This theme is constant in the declarations made by the Association's Heads of States and/or Government at various summits. For example, in the Declaration of Santo Domingo, in 1999, at the 2nd Summit, they pronounced themselves to be in favour of the protection and conservation of the environment and of the natural resources of the region. In this sense, they have encouraged the efforts taken by CARICOM to have the Caribbean Sea declared a special zone in the context of sustainable development, considering that this sea constitutes an invaluable asset that is worth protecting and treasuring.

At the 3rd Summit, in 2001, in Margarita, Venezuela, they again took up the idea stated in the Agreement that the Caribbean Sea is the common heritage of the peoples of the Greater Caribbean. Similarly, in 2005, at the 4th Summit, in the Declaration of Panama, they maintained forcefully that: "The Caribbean Sea is a common patrimony of the region and we, as its custodians, reiterate our decision to continue taking the steps necessary to ensure its recognition as a special area in the context of sustainable development by the United Nations General Assembly." On that occasion, they expressed their opposition, as in 1999, to the "continued use of the Caribbean Sea for the shipment and transshipment of nuclear material and toxic waste, given the threat that any accidental or deliberately induced spill of these materials would represent to the life and ecosystem of the region."¹ As guardians of this sea, they urged the countries producing radioactive and toxic waste to take the measures necessary for establishing treatment sites that would end the need for transporting these waste materials from one place to another.

Also, the two permanent organs of the Association, the Ministerial Council and the Secretariat have spared no effort in realising the objectives defined by the Heads of State and/or Government. For example, the Ministerial Council has set up the Caribbean Sea Initiative. Following that, in 2003, it has set up the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on the Caribbean Sea to study the problem and to make appropriate proposals to the Council. Finally, at the beginning of 2006, it founded the Follow-up Committee to the Caribbean Sea Initiative, giving it an intergovernmental and multidisciplinary character. This Commission of the Caribbean Sea has been recently set up.

For its part, the Secretariat has upheld all the decisions taken by the Heads of State and/or Government and the initiatives of the Ministerial Council. And it continues to work and to collaborate with all the interested authorities and bodies. For example, following the Meeting of the Council of Ministers on the Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Small Island States (the Barbados Plan of Action), it committed itself to the international recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a special zone in the context of sustainable development. In this sense, a resolution proposal, entitled: "The Caribbean Sea: a special zone in the context of sustainable development" was presented, in 1997, to be considered by the Assembly General of the United Nations. The text that was adopted by the Assembly General was instead entitled: "Promoting an Integrated Management Approach to the Caribbean Sea Area in the Context of Sustainable Development." All in all, it was a text that did not address numerous aspects presented in the initial resolution bill, including the recognition of the special zone. To date, the international community has not recognised the Caribbean Sea as a "special zone" in spite of the four resolutions that have been taken on the subject, from 1997 to the present.

In spite of this disappointment, the ACS continues to defend the sustainable use of the coastal and marine zones of the Greater Caribbean, the preservation of the Caribbean Sea and its surrounding coasts, a fragile and vulnerable ecosystem, and to promote a committed approach to sustainable development.

The members of the Caribbean Sea Commission will soon accompany a delegation from the Secretariat on a mission to the accredited Permanent Representatives of the Countries of the ACS at the United Nations, in New York. The aim of this mission is to inform and sensitise these Representatives of the Greater Caribbean to the questions and challenges concerning the Caribbean Sea Initiative with the final aim of finding a consensus on this subject. It goes without saying that the support of other countries and groups of countries, of civil society, of Caribbean and pro-Caribbean organisations, of pro-environment, pro-sustainable development groups, and of lovers of the diversified world of the Caribbean will help to support the objectives of this initiative and to make it a success.

[1] Declaration of Panama, art 19.g

Dr Watson Denis is the Political Adviser of the Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org.