December 2014
Compete Caribbean Feasibility Study 
Supports Establishment of ADR Centre
From left: Sylvia Dohnert of Compete Caribbean, Joel Branski of Inter-American Development Bank, BCCI President Tracey Shuffler, Consultant Baria Ahmed, BCCI's Lisa Gale, Chairperson of the BCCI Legal Affairs Committee, Glenda Medford and member of the Committee, Dr. Sir Trevor Carmichael
The results of the feasibility study undertaken by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) into the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre as a mechanism to resolve commercial disputes more expeditiously and therefore remove barriers to investment were disclosed at a breakfast meeting attended by a well-represented group of the legal and business fraternity.
Technical and financial assistance for this study was provided by Compete Caribbean, a regional private sector development program, jointly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).
  
Conducted by Baria Ahmed, an ADR expert based in the UK, the study considered the proposal to establish an ADR Centre in Barbados, ideally to serve as a regional hub for Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
  
The study found that overall, the legal environment within Barbados and the OECS was supportive of the ADR process and the interest of the stakeholder groups was encouraging. Against this backdrop, the consultant supported the establishment of the proposed Centre and made appropriate recommendations for the set up of the institution and its services.
  
Ahmed also highlighted some of the challenges, including the Arbitration Act 1958, which currently governs domestic arbitration cases in Barbados, and which she said "needs to be updated urgently." Another difficulty was the lack of simple and effective mechanisms to enforce awards and this was underscored by the World Bank's "Doing Business Rankings" which placed Barbados at 110 out of 189 countries in the enforcement of contracts.
  
BCCI President of Tracey Shuffler stated that she was pleased with the conclusions from the report and the support for the proposed Centre and thanked the BCCI's Legal Affairs Committee for spearheading the initiative. Ms. Shuffler said that the Centre could help businesses to settle commercial disputes outside of the law courts and this can assist in reducing the number of cases before the law courts, adding that the courts saw over 2,500 new cases lodged annually with only 70 to 80 decisions handed down per year.
  
"Based on the study, the Centre could deliver ADR services for the benefit of both domestic and international parties as well as offering ADR training, workshops and seminars to develop the field throughout the region." she stated. She added, Barbados is well poised to also attract international arbitration cases especially since the proclamation of the International Commercial Arbitration Act in 2009.
More Private Sector Assessment Reports (PSARs) Completed...

Find out what sectors have potential in each country? The private sector is crucial to achieving inclusive growth. Compete Caribbean's Private Sector Assessment Reports (PSARs) provide comprehensive overviews of the private sector in 14 CARIFORUM countries. In each of these, the following areas are specifically developed:

  • Primary components of the productive sector;
  • Key challenges;
  • Potential emerging sectors;
  • Policy recommendations for priority areas.

The assessments draw on international and local data sources, as well as on interviews with key stakeholders. The initiative focuses on the salient policy issues that require attention in order to improve competitiveness and foster private sector development (PSD). 

  

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Partnering For Success 
Grant Recipients Meet Compete Caribbean Team 
Compete Caribbean team members engage
grantees in one-on-one sessions

Seven firms who received technical assistance grants from Compete Caribbean recently visited the team in Barbados for an intensive session designed to offer each project a greater understanding of the implementation process and reporting mechanisms.

The innovative projects are:
  • Kreyol Essence - Haiti - Castor Oil Project
  • Revolt SA - Haiti - Off-grid Electricity for Bottom of the  Pyramid Consumers' Project 
  • Banane d'Haiti - Haiti - Banana Production Project
  • VeerHouse Voda, SA - Haiti - Production of Eco-friendly Building Materials
  • Caribbean Premier Products Ltd - Belize - All Natural Tropical Fruit Drinks for Diabetics, Obese & Hypertensive Project
  • Consorcio Citricos Dominicanos, SA - Dominican Republic - High Value-added Coconut Products Project
  • Caribbean Fine Flavor Cocoa - Trinidad & Tobago - Cocoa Production Project
Represented by 13 senior members from each of the projects, grantees were engaged by Compete Caribbean presentations from Operations, Monitoring & Evaluation, Finance/Reporting and Procurement. Many questions were raised by participants on each subject area and thus began the process of delving deeper into the  process of furthering developing their individual projects while ensuring that Compete's standards are met.
  
Additionally, each project team was invited to participate in one-on-one sessions with members of the Compete team with a view to responding to their immediate needs at this time. These sessions were well received and proved to be necessary and instructive for both the project managers and Compete team as well.
  
Executive Director of Compete Caribbean, Sylvia Dohnert declared the session open by welcoming participants and offering sage words of advice while expressing  pride at the level of innovation emanating from the region.
Compete Caribbean Launches Magazine

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Clearing the Hurdles...
Key Issues Affecting Caribbean Private Sector Competitiveness

The Caribbean Export Development Agency held an Exporters' Colloquium on November 11 & 12 in Barbados to a large engaged audience of regional stakeholders, private and public sector representatives and industry experts.

Under the overall colloquium theme: Building Economic Resilience in the Caribbean; Executive Director of Compete Caribbean, Sylvia Dohnert delivered a thought provoking presentation specifically analysing competitiveness in the regional private sector. View Full Presentation
Interesting Opportunity
 
The first international trade show dedicated to medical tourism will be hosted by 
Destination: Health in Canada from August 13-15, 2015.

Themed "Discover Latin America", the event will take place at the majestic Palais des Congr�s convention centre in Montreal, Canada. Over the course of the three days, Destination: Health will introduce the general public and experts in the health field to the advantages and benefits of medical tourism services in Latin America. Read More
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