Barbados Coalition of Service Industries – BCSI
Established by the Government of Barbados in 2002, the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries Inc.’s mission is to foster the international competitiveness and export potential of the Barbadian services sector with the aim of positioning Barbados as the ‘services hub of the Caribbean’.
Understanding that successful services exporting is a process, the BCSI has adopted a four-fold approach: Education – Development – Export Promotion – Lobbying/Advocacy.
The BCSI labels this awareness-building process as Education. Under the unit Education trade in services issues are communicated to members and the general public. This unit is also responsible for the public relations of the organization. Upon acquiring an understanding of trade in services, a service provider must then develop the capacity to export. The capacity to export involves enhancing the competitiveness of the BCSI’s members. This unit of the organization is known as Development. When a company that has developed the capacity to export, the organization engages in trade facilitation to encourage and enable service providers to enter new markets. This is achieved through the Export Promotion unit. The BCSI recognizes that the most meaningful input in terms of public policies with respect to trade in services or input into trade negotiations comes from service providers who have attempted to export or who have exported successfully. It is at this point that they will understand better their potential as a service exporter and their needs in this respect. Lobbying and Advocacy is the fourth unit of the BCSI. This unit is responsible for government liaison and member relations.
Belize Coalition of Service Providers (BCSP)
The BCSP is an alliance of service sector organizations and associations that functions as a lobby and channel for addressing economic development issues and trade-in-services issues that impact the services sector. The BCSP was established to help the services sector stakeholders advocate for the creation of an enabling environment which will allow the Belizean services sector to survive in the competitive, global marketplace and meet the challenges encountered in exporting their services.
Services in Belize account for 63% of GDP and 55% of employment. Based on the fact that the services sector is the fastest growing component of world trade and recognizing that the Belizean economy is export driven; initiatives promoting the growth and competitiveness of the service sector are critical to Belize’s development.
Coalicion de Servicios de Republica Dominicana – CSRD
The Service Coalition of the Dominican Republic (CSRD) was founded in December 2012 as a platform to promote the export of services from the Dominican Republic. One of the main objectives of the CSRD and its members is to increase the internationalization of service providers and expand marketing and cooperation with other companies in the Caribbean region, Latin America and the rest of the world. Additionally, it seeks to increase the competitiveness of the service sectors thus benefiting from the different free trade agreements signed by the Dominican Republic with the United States, Europe, Central America and CARICOM.
Grenada Coalition of Service Industries
The GSCI is an umbrella organization operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade. Its mandate is to identify, organize and develop local producers of potentially exportable services, and guiding them to a state of “export-readiness” so they can contribute more significantly to employment creation, foreign exchange generation and national economic development.
GCSI has as a main objective the desire to empower the service industry of Grenada by working with multiple Service Associations within various service sectors of Grenada. We are also, here to create and establish Service Associations.
Guyana Coalition of Service Providers Inc.
The Guyana Coalition of Service Providers Inc. (GCSP) is currently preparing for its re-launch in the first quarter of 2013. This body, also a member of the Caribbean Network of Service Coalitions (CNSC), was established to guide local efforts for the development and promotion of the local services sector while creating a powerful and effective “voice” as a medium for service providers within Guyana. The Coalition’s objectives include:
1. To serve as a representative for the convergence of professional associations and non-organized service professionals in Guyana;
2. To help create a supportive environment for the development of the services sector;
3. To perform advisory functions within its capability, to the Government and regional trade negotiating agencies, and also review laws, procedures and policies affecting services in order to recommend/aid reforms for the sector;
4. To provide research and development (R&D) for enterprises operating in the sector;
5. To pursue education and training for operators in the sector;
6. To build awareness of the sector, its needs and opportunities;
7. To monitor national/enterprise compliance with Guyana’s evolving trade agreements;
8. To build capacity through the collection, organization and dissemination of relevant information;
9. To network ― regionally and internationally ― with other services sector agencies and developmental bodies in the private and public sector;
10. To undertake SWOT-type appraisals of the sector in order to establish needs, opportunities and potential clusters, so as to prioritize their expansion.
The St. Lucia Coalition of Service Industries
The SLCSI is dedicated to representing the interests of Saint Lucia’s services sector, which generates approximately 80 percent of the island’s economic output. The SLCSI is committed to promoting greater public awareness of the major role services play in the economy, and shaping domestic and regional economic policies on behalf of the services sector. The SLCSI’s goals include assisting in the development of domestic regulations to enhance the competitiveness of Saint Lucia’s services sector, enhancing bilateral services trading relationships, and reducing barriers to services trade with our trading partners.
Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI)
TTCSI is a national umbrella body that brings together all services sector organizations and associations. Basically, it is an alliance of professional services associations and organizations. It will function as a focal point to lobby; channel and address trade in services issues and services development issues, which are critical for the sector to thrive in the competitive global environment.
The TTCSI was established 10 years ago to help the services sector manage the challenges they face in exporting their services. The TTCSI has the following objectives:
To provide national service providers with knowledge of export opportunities;
To identify and exploit market opportunities;
To encourage national service providers to engage in developing export programmes and promotional activities through collaboration locally, regionally and internationally;
To promote the further development and competitiveness of the national services sector;
To support and facilitate the development of industry standards;
To educate the national service providers on relevant aspects of trade agreements that affect trade in services;
To represent the interests of the national services sector, including lobbying Government and promoting fair multilateral rules for trade in services.