Association of Caribbean States facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
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 Flag
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Map indicating ACS members (cream-coloured).
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| Seat of Secretariat |  Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Type | Regional organization |
| Membership |
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| Leaders | |
| Rodolfo Sabonge | |
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• Ministerial Council Chair
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 Bridgetown, Barbados |
| Establishment |  Cartagena, Colombia July 24, 1994 |
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Website
http://www.acs-aec.org/ |
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The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) is a group of countries located around the Caribbean Sea. It was created to help these nations work together. The main goals of the ACS are to boost trade, improve transportation, support sustainable tourism (tourism that protects the environment), and help countries respond better to natural disasters.
The ACS has twenty-five member countries and seven associate members. The agreement to create the ACS was signed on July 24, 1994, in Cartagena, Colombia.
Contents
What the ACS Aims to Achieve
The Association of Caribbean States wants to encourage countries in the region to work closely together. This idea is called regionalism. Many experts discuss how well the ACS achieves its goals.
The main aims of the ACS are to:
- Show the shared interests of Caribbean nations.
- Remove old barriers from the region's colonial past.
The organization uses the closeness of its members to gain political and economic benefits. This helps them deal with larger trade groups like the European Union. The ACS focuses on four key areas: Trade, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, and Natural Disasters. Each area has a special committee that meets often to discuss issues and create agreements.
Boosting Trade and Economy
The Special Committee on Trade Development works to create bigger economic opportunities. It does this by bringing member states together through cooperation. The ACS holds yearly meetings to help expand the region's economy.
Improving Transport and Travel
The Special Committee on Transport helps create agreements for air travel among countries. This committee also works on keeping travelers safe. It helps to prevent airborne crime.
Promoting Sustainable Tourism
The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism promotes tourism that is good for the environment. This type of tourism helps the Caribbean economy. At the same time, it protects the natural beauty of the region.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
The Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction helps coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to natural disasters. This committee focuses on staying organized. It aims to keep a high level of readiness to handle disasters.
Protecting the Caribbean Sea
One important goal of the ACS is to have the Caribbean Sea recognized as a special zone for sustainable development. The ACS wants the United Nations to see the Caribbean Sea as a valuable resource. It believes the sea is worth protecting and cherishing. The organization has also tried to get member states to agree on a United Nations General Assembly resolution. This resolution would ban the movement of nuclear materials through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal.
The VERB Programme
The VERB (Value, Empowerment, Resources, Betterment) programme is an ACS initiative. It aims to help Caribbean people in many areas, like farming and education. The program focuses on improving resources and infrastructure. It prioritizes ecological and community well-being. It also encourages the use of renewable natural resources.
How Well Does the ACS Work?
Experts have different opinions on how successful the ACS is. Some say it's successful because of its many projects. They also point to its large number of members and its connections with other groups like the European Union.
Others argue that by the late 1990s, the ACS hadn't shown enough progress. They say it was hard to judge its success as a group working for development. Some experts also believe the ACS might not become a major player on the international stage. They often mention other past attempts at economic cooperation that didn't last. The future of the ACS in the western hemisphere is still uncertain.
ACS Meetings (Summits)
The ACS has held nine major meetings, called summits:
- 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 Pétion-Ville, Haiti, April 23–26, 2013.
- VI ACS Summit, at Mérida, México, April 28–30, 2014.
- VII ACS Summit, at Havana, Cuba, June 4, 2016.
- VIII ACS Summit, at Managua, Nicaragua, March 29, 2019.
- IX ACS Summit, at Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, May 8–12, 2023.
Who Belongs to the ACS?
Member States
Associate Member States
Aruba
British Virgin Islands
Curaçao
France on behalf of:
- Guadeloupe
Martinique- Saint Martin
Netherlands on behalf of:
Bonaire
Saba
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten
Observer States
Observer Organisations
- The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - People's Trade Treaty
- Central American Bank for Economic Integration
- Arab League
- European Union
- Group of 77
- International Organization for Migration
- Pacific Islands Forum
- United Nations
Non-Participants
Montserrat does not directly take part in the ACS. However, it is linked to an observer state, as it is a British Overseas Territory. The United States and its territories, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, also do not participate.
How the ACS Connects with Other Groups
Observer Organisations
- 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
- Latin American Economic System (SELA)
- MERCOSUR
- United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
See also
- Economy 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 Caribbean
