PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Curt of Justice (CCJ) says it has concluded a series of  sensitisation workshops for several  Caribbean countries on the Original Jurisdiction of the Court that was established in 2005 to replace the London-based Privy  Council  as the region’s  highest and final.

While Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana and St Lucia are signatories to the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction, most, if not all of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries have signed on to its Original Jurisdiction (OJ) as the court also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of  Chaguaramas (RTC) that governs the regional integration grouping.

The CCJ said that its last sensitisation series was held earlier this week for the members of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC). The CCJ had previously hosted sessions in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, and Suriname.

It said that this is the final instalment in a European Union-funded series of sensitisation sessions conducted throughout the region to facilitate a deeper understanding of the CCJ’s role in protecting the rights under the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and its referral process.

The CSME allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region and under the RTC, the CCJ has exclusive and compulsory jurisdiction to interpret and apply the treaty, in its original jurisdiction.

“As such, any questions arising in a matter before a national court requiring the interpretation or application of the treaty may be referred to the CCJ for determination. Under the treaty, all 12 Member States that belong to the CSME, including their citizens and businesses, can access the Court’s OJ to protect their rights under the RTC.

Thus, the CCJ has since completed regional training and sensitisation to facilitate greater awareness and understanding of the Court’s OJ for its key stakeholders, which included the regional judiciaries, regional bar & law associations, and civil society.

Justice Jamadar told the workshop here that “in a time of great global economic uncertainty, what/who can relatively small Caribbean nations turn to for stability, prosperity, and hope?

“In many ways the economic viability, resilience and future of the Caribbean may lie in the CSME, which depends significantly on the private business sector for its success. Caricom and the CCJ both play facilitative roles,” he said.

“But ultimately, the CSME is intended to bring progress and prosperity to our region by leveraging the collective trading capacities of private sector entities, and through ‘hassle-free’ intra-regional movement of persons, skilled workers, capital, and through the establishment of businesses and the provision of services. Commendations are due to the members of the TTCIC for supporting and engaging in these discussions. We can all only gain by an effective, efficient and fair CSME,” he added.

TTCIC president, Sonji Pierre-Chase, noted that as the national voice of business, the chamber is proud to have partnered in such an important engagement focused on the rights and protections afforded to individuals and businesses under the RTC and the CSME.

“The CCJ, through its Original Jurisdiction, plays a critical role in ensuring that regional rules governing trade, labour, investment, and services are applied fairly, equitably, and consistently. This session was designed to help the private sector understand how to assert its rights, access legal recourse, and participate more confidently in cross-border commerce,”  she said.

TTCIC chief executive officer, Vashti Guyadeen, said the workshop went beyond theory and “offered our members clear guidance on the rights of the Caricom nationals, the movement of capital and services, trade rules under the Common External Tariff and how landmark legal cases have shaped the interpretation of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.”

“Most importantly, it underscored the pivotal roles of the CCJ as the guardian of our integration process,” he stressed.

The CCJ said that it is anticipated that future workshops will be held as part of the its public education efforts to raise awareness of the court’s Original Jurisdiction.