St. John's -- Nov. 24, 2010 -- With financial support from the CARTFund managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Antigua and Barbuda EPA Implementation Unit commenced its operations on November 2nd, 2010. The Unit is specifically tasked with the responsibility of managing and coordinating the implementation of the CARIFORUM-Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) at the national level.

The Unit's core responsibilities include:

1. disseminating and articulating the contents of the Agreement to the public;
2. ensuring that the public and private sectors have the capacity to fully utilize the benefits of the Agreement;
3. advising the Government on how to address constraints and accelerate implementation, while informing and updating of the progress on the regional and national level;
4. measuring the impact of the agreement on the local economy;

The first task to be undertaken by the Unit is to engage in dialogue with public and private stakeholders, as well as the Regional EPA Implementation Unit, to assess the implementation needs and to develop a work programme for the Unit.

The EPA Implementation Unit is comprised of the Head of Unit, Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry, the Implementation Coordinator, Ms. Barbara Williams and the Trade and Customs Officer, Ms. Alana Benjamin.

The Unit is located in the Office of the NAO on the first floor of the John Henry Building on Dickenson Bay Street. Person wishing to interface with members of the unit or to learn more about the provisions of the EPA Agreement can contact the Unit at Telephone: (268) 562- 4504 fax (268) 562-4506, email anuepaunit@gmail.com