A formal submission was made to the Fifth Meeting of the Working Group in November 1996 in Caracas. Next Step 29. The concept of the Regional Integration Fund has been defined to the stage where broad political acceptance by the potential membership of the FTAA is required. This is now urgent in order to facilitate and give direction to the additional technical work. Participants at the Second Consultation convened by the Government of Guyana concluded that in order to promote and further develop the concept of the Regional Integration Fund, a technical diagnostic study should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity.
Financial support is to be sought to undertake the diagnostic study as outlined above.
The objective would be to build consensus and to obtain inputs for the further refinement of the concept. A systematic promotion program will have to be developed.