Service providers in the region look at worldly opportunities
orson elrington
The Caribbean Single Market and Economy is one of the ways in which the world seems more connected inside a global village. The Caribbean Export Development Agency and the Belize Service Providers are holding a workshop on Friday to update professionals about service agreements the country has signed onto. The delegation includes representatives from Barbados and Trinidad who spent the day holding consultations with government departments such as the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Trade. According to the Chairman of the Belize Coalition of Service Providers, all stakeholders are invited to attend.
Orson Elrington, Chairman, Belize Coalition of Service Providers
“The purpose of this workshop is to sensitize the Belizean stakeholders about the benefits and the opportunities about the different trade agreements that we’ve signed in the region or that we’re in the processing of signing—whether it be the CARIFORUM EU agreement. That’s with the European Union. Or whether it be with the ongoing Canada/CARICOM agreement or whether it be the CARICOM agreements—and what these different regional agreements and what are the opportunities and threats that are upon the service providers here in Belize.”
Jose Sanchez
“Locally, who do you expect to attend the workshop?”
Orson Elrington
“Locally, we are hoping that most definitely those people who represent the different service organizations. Most particularly we hope that the people from the architects association and those from the engineering association, the accountants are there because those are the people who are furthest along in the negotiating MRA’s. The MRA’s are the mutual recognition agreements. These are the agreements between the different professional bodies in the region to recognize the certification and the qualifications of different professional service providers. And once these professional service providers are recognized, then we are able to move throughout the region, move to Canada, move to Europe and our professional services are recognized in each of these jurisdictions. Although we’re targeting the initial trust of these, the mutual agreements are for the architects, and for the engineers and for the accountants, it’s also very important that other service providers attend this workshop because it is a sensitization process for all the regional agreements so that you understand all the opportunities that you have in the region to take full advantage of the preferential markets that we are getting.”
The workshop will begin at nine a.m. on Friday at the Chamber Commerce’s office on Coney Drive.
