A TWO-DAY series of regional consultation on trade and innovation is to be held on Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25 at the Knutsford Court Hotel, Kingston, hosted by the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), in association with the Sustainable Trade and Innovation Centre (STIC) based in the United Kingdom.
Participants will include Caribbean producers and business representatives of health, tourism, electronics and agro-foods industries, as well as civil society and NGO officials who are involved in practical trade issues, together with executives from Government Ministries with responsibilities for commerce, industry, science and technology.
"This consultation will be the third in a series to be held around the world which should lead to the establishment of STIC Regional Hubs," said Merline Bardowell, executive director of NCST.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY
"As the management body in Jamaica for science and technology, we at NCST see this collaborative two-day session as a great opportunity to lead the region in the vision of innovation and to facilitate trade. Regionally, we have to establish our own strategy, while locally there is a need for a national innovation system which will drive the economy. In this globalised society we will be left behind if we are not prepared for the competition," she continued.
The opening ceremony is set to take place at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, November 24 with representatives from STIC in Brussels and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivering addresses. The participants will then break out into working groups to discuss "Mapping the Challenges of Health Tourism, Electronics and Agro Foods." The meeting will be guided by a background paper on regional issues related to challenges and opportunities of sustainable trade.
The afternoon session will look at "Linking Challenges to Solutions" during which three case studies will be presented outlining how the producers and NGOs have been able to meet the challenges posed by sustainable trade by placing emphasis on information, innovation and brokering partnerships. Dr. Winston Davidson will speak on Health Tourism, particularly on the Telemedicine project with which he has been involved. In addition, Anthony Freckleton of the St. Elizabeth and Manchester Vegetable Growers Association will look at the uniqueness of his organisation, while a representative of Mona Informatics will speak on the area of electronics.
REGIONAL STRATEGY
On Tuesday, November 25, Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister and member of the STIC Advisory Board will address participants in the Plenary Session on the "Purpose and Importance of Sustainable Trade in Achieving the Triple Bottom Line. " The programme will end with presentations by the working groups and discussions on the "Way Forward", which should elaborate on a regional strategy for STIC.
