(Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown) – On Thursday, 27 February, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Carla Barnett welcomed a courtesy call from the A3 Plus Group of the United Nations Security Council.
The Delegation was headed by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations and Coordinator of the A3 Plus Group along with Permanent Representatives to United Nations from Algeria, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, Ghana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the President and CEO Africa Center, and the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. The interface took place at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown.
The outcomes of the recently concluded 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, Haiti, the need for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform, participation of Africa in CARIFESTA 2025, reparation and strengthening ties between Africa and CARICOM were at the forefront of discussions.
Both parties reflected on the tragic loss of the first Kenyan police officer in Port-au-Prince, a somber reminder of the dangers faced by those working to restore peace in Haiti. Against this backdrop, they emphasised the importance of CARICOM and Africa working together to bring tangible benefits through meaningful dialogue and action to the Haitian people.
Funding for the MSS Mission also formed part of the discussions, with the A3 Plus group urging CARICOM to continue advocating for international donors to secure the necessary support for the Mission.
The discussions also reflected on the work of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) at the United Nations to bridge food insecurity with reforestation initiatives, as Chair of the Working Group on food insecurity in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Ad hoc Advisory Group on Haiti.
The upcoming Second AU-CARICOM Summit, scheduled for 7 September 2025 in Addis Ababa, was seen as an important political engagement in light of current geopolitical developments.
Additionally, the meeting discussed reparations as CARICOM intensifies its call for reparative justice by the governments of former colonial powers and relevant institutions for the crimes against humanity, including Native Genocide, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and a racialized system of chattel slavery.
