lexington Books 2006 Henke Holger and Fred Reno eds Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean Kingston University of West Indies P 2003 Heuman Gad The Caribbean Brief Histories London A Hodder Arnold Publication 2006 Hillman Richard S and Thomas J D agostino editors Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean London Lynne Rienner 2003 Knight Franklin W The Modern Caribbean na The University of North Carolina Press 1989 Langley Lester D The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century London University of Georgia P 1989 Maingot Anthony P The United States and the Caribbean Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship San Francisco Westview P 1994 Serbin Andres Towards an Association of Caribbean States Raising Some Awkward Questions Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 2004 1 19 This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean Byron Jessica Lewis Patsy Responses to the sovereignty vulnerability development dilemmas small territories and regional organization in the Caribbean 2013 video from Manioc orgExternal links EditOfficial website Association of Caribbean States ACS members Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Association of Caribbean States amp oldid 1118485618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
