President Letchimy signs Martinique into associate membership
Monday, February 9, 2015
by OECS
The agreement defines selected cooperation sectors like health, leisure boating and tourism, development and foreign funding solutions, and renewable energies.

​Amidst a lavish ceremony with inspirational messages of hope and where youth in dance portrayed the passion for deeper integration, the OECS demographic grew by almost 100 percent as Martinique joined the group of Eastern Caribbean Countries, with the formal signing of documents initiating its accession to associate membership. The historic moment occurred   at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015.

The official signing ceremony, streamed live globally via www.oecs.org, garnered numerous comments, tweets and pictures across the social media landscape. This live stream for the first time pictured a blend of languages; from English to French to French Creole. The response and exchange deepened the spirit of companionship among the people of the OECS, moving the discourse on OECS matters to a new, more engaging and higher  level. Many commended the value of the OECS to developing the people of the region while some asked: Quand l'OECO se joindra à Guadeloupe? (“When will Guadeloupe join the OECS?”).

The signing ceremony for Martinique’s accession to associate membership of the OECS was the highpoint of the opening ceremony for the 60th Meeting of the OECS Authority held for the first time in a French territory.

Director General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules presented an outlook for the year 2015 as one which will engender “political climate change” which he said will facilitate a rapid change in mindsets and the building of new architectures of adaptation. Dr Jules spoke to the mutual benefits anticipated through Martinique’s associate membership.

Youth empowerment was a key subject area in the speeches which followed.

In his first address to the OECS Authority, President of the Regional Council of Martinique Serge Letchimy shared an idea of building OECS youth integration to engender a stronger bond in the OECS for generations to come. Among his ideas he suggested a youth exchange where children from Martinique will visit or attend the schools of other OECS Member States through a reciprocal exercise.

The suggestion by Martinique’s President Serge Letchimy was embraced by Chairman of the OECS Authority Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

The accession of Martinique as an OECS associate member state is the result of technical negotiations begun in March 2013, between the OECS Commission and the Regional Council of Martinique. The agreement defined the selected cooperation sectors including – education, sports, health, cooperation, sea and air transportation, leisure boating and tourism, arts and culture, cooperation in development and research of foreign funding solutions, and development of renewable energies.