International Treaties and Agreements - Gillian Vidal

International Treaties and Agreements
Under international law countries and international organizations may enter into an
agreement called a treaty or sometimes referred to as an agreement, protocol or
convention. Once a treaty or agreement is formed the parties are obligated under
the terms of the treaty or agreement and may be held liable for any failure to adhere
to such terms under international law. An international treaty or agreement may
regional or international. A regional treaty or agreement is formed between
CARICOM or OECS countries and an international treaty or agreement is entered
into by other countries, such as England, the US and France. Ms. Vidal-Jules is
familiar with the regional and international treaties and agreements presented below.
Regional
Economic Partnership Agreement (2012)
 Undertook legal research and analysis to determine the compliant legislative
framework for Saint Lucia for Implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU
Economic Partnership Agreement
 Examined Title II: Investment, Trade in Services and E-Commerce of the
CARICOM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement to identify Saint Lucia’s
obligations
 Devised and filled an EPA-compliant legislation matrix for Saint Lucia using
the matrix prepared by the Legal Officer to highlight the obligations of Saint
Lucia under Title II: Investment, Trade in Services and E-Commerce of the
CARIFORUM-EU EPA and the findings of the report “An examination of
OECS Trade in Services and Investment Commitments in the EPA viz-a-viz
the Domestic Regulatory Framework: Compliance Issues and Proposals for
the Way Forward” prepared by Dr. Cathy-Ann Browne to include the sections
in the law which deal with the obligations under Title II of the EPA; the lacuna
in the law; where lacunas exist, a description of the legislative changes
required for compliance with the EPA and which shows the need for the
change as “Immediate”, “short to medium” or “medium”
 Submitted an Initial Report, Interim Report, a summary report of the review
and a Final Report including the information gathered through the legal
research and analysis, EPA-compliant legislation matrix for Saint Lucia and
the challenges faced during the project
 Met with stakeholders to discuss the contents of the Final Report and to make
any necessary revisions as a result of such discussion
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (2011)

Assisted with the enactment of legislation to give effect to the Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States Agreement in Saint Lucia (See Saint Lucia Act No.
17 of 2011)
Caribbean Community Special Visa Agreement (2007)

Assisted with the enactment of the legislation drafted by the CARICOM
Secretariat to give effect to the Caribbean Community Special Visa
Agreement in Saint Lucia (See Saint Lucia Act No. 4 of 2007)
Caribbean Community Treaty on Security (2007)

Assisted with the enactment of the legislation drafted by the CARICOM
Secretariat to give effect to the Caribbean Community Treaty on Security in
Saint Lucia (See Saint Lucia Act No. 5 of 2007)
Cricket World Cup (Visiting Forces) Act (2007)

Assisted with the enactment of the legislation drafted by the CARICOM
Secretariat relating to Visiting Forces in Saint Lucia during Cricket World Cup
(See Saint Lucia Act No. 6 of 2007)
Caribbean Court of Justice Agreement (2005)

Drafted amendment to the Caribbean Court of Justice Agreement Act (See
Saint Lucia Act 5 of 2005)
CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality Agreement (2005)

Drafted the legislation that gave effect to the CARICOM Regional
Organization for Standards and Quality Agreement in Saint Lucia (See Saint
Lucia Act No. 20 of 2005)
International
United Nations Framework Convention to Climate Change (UNFCC) (2011)
 Assisted Saint Lucia in meeting its obligations under the United Nations
Framework Convention to Climate Change (UNFCC) and other climate
change adaptation needs
Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (2011)
 Reviewed the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
against existing legislation to determine any impediments that may prevent
Saint Lucia from acceding to the Optional Protocols
 Recommended additional legislation that would have to be contemplated to
facilitate Saint Lucia’s full compliance with the Protocols
 Recommended remedial course of action to remove any impediments
 Submitted a report with findings for presentation to Cabinet
Hague Convention (2010)

Drafted the legislation to implement obligations under the Hague Convention
relating to apostilles (See Saint Lucia Act No. 6 of 2010)
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially
women and children supplementing the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime (2010)



Reviewed the Model Counter-Trafficking Act (Model Act) developed by the
CARICOM Secretariat
Changed the style of the Model Act to meet the legislative requirements of
Saint Lucia
Assisted with the enactment of the Counter-Trafficking Act in Saint Lucia (See
Saint Lucia Act No. 7 of 2010)
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Assisted St. Kitts and Nevis (2007), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2007)
and Saint Lucia (2006) in developing comprehensive legislation for a national
biosafety framework in accordance with the relevant provisions of the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (2005)

Drafted the legislation to give the force of law to the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control in Saint Lucia (See Saint Lucia Act No. 24 of
2005)