United States Virgin Islands Coalition for Sustainable Economic Development, Inc. (www.vised.org), is a private, independent organization promoting private-sector-led social and economic development in the U.S.V.I., the Caribbean Region and throughout the Hemisphere. It will serve this goal of facilitating trade and investment in the U.S.V.I. by stimulating constructive dialog between the private and public sectors to improve the policy and regulatory environments for business on both the, local, regional and international levels. The organization will conduct policy-oriented programs in sectors such as agriculture, financial services, hospitality/tourism, information technology, intellectual property rights, and telecommunications. It will promote a lead role in development planning which is a very complex and costly exercise.

VISED will be playing a major role in the FTAA process, mobilizing business and political leadership to advance the economic reforms and Hemispheric free trade pledged at the 1994 Summit of the Americas. Although we have had a late start in this process, the organization is committed toward the implementation of a free trade agreement with the Caribbean Region, as a first step, which is being negotiated as a U. S. Central American Free Trade Agreement.

VISED will host a bi-annual USVI Social and Economic Development Summit, with sessions in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. The gathering of its kind brings together senior public and private sector leaders from the Territory and abroad, including the Head of State, Cabinet Officials and the Legislature to discuss the implementation of a USVI Sustainable Economic Development Plan. In addition, trade; social and sustainable economic development policy issues will be discussed. The Board of Trustees will schedule the date of this year's Summit during its Annual Board Meeting scheduled for the third week of February 2003.

Headquartered in Frederiksted, St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, VISED is governed by a USVI Board of Trustees and will be funded primarily by contributions from professionals, entrepreneurs, and companies with a direct or indirect stake in St. Croix and the region's prosperity. VISED is a non-profit, tax exempt, non-governmental charitable organization incorporated in 2002 under the laws of the United States Virgin Islands. Contributions to VISED are tax exempt under Section 501(c) (3) [1] of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code.