4  BIS central bankers’ speeches  The story of the Caribbean since independence some fifty years ago is that we have made remarkable progress in the delivery of liberal democracy, the rule of law, the rights and freedoms expected of a civilized society and meeting the United Nations Human Development Indices.
In addition, we have excelled in the sporting arena, in scholarship and the arts and sciences, and in music and literature. However, in the economic sphere, we have not reached anywhere close to our real potential. The orthodox approach to integration has been the chosen path in the region as a whole and has been so recognized in our treaties, domestic laws and institutions.