The economies of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have done well despite the decline in trade, fluctuations of the world economy and natural disasters including severe hurricanes, Grenada Primer Minister Keith Mitchell stressed. Addressing the third OECS Credit Union conference here, Mitchell said despite the sub-regionīs "exceptional vulnerability to unfavourable external circumstances, our OECS countries have achieved significant gains in the standard of living and the quality of life of our people, according to the Caribbean Media Corporation. "While balanced growth and development is usually seen as the ideal, empirically there have always been leading sectors and balance is achieved by developing linkages to these," he said. Mitchell told the credit union officials that the OECS countries need to identify the sectors that have the potential to grow and develop linkages between these and the other sectors. He called for a proactive approach to development as well as the sub-region being able to "take advantage of the opportunities created by globalisation and the soon- to-become CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)". Reprinted from Prensa Latina