Antigua to benefit from USAID US$64.3 million

Antigua to benefit from USAID US$64.3 million 
 
Monday October 06 2003
 
Antigua & Barbuda is in line to benefit from assistance being provided by the 
US Agency for International Development (USAID) in the amount of US$64.3 
million over five years, through its Caribbean Regional Programme (CRP).

The overall goal of the CRP, developed in partnership with regional 
institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations and the private 
sector, is to support broad-based, sustainable growth.

This is being pursued through four programmes focused on economic 
development, the environment, administration of justice, and HIV/AIDS. CRP 
assistance is provided to Caricom member states as well as the Dominican 
Republic.

The economic development programme is working with the public and private 
sectors to improve the business environment to meet international standards 
by increasing the capacity of business enterprises to better deliver goods 
and services and establishing legislative and policy frameworks to support 
free trade and competition.

The environment programme aims to improve environmental management among 
public and private sector enterprises by increasing their knowledge of, and 
access to, best environmental practices, improving environmental policies and 
compliance measures, and strengthening organisational capacity to finance 
environmental improvements.

The objective of the regional administration of justice programme is to 
increase the efficiency and fairness of the legal system in the Caribbean. 
The programme also seeks to achieve this by improving access to legal 
information through computerisation, providing training for judges, 
magistrates and court staff, and supporting the Caricom Secretariat in the 
drafting laws with respect to the Caricom Single Market and Economy, justice 
and security and HIV/AIDS issues.

The HIV/AIDS is focussed on increasing the capacity of non-governmental 
organisations to deliver prevention and care programmes and the government to 
implement an effective response to the rising problem of HIV/AIDS in the 
region.
 

SOURCE: Antigua Sun