[Press Release] Forty-fifth regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM

The Forty-fifth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held from 3- 5 July 2023. In acknowledgement of the 50^th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973, it was agreed that Trinidad and Tobago would host.

Chair of the Conference, Prime Minister of Dominica, the Honourable Roosevelt Skerritt presided over the Meeting.

Other Members of the Conference in attendance were: Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,  Honourable Gaston Browne; Prime Minister of Barbados, Honourable Mia Amor Mottley; Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Honourable Philip Davis; Prime Minister of Grenada, Honourable Dickon Mitchell; President of Guyana, His Excellency Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister of Haiti, the Honourable Dr Ariel Henry; Prime Minister of Jamaica, Most Honourable Andrew Holness; Acting Premier, Montserrat, Dr. the Hon. Samuel Joseph; Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Honourable Dr Terrence Drew; Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable Philip Pierre; Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves; President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley.

Belize was represented by Hon Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

Associate Member States represented Bermuda, by Premier, the Hon Edward David Burt; the British Virgin Islands, by Premier, Dr. the Hon. Natalio D. Wheatley and the Turks and Caicos Islands, by Hon. Arlington Alexander Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services

OPENING CEREMONY

CARICOM Secretary General, Dr Carla N Barnett, welcomed the Community and guests to the Opening Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on 3 July 2023.

She highlighted several of CARICOM’s significant achievements over its 50 years of existence and recognised past leaders whose efforts laid the foundation and who have been standard bearers for integration. She also emphasised the importance of involving young people in the integration process, pinpointing CARICOM’s Human Resource Development Strategy 2030, to equip young people of the Region with the tools necessary to function effectively in the 21st century.

The Honourable Roosevelt Skerritt, Prime Minister of Dominica and Incoming Chair; Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Conference Host; the Honourable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Outgoing Chair and His Excellency Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General also addressed the Conference.

All three Prime Ministers spoke of CARICOM’s significance, the resilience of the people of the Region, and the need for collective action to advance CARICOM’s integration process.

The Chair noted that the 50^th anniversary offered the opportunity to make transformative decisions to shape the future of our Community for the next 50 years. He highlighted reviving the Single Domestic Space that once allowed citizens to traverse freely across the Region; regional air travel; and the situation in Haiti as critical issues on which the Meeting would focus.

“Even as we celebrate this landmark in the evolution of our integration movement, we must be mindful that the symbols and events of celebration do not serve as a distraction from the substance of the heavy lifting still needed to make our Community viable, prosperous, secure and beneficial to all of its people,” he said.

Host Prime Minister, Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley observed that CARICOM has charted its own destiny.
“Beyond the doubts, CARICOM is working diligently to serve the people of the Region.  While at times, the going may be slow or the outcome may not have been readily apparent, we all continue to build on the strong foundation laid 50 years ago,” he said.

Immediate Past Chair, the Honourable Philip Davis, noted that during his tenure, regional cooperation was demonstrated through strong support from the Community for the Bridgetown Initiative; efforts to address crime and violence and the illegal trafficking of guns into the Region; as well as a regional response to mitigate the effects of climate change.

His Excellency Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, who was a Special Guest at the Meeting congratulated CARICOM on its 50^th Anniversary. He recognised the Region’s efforts to extend its Good Offices to Haiti, as well as its leadership on climate action and the plight of Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States, the international financial infrastructure, and financing for development.