Preparations for the Twenty Third Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and for the Civil Society Conference "Forward Together" dominated the discussions at the Tenth Meeting of CARICOM's Community Council of Ministers.

The Community Council, CARICOM's second highest decision-making body met at the Sherbourne Conference Centre, Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday 1 June, and considered the Agenda and arrangements for both Conferences. The "Forward Together" Conference takes place on Tuesday, 2 July and the morning of Wednesday, 3 July when the Heads of Government will participate. The Heads of Government Meeting begins with the Opening Ceremony on the evening of 3 July and ends on Friday 5 July . Both meetings take place in Georgetown, Guyana.

Representatives of civil society from throughout the Community have been holding national consultations in preparation for the Forward Together encounter. This encounter which emanated from the Consensus of Chaguaramas issued by Heads of Government at their Seventh Special Meeting in 1999, seeks to involve the wider society in determining the vision and strategies for the development of the Community.

The Conference is also expected to set out a road map for the continued involvement of civil society in the decision-making process and development of the Community's structures.

With regard to the Meeting of the Conference, the Community Council discussed the arrangements for the meeting as well as the agenda. The theme of the Meeting will be the "State of the Community" in the context of the 30^th anniversary of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The Community Council also received a Report from the Foreign Minister of Haiti on the latest developments in Haiti. The Haitian Parliament last month ratified the Treaty of Chaguaramas as well as the terms and conditions for that country's entry as a full member of the Caribbean Community including the Single Market and Economy. Haiti is expected to deposit its Instrument of Accession thereby completing the legal process regarding its membership and it could then be formally accepted into the Community at the upcoming Meeting of the Conference.

The Community Council also reviewed preparations for a number of major international Conferences including the World Food Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Third Summit of the African Caribbean Pacific Group of countries.

The Council will meet again later this year to deal with a number of important issues under its competence.