The Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) team held a sensitization session for local elected officials at the UWI Regional Head Quarters on Thursday, September 26, 2013.The 1-day local governance symposium was aimed at introducing elected officials to the concept of Local Economic Development (LED) and to sensitize them to their roles.

The symposium represents one of several fora and workshops planned as part of the CARILED 2103 -2014 work plan. With the completion of the selection process for Local Economic Development Officers (LEDOs), placed in the six areas in which CARILED is being piloted, several start-up activities have been engaged. These included visits to the specific parishes where presentations were made to the CARILED team on their priority Local Economic Development Projects.   On the latest Mission accompanied by Canadian volunteers, priority projects previously identified are being evaluated and work has commenced in reviewing data related to Economic Profiles of the various parishes.

Speaking during the opening of the symposium Minister of Local Government & Community Development congratulated the sponsors for their foresight in designing the intervention, which he says is very timely as the Role of Elected Officials who have responsibility for the policy framework in Local Government is critical in any initiative that promotes Local Economic Development. “We cannot speak of Local Economic Development without recognizing the role of local government in coordinating local development strategies for promoting economic opportunities” he said.

CARILED is a six-year project being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in partnership with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities (CALGA) and the Caribbean Federation of Local Government Ministers (CFLGM). The project is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Development, Canada (DFATD) and is focused on stimulating sustainable local economic development (LED) in the Caribbean region. Jamaica is one of seven Caribbean countries selected to benefit from the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED).

Jamaica is one of the seven (7) Caribbean countries to benefit from CARILED project.The areas select to pilot the project in Jamaica are Kingston & St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Portmore, Clarendon, Manchester and Westmoreland.