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Press Release


OAS HOSTING CONFERENCE ON
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN CARIBBEAN

  January 16, 2002

The Organization of American States is teaming up with the United Nations Development Programme and the University of the West Indies to host a regional conference on constitutional reform in the Caribbean from January 20 through 22, in Bridgetown, Barbados. The primary objective of this conference is to examine the issue of constitutional reform in the region and promote citizen involvement in these processes.

OAS Secretary General César Gaviria and Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur will be among the dignitaries inaugurating the conference on Sunday.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will deliver the keynote address “Westminster in the Caribbean: Viability Past and Present, Prospects for Reform or Radical Departure”.

Attorney General Mia Mottley of Barbados will close the conference with a presentation “Constitutional Reform in the Caribbean: Challenges, Opportunities and The Way Forward.”

The conference will draw constitutional experts, civil society leaders, journalists and government officials to exchange observations on the progress of constitutional reform in the Caribbean. This conference is part of an OAS Democratic Forum Series that promotes greater dialogue and discussion on key issues related to democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

Reference: E-012/02