A consultative group of countries with a focus on the Caribbean Region is called the Association of Caribbean States. It was established to foster communication, teamwork, and coordinated action among all of the coastal nations. The main goals of the ACS are to enable increased and more efficient reactions to local natural catastrophes, increase trade between the countries, improve mobility, and foster a sustainable tourist industry.

The ACS is a result of the 25 Contracting States, Countries, and Territories of the Greater Caribbean’s intention to strengthen local cooperation. This initiative aims to capitalize on the area’s evident physical proximity and well-established historical ties.

Members

Mexico, Antigua Colombia, and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Cuba, St Lucia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Dominica, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Social Partners

Following are the social partners of ACS that support the nations involved in the treaty financially and corporately. 

• The Caribbean Medical Association (AMECA),
• The Antilles-French Guiana Regional Centre of the National Institute of Agronomical Research (CRAG/INRA), 
• The Regional Economic and Social Research Coordinator (CRIES), 
• The ACS Universities and Research Institutes (UNICA), 
• The Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), and 
• The Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC). 

Organization

 The Federal Council and the Administration are the Organization’s primary administrative structures. There are special panels on finance and management, eco-tourism, transportation, natural disasters, economic growth, and international trade ties. A Board of Local Speakers of the Special Fund is in charge of managing project planning and resource mobilization initiatives.

Objective of ACS 

The purpose of the ACS is to encourage localism among its member nations. Scholars disagree strongly about the ACS’s effectiveness and efficiency. To “affirm the new idea of the Caribbean Region by striving to remove impediments left over from its historical history,” the organization’s main objectives are to break down these barriers. 

The group aims to gain social and financial advantage through proximity and local collaboration.

Regional agenda of the association 

Its framework offers a platform for legislative discussion that gives Participants the chance to pinpoint issues of shared interest and issues that can be resolved through collaboration at the national level. The ACS Society has brought the following issues to the Association’s attention:

Transportation

 Effective domestic and regional naval and air connections not only encourage closer intraregional ties but also serve as a crucial building block for collaboration.

Natural catastrophes

The regional agenda places a high priority on the persistent vulnerability of all nations to the physical devastation and financially debilitating effects of natural disasters.

Foreign economic and financial ties

The ACS offers a platform for the discussion and activity required to significantly promote financial union and intra-regional investment and trade, enhancing the greater Caribbean region’s socio-economic strength.

Tourism 

It attempts to promote ecologically responsible travel. The group encourages the use of environmentally friendly, commercially advantageous sustainable tourism for the signatory countries as a whole.

Performance evaluation 

Many academics on both sides of the argument differ about the ACS’s performance. Those who claim the ACS is effective cite the organization’s numerous initiatives, substantial membership, and connections to other global agencies. Those who claim it is ineffective point out how the ACS failed to build a track record that was respectable enough for the ACS to be evaluated as a progressive alliance. Moreover, some academics contend that the ACS is unable to establish itself as a significant participant on the global stage. 

The future battle of the ACS is illustrated by NAFTA’s impact on the regional. Regarding the western hemisphere, the ACS’s future is unclear