Mr. Christopher Sinckler
Executive Co-ordinator, Caribbean Policy Development Centre

     Mr. Christopher Sinckler, Executive Co-ordinator, of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre Inc. (CPDC) welcomed delegates to the workshop. He said the workshop was an important collaboration between CPDC and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) on the follow up to the World Summit on Social Development. Mr. Sinckler reminded delegates that in 1995, CPDC along with several of its member organizations and others from the region, played a leading role in shaping the new partnership between developed and developing countries to tackle some of the serious deficiencies associated with social development across the world. He noted that CPDC in particular was instrumental in organizing Caribbean civil society’s input into the Caribbean Governments’ position, and by extension the eventual Declaration and Plan of Action which resulted from the intense negotiations in Copenhagen. He noted that five years had elapsed since the signing of the Copenhagen Declaration. Mr. Sinckler said that the time had come for serious examination of the progress that various regions have made in implementing the Copenhagen commitments, and the relative impact which these have had on improving the quality of life and the standard of living for millions across the world.

     He stated that this meeting was timely in view of the fact the United Nations had set June 2000 as the time for a five-year review of progress since Copenhagen. CPDC and ICSW had come together to provide an opportunity for Caribbean civil society to conduct its own review of the progress in its region on the implementation of the key commitments of Copenhagen. Additionally, Mr. Sinckler noted that Caribbean NGOs would be able to use the opportunity to reinforce their role in the process of national, regional and international social development, through registering and advocating their vision of how to achieve socially sustainable development.
He finished by saying that the CPDC Secretariat was happy to facilitate this process in the region, though in many respects, its member organizations have already worked on these issues over the last five years. He wished participants an intense, frank, and highly deliberative session, which in the end would result in a reinvigoration of the Caribbean’s commitment to the lofty ideals established in the Copenhagen Declaration.

     He stated that the workshop was specially designed to give a fair opportunity for participants to reflect on the progress made on some of the key aspects of the commitments.