Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS
flag
Member States
English name	Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
French name	Organization of the États de la Caraïbe orientale (OECO)
Organization type	supranational federation of states
Seat of the organs	Castries , St. Lucia
Chair	Ralph Gonsalves
Member States	7th
Associate members	3
Official and working languages	English
Other official languages	French
surface	4,271 km²
population	1.049 million
Population density	246 inhabitants per km²
founding	June 18, 1981
Currencies	East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) US Dollar (USD) Euro (EUR)
holiday	18th of June
www.oecs.org

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States ( English Organization of Eastern Caribbean States , shortly OECS ) is a supranational confederation of states in the arc of the Leeward Islands .

aims

The OECS was founded on June 18, 1981 by the Treaty of Basseterre . In this contract, she set herself the following goals:

• Deepening cooperation at regional and international level;
• Promoting unity among member states and defending sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence;
• Mutual support at the United Nations , taking into account international law;
• Standardization of the foreign policies of the member states and creation of joint external representations;
• Economic integration between Member States;
• Creation of organizations to implement these goals.

Almost all member states have a common currency with the East Caribbean dollar (EC $), with the exception of two associated members: Martinique, which is part of France and whose currency is therefore the euro , and the British Virgin Islands, where the US dollar has been the official currency since 1959 is. The East Caribbean dollar has been pegged to the US dollar at the rate of US $ 1 = EC $ 2.70 since 1976.

Members

Member States or overseas territories are:

location	map	flag	name officially	Official language	population	accession	status	currency
			Anguilla	English	016,086	1995	associated member	East Caribbean dollar
			Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda	English	091,295	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands	English	032,680	November 22, 1984	associated member	U.S. dollar
			Dominica Commonwealth of Dominica	English	073,449	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			Grenada State of Grenada	English	110.152	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			Martinique	French	386.486	4th February 2015	associated member	Euro
			Montserrat	English	005,215	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			St. Kitts and Nevis Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis	English	051,538	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			St. Lucia Saint Lucia	English	163,362	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar
			St. Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	English	102.918	June 18, 1981	Founding member	East Caribbean dollar

Foreign missions

country	city	task	ambassador
Belgium	Brussels	Representation to the European Union	Len Ishmael
Canada	Toronto	Seasonal representation to support the harvest workers
Switzerland	Geneva	Representation at the World Trade Organization	Ricardo M. James
Puerto Rico	San Juan	Representation of own interests in the US territory	Anita Joseph

Main organs

office

Secretariat building

The Secretariat oversees the work of the OECS organs and is led by a Secretary General. The secretariat consists of three authorities:

• Secretary General's Office
• Office for Social and Sustainable Development
• Office for Economic Cooperation

To fulfill these tasks, the Secretariat maintains numerous sub-institutions in the various member states. It also coordinates the cooperation with various international organizations, such as the Caribbean Community Caricom , the Caribbean Development Bank and the East Caribbean Central Bank .

Supreme Authority

The highest authority ( OECS Authority ) consists of the member states, represented by their heads of state or government, who meet twice a year. It is the highest body responsible for the political leadership of the OECS. It makes decisions and passes regulations in order to achieve the goals of the OECS. It represents the final instance and must agree to all laws and international agreements. It is up to you to decide whether to establish relations with international organizations or third countries. The chairmanship changes every year according to the alphabetical order of the member states.

Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers consists of appointed ministers from the governments of each Member State. For the governments he is the contact person for all questions concerning the OECS. The Council of Ministers examines the Commission's recommendations and, if necessary, forwards them to the highest authority.

OECS Assembly

The OECS Assembly consists of representatives of the national parliaments of the member states. The assembly drafts bills and submits them to the authority.

Economic Council

The Economic Affairs Council consists of the individual economic ministers of the member states. He monitors and controls the common economic area.

Commission

The Commission ( Commission ) is the main administrative / organization and organ of the OECS. It consists of the ambassadors of the member states and the Secretary General, who is responsible for day-to-day business and can convene the meetings of the Commission. She assists the Secretariat and is responsible for drafting laws that can ultimately be submitted to the Authority or the Council of Ministers.

Institutions

East Caribbean Central Bank

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank ( The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank ) is the central bank of the countries of the eastern Caribbean. It issues the East Caribbean dollar and oversees its currency area. Its management is the responsibility of the Currency Board of Directors. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Basseterre (St. Kitts and Nevis).

Except for Martinique (Euro) and the British Virgin Islands (US dollar), the East Caribbean dollar is the official currency of the member states.

East Caribbean Aviation Authority

The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority ( Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority ) arose from the Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom . The first director was appointed by the United Kingdom in 1957. After the states were granted independence, the administration was assigned to the Antigua and Barbuda directorate. By the Treaty of Basseterre the organization was integrated into the OECS in 1982. At the 35th Summit of the OECS, the heads of government finally decided to outsource the aviation authority and its transition to a self-financed company.

East Caribbean High Court

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court was founded in 1967 by the states that emerged from the West Indian Federation and the British colonies constituted as Associated States (excluding Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica ). Its seat is in Castries. It consists of two chambers, the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal as a court of appeal . There are 24 judges at the High Court of Justice (as of 2020) and 5 at the Court of Appeal .

General Secretaries

Previous general secretaries of the OECS were:

Term of office	Surname	Country
1982-1995	Vaughan Allen Lewis	St. Lucia
1996-2001	Swinburne Lestrade	Dominica
2001-2003	George Goodwin	Antigua and Barbuda
2003-2014	Len Ishmael	St. Lucia
since 2014	Didacus Jules	St. Lucia

Others

In the Freedom of the Press 2020 ranking published by Reporters Without Borders , the OECS ranked 44th out of 180 countries.

Web links

• Official website of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (English, French and Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ^ The OECS Authority. OECS.
2. ↑ Our History. OECS.
3. ↑ Public holiday , accessed on May 23, 2015.
4. ^ Revised Treaty of Basseterre. OECS, accessed on November 21, 2017. (PDF file, English)
5. ^ The World Factbook. CIA; accessed in April 2015.
6. ↑ The ambassador's curriculum vitae ( memento of the original dated September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
7. ↑ Presentation of the representation ( memento of the original from February 24, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} List of the OECS messages ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Department of State of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, accessed April 2015. 
9. ↑ The Authority ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed June 15, 2015. 
10. ↑ The Council of Ministers ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
11. ↑ OECS Assembly ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
12. ↑ Wirtschaftsrat ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
13. ↑ Commission ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 2015. 
14. ↑ Eastern Caribbean Central Bank , ECCB, accessed in April, 2015.
15. ↑ History of the East Caribbean Aviation Authority ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , OECS, accessed April 14, 2015. 
16. ^ Court-judges / High Court Judges of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court , accessed May 5, 2020.
17. ↑ Court Overview , accessed May 5, 2020.
18. ^ International organizations OW: Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. rulers.org
19. ↑ Ranking list of press freedom 2020 , published on April 22, 2020.