The CARO Centre
The main office of the CARO Centre is located in the city center of Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe, near the airport, decision making centres and the seaport of Pointe-à-Pitre, handling over 1 million passengers per year.
Hearings and meetings can be organized on the premises of the CARO Centre, as well as at the World Trade Centre Complex (Jarry, Guadeloupe), in all the Caribbean territories and in the main capital cities of Europe and the United States, thanks to the CARO Centre's extensive network.
The parties can also choose to hold virtual hearings and meetings if more appropriate.
The Secretariat of the CARO Centre is responsible for the day-to-day management of arbitration and mediation proceedings and contributes to the expansion of the CARO Centre's activities in the Caribbean region. The Secretariat of the CARO Centre is under the responsibility of the Board.
Sir Dennis BYRON
President of the Board
Former Chief Justice of the OECS Court of Appeal, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, member of the Privy Council of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Dennis is an eminent Caribbean and international figure.
Sir Dennis was instrumental in the establishment of an independent judiciary in the Eastern Caribbean with strict ethical rules and effective systems for managing proceedings.
Constant advocate for greater cooperation among Caribbean States and institutions at the regional level, Sir Dennis immediately saw the value of alternative dispute resolution to support economic exchanges in the region, ensuring that the law remained at the heart of Caribbean economic growth. As Chairman, he oversees the Centre's activities and contributes to its development in the region.
Jacques DARCHE
Member of the Board
Admitted to practice law in Québec and in France (Paris Bar), Mr. Darche is a “multi-faceted litigator”, who has extensive knowledge of and experience in the workings of national courts and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. He is also a chartered arbitrator, a certified mediator and is the Honorary Consul of Finland for Montréal.
He is a well-known arbitration specialist, who sits as an arbitrator in cases administered by a variety of international institutions; he regularly acts as speaker, trainer and teacher in this field.
He was a trainer in the first OHADAC arbitration training which took place in October 2019 in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and was one of the drafters of the procedural rules of the Centre.
Keats COMPTON
Member of the Board
Keats Compton is a telecom engineer and was a senior manager of Cable & Wireless (West Indies) Ltd. in St. Lucia. He was responsible for Government Relations/Regulatory Affairs, and participated in discussions with regional governments leading to the liberalisation of the telecoms regime in the OECS.
As President of ACP Legal (OECS) Inc, he has been responsible for promoting the OHADAC project in the region from its inception.
He is a former Consul General of St. Lucia to the French Departments/Territories of the Americas, based in Martinique, and continues to be involved in regional co-operation activities, particularly in inter-regional medical co-operation, as Secretary General of the French-registered non-profit “Caribbean Doctors Association”.
Marie-Camille PITTON
Secretary General
Marie-Camille Pitton has practiced for nearly a decade in the field of international arbitration in international business law firms and as an attorney admitted to the Paris and New York Bar.
Marie-Camille Pitton has also served as Counsel at the International Chamber of Commerce, a leading institution in the field of international commercial arbitration. In this capacity, she has supervised hundreds of arbitration proceedings in connection with different regions of the world and has faced a myriad of procedural difficulties in this context.
Convinced that alternative dispute resolution methods must become more accessible and contribute to the realities of developing regions, she has been working on the project to create the CARO Centre since 2017.
The CARO Centre benefits from European Union funds from the Interreg V program.
The Centre is intended to become a permanent part of the Caribbean institutional landscape, as an institution firmly anchored in the real economy and supporting the sustainable economic growth of the region.
This objective can only be achieved by placing integrity in the heart of the Centre's actions. This applies to the Centre itself as well as the experts appointed as mediator, facilitator or arbitrator, whose activities are supervised by the Centre.
The Centre is also ensuring that its services are accessible. Because legal security should never be a luxury, it offers services at a very reasonable rate, to ensure that they can benefit all entities, irrespective of size.
Finally, excellence is systematically pursued in all activities of the Centre, which is a trusted interlocutor for Caribbean institutions.
Our Funders - Our partners
The OHADAC Regional Arbitration Centre (CARO) relies on a network of funders and partners committed to promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) across the Caribbean region. Through their expertise, support, and collaboration, these partners contribute to the successful implementation of the OHADAC-CARO Project under the Interreg Caribbean VI Programme (2021-2027).
Our Funders
Interreg Caribbean: Interreg Caribbean is a European cooperation programme that funds collaborative projects between Caribbean territories, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and neighbouring countries. Its objective is to address shared challenges such as economic development, environmental protection, natural risk management, and institutional cooperation.
The OHADAC-CARO Project benefits from renewed support from the European Union under the Interreg Caribbean VI Programme (ERDF), which finances territorial cooperation initiatives aimed at addressing common challenges throughout the Caribbean region.
French Development Agency (AFD): The AFD is a French public institution responsible for implementing France's international development and solidarity policy. It finances, supports, and evaluates projects that reduce poverty, promote sustainable development, and combat climate change, primarily in developing countries as well as in the French Overseas Territories and certain emerging economies.
Our Partners
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): The OECS works to strengthen economic integration and cooperation among Eastern Caribbean States. As part of this mission, it supports initiatives that foster a secure legal and commercial environment, including the development of the CARO Centre, which facilitates the resolution of commercial disputes throughout the region.
Guadeloupe Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIIG): The CCIIG represents the territory's business community and supports companies throughout their creation, development, and growth. As part of its mission to promote economic activity, it also contributes to the development of the CARO Centre, a mechanism designed to strengthen commercial relationships and facilitate dispute resolution across the Caribbean.
Martinique Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIM): The CCIM supports businesses in their development, promotes the training of economic stakeholders, and contributes to the competitiveness of the territory. Within this framework, it supports the visibility and development of the CARO Centre, which provides Caribbean businesses with an effective mechanism for preventing and resolving commercial disputes.
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) - Caribbean Branch: The CIArb is the world's leading professional body for the training of arbitrators, mediators, and other dispute resolution professionals, while also serving as a leading centre for research and innovation in dispute resolution. The Institute's Caribbean Branch, which brings together regional practitioners dedicated to the development of arbitration and mediation throughout the Caribbean, is one of CARO's key partners.
ACP Legal, lead partner of the OHADAC-CARO Project, also holds Observer status within Working Groups II and III of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), which respectively focus on Arbitration and Conciliation and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform.
Main Objective
The OHADAC-CARO Project aims to strengthen access to justice, legal certainty, and economic integration throughout the Caribbean by developing accessible arbitration, mediation, and expert determination services.
The CARO Centre brings together a network of Caribbean and international specialists and offers a model specifically designed to meet the needs of the region's economic and institutional stakeholders. Unlike many established arbitration centres in Europe and the United States, the CARO Centre distinguishes itself through the accessibility of its services and an approach developed around the legal, economic, and social realities of the Caribbean.
The Centre provides services in connection with commercial transactions, supports development projects, and assists Caribbean institutions in the prevention and resolution of disputes. Through its activities, the CARO Centre contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting a safer, more predictable legal environment that encourages sustainable economic growth across the region.
The project also includes arbitration and mediation training programmes for key regional stakeholders, including members of the judiciary, businesses, chambers of commerce, and governments, with particular emphasis on the OECS Member States.
Expected Results
The OHADAC-CARO Project delivers dispute resolution services and implements training programmes designed to strengthen regional capacity in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). It promotes closer cooperation among Caribbean economic and institutional stakeholders, facilitates regional development projects and commercial transactions, and supports the Caribbean's transition towards more sustainable development.
European Union Funding
The total cost of the project amounts to €3 328 261, of which the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is expected to contribute €2 016 893.
The OHADAC-CARO Project is also co-financed by the AFD with a contribution of €1 150 000.
