The ACS Ministerial Council comprises representatives of the ACS Member States and Associate Members and is the principal organ for policy making and direction of the Association. The Council therefore establishes and determines the terms of reference of all the Special Committees of the ACS, including the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism.

The annual meeting of the Ministerial Council provides an opportunity for the Sustainable Tourism Directorate to present the results of its work over the past year. Through the reports of the Secretary General and the Chairman of the Special Committee, the Meeting was informed of the significant progress made in the development of the STZC. Of particular importance were the initiatives related to some important issues such as improving capacity in the three official languages of the ACS, the management of the safety and security of tourists visiting the region, and the first phases in selecting and evaluating destinations proposed for participation in the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean (STZC).

The Ministerial Council approved two important agreements related to Sustainable Tourism, the first of them being the agreement "Institutionalising the Declaration of Havana emanating from the First Tourism Ministerial Meeting held in Havana, Cuba in October 2006". In so doing so, the Council endorsed the importance of Sustainability Indicators in the strengthening and effective implementation of the STZC, and recommended the incorporation of National Tourism destinations into the comprehensive planning for Sustainable Tourism Development. To facilitate the integrated planning process, action plans have been developed for destinations in Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and  Panama. Member States are encouraged to incorporate these action plans into a National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in order to facilitate the establishment of the STZC.

At the regional level, the ACS is committed to the crafting of a strategic plan as the structural framework for the development, management, funding and monitoring of the STZC, as well as to ensuring the effective implementation and strengthening of the STZC through building capacity in Member States in the use of sustainability indicators.

In recognition of the importance of broadening expertise in the official languages of the ACS, and of the potential benefits to regional trade in goods and services, the Ministerial Council also approved the agreement "Reaffirming support to establish the Centre for the Promotion of Languages and Cultures and to facilitate language learning initiatives".

This agreement represents an important catalyst for promoting inter-institutional dialogue and securing other support for the proposed centre and its satellite operations. It calls for support from Member States and Associate Members in the form of technical assistance, scholarship programmes and grants, among other facilities, which may be available through bilateral and multilateral co-operation.

The Margarita Convention, as well as these agreements, addresses the political framework for the establishment of the STZC.  These are mechanisms by which the Member States express their commitment to ensure that tourism development in the region considers the principles of sustainability and sound governance.

Ms Jasmin Garraway is the Sustainable Tourism Director of the Association of Caribbean States. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Comments and reactions can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org