The UWI Regional Headquarters Jamaica. Friday, September 17, 2021—The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was one of the 2021 beneficiaries of the third iteration of The University of the West Indies (UWI) TradeLab Clinic. For this initiative, third-year law students from the Cave Hill Campus who participated in the Clinic produced thirty-four (34) summaries of the decisions of the Court issued in the Original Jurisdiction between 2008 and 2020. These summaries were prepared by Ms. Chelsea Lawrence, Ms. Mya Brathwaite, Mr. James Morris and Ms. Régine Mondesir under the supervision of The UWI Trade Lab Directors, Dr. Jan Yves Remy and Dr. Ronnie Yearwood, and international trade law practitioner Mr. Claude Chase, who acted as a mentor.
This collaboration was conceptualised by Dr. Jan Yves Remy and is intended to deepen the understanding of the Court’s role in interpreting and applying the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and deciding on issues regarding freedom of movement, trade, services, and money in the CARICOM region.
In the formal handing-over ceremony of the Digest, The Honourable Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders, President of the CCJ, lamented the fact that regional citizens have not been making greater use of the rights they enjoy under the Treaty. As such, he commended the project, noting that “any initiative that highlights how the rights are to be enjoyed; that places a spotlight on the jurisprudence that has been developed in this area; and that makes this jurisprudence more easily accessible to the people and States of the Community, does a tremendous service to the region.” He further added that, “this digest is more than just concise summaries of the cases. It includes aids that give significant added value for researchers quite apart from providing a readily accessible snapshot of the decisions for the public at large.”
In her remarks ahead of the students’ presentation, Dr. Remy expressed the hope that the project “…will achieve, in some small measure, a greater implementation of this hope of Caribbean integration.” In a follow-up comment, she said, “I am pleased that the CCJ has found this work useful! We see our role as contributing concretely to the issues of the day and playing our part to come up with practical solutions for the region.”
Speaking to the practical utility of the case digest, Dr. Yearwood noted that, “…these types of summaries will allow practitioners and even [academicians] to be able to digest and reach into cases in a quicker way.”
The case digest is available via https://ccj.org/the-digest-of-original-jurisdiction-cases/
Pictured at the formal handing-over ceremony for the Original Jurisdiction Case Digest for the CCJ are three of the four students, Trade Lab Directors – Drs. Jan Yves Remy and Ronnie Yearwood; CCJ President, The Hon. Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders (centre, top row) and three other judges – Justice Barrow, Justice Anderson and Justice Wit.
About the Caribbean Court of Justice
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was inaugurated in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on April 16, 2005 and presently has a Bench of seven judges presided over by CCJ President, the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders. The CCJ has an Original and an Appellate Jurisdiction and is effectively, therefore, two courts in one. In its Original Jurisdiction, it is an international court with exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the rules set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) and to decide disputes arising under it. The RTC established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ is critical to the CSME and all 12 Member States which belong to the CSME (including their citizens, businesses, and governments) can access the Court’s Original Jurisdiction to protect their rights under the RTC. In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters for those countries in the Caribbean that alter their national Constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role. At present, four states access the Court in its Appellate Jurisdiction, these being Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana. However, by signing and ratifying the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice, Member States of the Community have demonstrated a commitment to making the CCJ their final court of appeal. The Court is the realisation of a vision of our ancestors, an expression of independence and a signal of the region’s coming of age. For more information please contact: The Public Education & Protocol Unit; Tel: (868) 623-2225 exts. 2296, 2246; Email: pecu@ccj.org.
About The UWI
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.
From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.
Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
