Posted: Monday, July 7, 2025. 10:10 am CST.
By Zoila Palma: CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett delivered a powerful and hopeful address at the opening of the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), urging regional leaders to recommit to integration, economic cooperation, and collective action in the face of shared challenges.
Speaking before heads of government, regional leaders, and international delegates gathered in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Dr. Barnett praised the host nation’s long-standing commitment to regionalism and emphasized the need for continued solidarity in addressing pressing regional and global issues.
“It is wonderful to be here in Jamaica’s beautiful second city, Montego Bay,” she said, acknowledging Jamaica’s foundational role in CARICOM’s development.
“This ‘Land of Wood and Water’ was one of the first four nations to signal its commitment to our integration movement by signing the Original Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973.”
The meeting marked a transition in CARICOM’s leadership, as Jamaican Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness assumed the role of Chairman of the Conference, succeeding Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
Dr. Barnett lauded Mottley’s tenure, saying,
“Prime Minister Mottley, we thank you for your dedication to amplifying the Region’s voice on important issues and to its economic advancement, including through your leadership of the ongoing initiatives to strengthen the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).”
Welcoming Prime Minister Holness to the chairmanship, she noted his critical experience as Lead Head on External Trade Negotiations:
“You are strategically placed to pilot us through the current uncertainties of the international trading system.”
The Secretary-General emphasized the central theme of the meeting — People, Partnerships, Prosperity: Promoting a Secure and Prosperous Future — calling it a timely reminder of the Community’s promise to its people.
“Our collective efforts have delivered many commendable results… After more than 50 years as a regional integration movement, we are well aware of its value, and its potential, as a catalyst for sustainable development, resilience, and global competitiveness.”
Key agenda items include climate change and climate finance, food security, external trade, regional security, and the ongoing crisis in Haiti.
“We have faced military invasions by third states and tackled political instability… We guided our citizens through the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating aftermath,” Barnett said. “We have come together to deal with the overwhelming after-effects of hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.”
However, she acknowledged that progress in areas like the CARICOM Single Market and Economy remains uneven:
“We hope that this Meeting will see a recommitment to strengthening the implementation of the CSME, with a view to ensuring that all aspects of the regimes can be evenly and effectively implemented across the Region.”
With new and returning leaders present, including Prime Ministers Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago, John Briceño of Belize, and Gilmar Pisas of Curaçao, the Secretary-General emphasized inclusivity and mutual support.
“As much as we remain committed to the aims and objectives set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, we must also remain cognisant that moving forward is more difficult for some of us,” she said. “In the spirit of family, we should seek to address the concerns of all if we are to be a Community that benefits everyone.”
She concluded her address with a call to action rooted in Caribbean identity and unity.
“Together we have nurtured a strong Caribbean identity that transcends borders, that is admired globally, and to which others aspire,” she said. “Let this Forty-Ninth Meeting be a defining moment… where we stand resolutely together, supporting the hopes and aspirations of all our citizens.”
Quoting the late reggae icon Bob Marley, she closed with a message of unity: “Our guiding principle must continue to be ‘one love, one heart, one destiny.’”
The 49th Regular Meeting continues this week, with high-level discussions expected to shape the regional agenda on trade, governance, and development for the next six months.
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Posted: Monday, July 7, 2025. 10:10 am CST. By Zoila Palma: CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett delivered a powerful and hopeful address at the opening of
The post CARICOM Secretary-General calls for Unity and Action at 49th Heads of Government meeting in Montego Bay appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
