Mission Statement

OUR MISSION
Catalyst for Economic Development®
CCAA is committed to promoting PRIVATE SECTOR-LED sustainable economic development in the Caribbean Islands and Central American Isthmus and increase TRADE AND INVESTMENT flows to the small economies that are the beneficiaries of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI).

OUR GOAL
Improve ECONOMIC WELL BEING of the people living and working in the Caribbean Basin:

Raise business, legal, labor & environmental STANDARDS across the region.
Solidify mutually beneficial TIES that bind the U.S. and its neighbors to the near south.

OUR CHALLENGE
Take advantage of region’s geographic proximity to the world’s largest market to address four fundamental REALITIES:

POVERTY
COMPETITION
TRADITIONAL SOURCES
FOREIGN INVESTMENT

OUR TASK
Confront four BARRIERS to attract investment: SCALE, SKILLS, BUREAUCRACY & CORRUPTION

OUR OBJECTIVE
Create broad-based private and civic alliances to advocate for public policy change through CCAA’s TRANSFORMATION AGENDA:

INTEGRATION: create larger markets with uniform commercial, legal, regulatory and supervisory frameworks.
EDUCATION: provide technical “capacity building” in the short term and quality education in the long.
HARMONIZATION: standardize “best business practices” within industry sectors across regions.
INSTITUTIONALIZATION: insure the transparent application of the law so all parties are consistently treated as equals.

OUR ROLE
Serve as CATALYST AND HONEST BROKER for a constructive dialogue among constituents.

OUR METHODOLOGY
Organize opinion leaders and key decision-makers in region-wide, industry-specific BUSINESS TEAMS:

Encourage ACTIVE DIALOGUE among constituents to build a workable consensus.
Identify VITAL ISSUES to improve the environment for trade and investment.
Undertake BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES studies to create common regional standards.
Develop an ADVOCACY PLATFORM for constituents to pursue public policy change.
Embrace our common destiny and recognize that the region must PRODUCE TO PROSPER