The Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community (2015-2019): Repositioning CARICOM, is the first-ever Strategic Plan of the Community. The Plan is in three Volumes and is a framework of action to review development needs, apply a Resilience Model for socio-economic progress, and develop collaboration strategies for enhancing regional unity and reform governance mechanisms. Volume 1, the Executive Plan, presents an abbreviated version of the full Plan. Volume 2 is the full Strategic Plan and is structured as follows: Chapters 1 to 3 is a summary of the planning process engaged and critical strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the Community. Chapter 4 presents the vision, mission, core values and strategies for building resilience and unity and enhancing governance. Chapter 5 offers examples of how the objectives of the Strategic Plan should inform the strategies, principal measures, targets, indicators, time frame and budget of each of the implementing agents. This Chapter also emphasizes critical principles that must characterize the implementation process e.g. subsidiarity, focus on goals/results, evidence-informed, equity, harmonization, transparency, openness, and accountability. Chapters 6 and 7 present frameworks for managing and measuring change. The Appendices contain key additional reference information such as an overview of the full planning process. Volume 3 presents the technical appendices of the Plan, that is, reports of the data gathering instruments that informed the Plan. The Plan, identifies four development objectives as desired outcomes (Strong Economic Growth and Reduction in Poverty and Unemployment; Improved quality of life; Reduced environmental vulnerability; Integrated Community with Equity for All) and a series of Integrated Strategic Priorities to address them. The Strategic Priorities are: Economic Resilience and Sustainable Economic Growth and Development; Social Resilience - Equitable Human and Social Development; Environmental Resilience; Technological Resilience; Strengthening the CARICOM Identity and Spirit of Community; Strengthening Community Governance. The Plan, under the strategic priority of Economic Resilience, recognises Agriculture as one Key Economic Growth Driver for transition to growth and generate employment (Strategy ECN 4). The Plan aims at positioning the regional agricultural and fisheries sector as one economic space for growth and export development, and at enabling food and nutrition security by removing key binding constraints to the delivery of existing strategies (e.g. Common Agriculture Policy, the Regional Food and Nutrition Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy). To achieve that the Plan recommends: 1) Establish a system of regional indicators for Agriculture targeted at reducing the food import bill; 2) Initiatives for exports by attracting investment in small and large scale agri-food initiatives, while encouraging entrepreneurship among youth, women and small farmers; 3) Develop a fully integrated and harmonized Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety System; 4) Advance initiatives for sustainable expansion and intensification of fish production through responsible aquaculture development in both coastal waters and inland; 5) Stabilize and gradually enhance the contribution of fish catches from marine and inland waters, while ensuring long-term environmental sustainability (ecosystem approach to fisheries); 6) Develop a risk mitigation framework to reduce the impact of climate change; 7) Develop programs to provide alternatives for the traditional agriculture. A key consideration made by the Plan under this priority is also that Information and Communication Technologies is fundamental to building economic, social and environmental resilience, and to that end a regional agricultural market information system linking CSME initiatives is among the actions to develop under the Plan. The second integrated Strategic Priority, Social Resilience, aims at ensuring sustainable human and social development in the Region, with reduced levels of poverty and equitable access by vulnerable group e.g. through the support of youth development initiatives to address youth entrepreneurship, employment, leadership skills, regional identify, and preparation for participation in governance (SOC 1 Strategy); and by furthering mainstreaming inclusiveness, Gender, Persons with Disabilities, Age, in the work of the public sector (SOC 2). Among the Key considerations for this Strategic Priority, the Plan recognises that integrated policy management of nutrition and agriculture development, is fundamental to building economic and social resilience. The Plan also, under the Strategic Priority of Environmental Resilience, commits to (ENV 1) Advance Climate Adaptation and Mitigation by ensuring e.g. a continuous update of Climate Change management instruments, by preparing states for climate finance readiness; (ENV 2) Advance Disaster Mitigation and Management by focusing on a comprehensive approach to disaster management which involves the management of all hazards, throughout all phases of the disaster management cycle and involving all peoples and sectors of the economy; (ENV 3) Enhance Management of the Environment and Natural Resources through a legal and regulatory reform, pollution prevention and control, waste management, building national and institutional capacities to conduct and use environmental and social impact assessments (including climate change screening/proofing), promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy options, promoting sustainable use and management of biodiversity, promoting integrated Coastal Zone Management, promoting conservation, management and sustainable use of the marine living and forest resources, and enhancing regional capacity to address ocean governance issues (e.g. proliferation of alien and exotic species, marine litter and biodiversity). Under Strategic Priority Technological Resilience, the Plan aims at engender innovative, technology-driven economies and societies in the Region by brining technology to citizens, at promoting ICT development including commitment of the Region’s governments, other sources (national, regional and international), public-private-people partnerships.
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