Statement by Prime Minister Gaston Browne - "The Journey Towards Integration" ​

‘The Journey Towards Integration’ 

Dear Colleagues of the OECS Authority and your Cabinets 

 Members of Parliament of the OECS 

Director-General and Senior Officials of the OECS Commission 

Dear fellow Citizens of the OECS: 

I bring you heartfelt greetings on the forty-third anniversary of the attainment of sovereignty by Antigua and Barbuda. 

As a nation, we reflect on that day, the 1^st November 1981, with a profound sense of pride. We stepped onto the global stage as the 157^th UN Member-State, with an ambition to make an immediate impact on the living standards of our people. Though we may have been unsure of the direct course of global flows, we charted a steady path. Under the leadership of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, and the men and women of our great nation, a steady, ambitious, and sustained path has continued to this day. Antigua and Barbuda has experienced significant economic growth and boundless development, emerging as a leading nation throughout the globe.

The year 1981 was also the year that the OECS was formally established on the 18^th June. Under the original Treaty of Basseterre, the seven Member-States, recognizing our vulnerabilities due in part to our size, committed to a deeper sense of integration for the ultimate benefit of our citizens. 

Therefore, 1981 holds significance for Antigua and Barbuda, not only from the standpoint of achieving political independence from the colonials, but also our commitment to building a stronger, united and further integrated OECS. Antigua and Barbuda had always been cradled within the bosom of the Leeward Islands colony and transformed that community into an OECS to which we will remain loyal. 

Antigua and Barbuda has long been an advocate of integration. We have led from the front, warmly welcoming our brothers and sisters from across the region to our shores. Our nation has been a shining beacon of the integration movement, with perhaps the highest percentage of OECS nationals collectively residing here, contributing significantly to the growth and development of Antigua and Barbuda.

I wish to thank the numerous OECS nationals who have made Antigua and Barbuda their home. We are truly committed to the philosophy of “oneness” and believe in its significance in advancing our Region. ​ ​ ​ 

However, I wish to call upon our Region to reflect on the original purpose of the OECS, and to ask the question: Have we done enough to further integration?

Back in 1981, the seven brave leaders embarked upon a mission to show the citizens of the OECS, the wider Caribbean and indeed the globe, that through the single act of signing the Treaty of Basseterre, we forged a strong union where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The OECS is based on solidarity, shared economic strength, confidence and security building measures. The Regional Security System (RSS) is one of the finest examples of CSBMs globally. The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union is another.

The leaders understood that one tiny nation could not thrive alone in an unforgiving and ultra-competitive world. The leaders in 1981 recognized that in order to further uplift the economic and social well-being of people of the Region, collaboration would forever be required.

While our present leaders remain committed to the full integration of the OECS, I am persuaded that we must seek to do even more so that maximum benefits can be derived for our citizens. 

In a world where the plight of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is being heard in all corners of the globe, the OECS as a region cannot relent on raising the issue of climate change and its detrimental effects at every juncture. Though some within the international community may seek to downplay the harmful effects of climate change, we must continue to ensure that this issue remains a priority on the global agenda. This existential battle aims to guarantee our future, as we chart a course towards resilient prosperity. 

Antigua and Barbuda continues to advance the cause of our Region and all SIDS. When we hosted the 4^th United Nations International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in May 2024, it was with the support of the OECS. Emerging from this Conference was the outcome document: the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, commonly referred to as the ABAS. The ABAS is a new 10-year action plan, seeking to highlight our unique challenges and vulnerabilities, while delivering sustainable development for SIDS.

I therefore call on all citizens of the OECS to familiarize themselves with and to embrace the ABAS, as we seek to ensure that the voices of the SIDS, which others have often tried to marginalize within the wider global agenda, are heard throughout the international arena. We as leaders cannot do it alone, and we need the shared voices and actions of YOU the citizens to further this cause.

My fellow citizens of the OECS, we are living in a world where turmoil and conflict dominate. The daily headlines reflect a world that is on fire and at war. This level of global instability signals that very worrying times are ahead for small and vulnerable economies, like ours.

Evidently, the OECS must look within and navigate through the perilous waters similar to those which we faced over forty years ago. We must refocus our strategy and complete the journey towards integration. ​ Our integration arrangements should be under constant review, always seeking ways to strengthen the ties that bind.

While we can boast of an Economic Union with complete free movement of people and goods, we must seek to strengthen other areas critical to our integration and sustainable development. ​ 

Matters such as the Common External Tariff – where is it? 

We must seek to complete our project on the Free Circulation of Goods—it is a necessity for the Region! 

Our OECS Assembly, which is the only one of its kind within our Hemisphere, must remain active to debate critical regional issues relevant to our citizens. Furthermore, the voices of our Parliamentary Opposition Representatives are essential to finding consensus on matters to uplift our dear OECS Region. ​ Moreover, we must strengthen our internal markets as a means of protection from exogenous shocks.

My fellow brothers and sisters of the OECS, in looking at the past we have much of which to be proud, and great achievements which we can celebrate. We have moved from an act of solidarity and cooperation in 1981, to our present day economic union which has facilitated greater trade and integration amongst our Member States.

Although the future of the globe may seem bleak, since conflicts abound, we must remain resolute in advancing the regional agenda through a collective effort by all. In this 43^rd Year of Independence, Antigua and Barbuda walks side by side with the OECS in our quest to uplift and improve the lives and livelihoods of those within our Member States.

May God bless our OECS and our integration movement. I thank you.