Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale (French)
Flag Logo
Protocol member Associate member
Commission	Castries
Working languages	English French
Type	Political and economic union
Membership	7 protocol Antigua and Barbuda Dominica Grenada Montserrat Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 associate Anguilla British Virgin Islands Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Martin
Leaders

• Chairman	Ralph Gonsalves
• Director-General	Didacus Jules

Establishment

• Treaty of Basseterre	18 June 1981
• Revised Treaty of Basseterre	21 January 2011

Area
• Total	2,709 km² (1,046 sq mi)
• Including Associate Members	5,910 km² (2,280 sq mi)
Population
• 2017 estimate	615,724
• Including Associate Members	1,465,689
• Density	215.6/km² (558.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$6.7 billion $29.6 billion (Including Associate Members)
• Per capita	$10,879 $20,622 (Including Associate Members)
Currency	3 currencies East Caribbean Dollar (Protocol members and Anguilla) US Dollar (British Virgin Islands) Euro (Guadeloupe, Martinique)
Time zone	UTC -4 (AST)
Internet TLD	10 TLDs .ai .ag .vg .dm .gd .gp .mq/.fr .ms .kn .lc .vc

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is a team of countries and territories in the Eastern Caribbean. These islands work together to improve their economies, protect people's rights, and support each other.

The OECS also helps its members prepare for and recover from natural disasters, like hurricanes. The main office, called the Commission, is in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia.

Many OECS members are part of an economic union, which is like a club that makes it easier to trade and do business with each other. Eight of these members also share the same money, the Eastern Caribbean dollar.

History of the OECS
Special Projects of the OECS
- A Common Passport
- Creating an Economic Union
  - The New Rulebook
Who are the Members?
- Future Members
How the OECS is Organized
Security and Safety
Health Services
Symbols of the OECS
See also

History of the OECS

The OECS was formed on June 18, 1981. The countries signed an agreement called the Treaty of Basseterre, named after the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis. The OECS replaced an older group called the West Indies Associated States.

The member countries realized they could achieve more by working together. This cooperation has helped them grow stronger as a group.

Most members of the OECS are also part of a larger group called the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). They joined a special CARICOM program to make trade and business even easier across the wider Caribbean region.

Special Projects of the OECS

The OECS works on many projects to bring its members closer together. Two of the biggest projects have been about creating a common passport and an economic union.

A Common Passport

Around 2003, the OECS planned to create a special passport for its citizens. However, a bigger plan for a CARICOM passport was also in the works.

The OECS leaders decided to wait and see if the CARICOM passport would be ready. In 2005, the first CARICOM passports were issued. Because of this, the OECS decided to drop its own passport plan and join the larger CARICOM system.

Creating an Economic Union

In 2001, OECS leaders decided to form an economic union. This was a big step to make their economies work as one. The goal was to allow goods, services, and people to move freely between member countries, much like in the European Union.

The New Rulebook

To make the economic union happen, the OECS needed a new set of rules. They updated their original agreement and created the Revised Treaty of Basseterre in 2010. This new treaty officially established the OECS Economic Union in 2011.

The treaty created a single space where:

Goods and services can be traded easily.
People can travel, live, and work in any member country without special permits.
Money and investments can move freely between the islands.

This union helps businesses grow and gives people more opportunities.

Who are the Members?

The OECS has twelve members. They form an arc of islands in the Caribbean Sea. There are two types of members: full members and associate members.

Seven countries are full members. They were the original founders of the OECS. Five territories are associate members. They participate in many OECS activities but are not involved in everything.

Many of the members were once colonies of the United Kingdom. Today, some are independent countries, while others remain overseas territories of the UK or France.

State	Status	Capital	Joined	Pop. ⁽²⁰¹⁷⁾	Area ^(km²)	Currency	Official Language
Antigua and Barbuda	Member	St. John's	Founder	091,244	0,443	EC$	None
Commonwealth of Dominica	Member	Roseau	Founder	070,693	0,751	EC$	English
Grenada	Member	St. George's	Founder	107,541	0,344	EC$	English
Montserrat	Member	Brades	Founder	004,993	0,102	EC$	English
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Member	Basseterre	Founder	055,411	0,261	EC$	English
Saint Lucia	Member	Castries	Founder	175,498	0,617	EC$	English
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Member	Kingstown	Founder	110,185	0,389	EC$	English
Anguilla	Associate Member	The Valley	1995	015,253	0,096	EC$	English
British Virgin Islands	Associate Member	Road Town	1984	035,015	0,151	US$	English
Guadeloupe	Associate Member	Basse-Terre	2019	393,640	&&&&&&&&&&&01628.&&&&&01,628	Euro	French
Martinique	Associate Member	Fort-de-France	2015	374,780	&&&&&&&&&&&01128.&&&&&01,128	Euro	French

Future Members

Over the years, other Caribbean islands have shown interest in joining the OECS. These include the United States Virgin Islands and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Saba and Sint Maarten. So far, they have not become members, but they sometimes join in on OECS meetings.

How the OECS is Organized

The OECS has several important parts that help it run smoothly. These include a main office, a central bank, and a court system.

The OECS Commission building in Saint Lucia.

The Commission

The main office of the OECS is called the Commission, but it is also known as the Secretariat. It handles the daily work of the organization. The leader of the Commission is the Director General. The current Director General is Dr. Didacus Jules.

The Commission helps member countries work together on big challenges like global trade. It has offices in several countries to manage its different projects.

The Central Bank

Most OECS members use the same currency, the East Caribbean dollar. This money is managed by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). The bank's job is to keep the currency stable and make sure the banking system is safe and strong.

The British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, and Martinique are the only OECS members that do not use the East Caribbean dollar.

The Supreme Court

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the highest court for OECS member states. If a legal case is not solved in a country's local court, it can be appealed to the ECSC. For very important cases, the final appeal can go to a court in the United Kingdom called the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Security and Safety

The OECS countries work together to keep the region safe. They are part of a group called the Regional Security System (RSS). This system helps the islands with police and military matters. The RSS is based in Barbados and gets support from countries like the United States and Canada.

Health Services

The OECS helps its members get affordable medicine through the Pharmaceutical Procurement Service. This service buys medicine and medical supplies in large amounts for all the member states. By buying in bulk, it saves the countries millions of dollars each year.

Symbols of the OECS

The official logo of the OECS.

The OECS has its own flag and logo. The design is on a light green background. It features a circle of orange and white triangles pointing in and out. This symbol represents the member countries working together in unity.