CCJ President to Address Regional Advisory Board

Commonwealth Secretariat - Caribbean Court of Justice President to ...
Source : www.thecommonwealth.org

Mr. Charles briefed Justice De La Bastide on the work of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and also outlined the various CYPCC initiatives to mainstream youth development issues within the broader regional development strategy.

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) The Right Honourable Justice Michael De La Bastide has consented to deliver the feature address at the Regional Advisory Board 2007 meeting slated for August 20 to 24 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The announcement followed a meeting between Mr. Henry Charles, Regional Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre (CYPCC) and Justice De La Bastide on June 5 at the CCJ's Headquarters in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago during which several important issues related to law and order, regional legislative framework and judicial systems and the implications for youth development within the context of sustainable development were discussed.

The meeting was part of CYPCC's continuous efforts to develop strategic partnerships and mainstream youth development issues in the Caribbean.

Mr. Charles briefed Justice De La Bastide on the work of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and also outlined the various CYPCC initiatives to mainstream youth development issues within the broader regional development strategy.

Recently the Regional Director has been focusing on the impact of the existing judicial systems on young people in the region and has advocated for the reformation of the juvenile justice systems in the Caribbean as part of a paradigm shift in the regional youth development strategy.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a regional judicial tribunal established on 14 February 2001. The appellate court was inaugurated on 16 April 2005 in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago under the Revised Treaty of Charguaramas of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that established the CARICOM Single Market and Economy signed by CARICOM Heads of Government.

The court has several functions two of which are, to act as a court that can handle trade disputes amongst CARICOM member states and to serve as a court of final appeal, replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.