(Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados; CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett; United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres; and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen have underscored the need to work together amid current global flux.
Delivering the keynote address at the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, in Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday 19 February, Prime Minister Mottley stated that global partnerships are crucial.
“We live in a world where the opportunity for facts and shared values in common spaces is becoming rarer and rarer, simply because everyone is in their own echo chamber, rather than in national entities being able to share and to relate so that we have a common perspective to keep our democracy strong. This meeting, my friends, cannot be business as usual.”
CARICOM Chair, Prime Minister Mia Mottley
She added, “the only way we will make it through these difficult times is if we are prepared to be more unified and bolder than ever.”
“The current global challenges cannot be effectively addressed in splendid isolation,” Dr Barnett stated, highlighting the need for collective efforts, knowledge sharing, and adherence to core principles. The focus of this 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference is Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. It highlights the need for renewed and expanded partnerships, and collaboration, as we grapple with existing and emerging uncertainties.”
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett stated.
Noting that the simultaneous global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution; crime and violence; ongoing military and trade wars; and other global shocks, pose real and present threats to CARICOM countries, she added,
“It is at times like this that CARICOM’s continuous call for international cooperation, multilateralism, and respect for international law, takes on special significance.”
The Secretary-General praised CARICOM’s quick response to Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and thanked Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell for stewardship of the Community at a time when he grappled with the devastating impact of Beryl on his own country.
She also reaffirmed the Community’s support for a Haitian-led solution to the multifaceted crises there, and for the territorial integrity of Guyana, Belize, and Palestine.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who was a Special Guest to the Meeting, commended CARICOM’s commitment to multilateralism and stressed the need for international solutions to current global challenges.
Highlighting the “irrepressible strength of a unified Caribbean,” the UN SG added,
“International solutions are essential to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for this wonderful region, and for the world.”
He urged CARICOM and the UN to work together on unity, peace and security, particularly in Haiti where gangs are inflicting intolerable sufferings on desperate and frightened people.
“We must keep working for a political process – owned and led by the Haitians – that restores democratic institutions through elections,” Mr. Guterres stated.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended the Meeting as a Special Guest, marking her first trip abroad since her re-election and her inaugural visit to the Caribbean region.
She emphasised Europe’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Caribbean.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen
“The Caribbean and Europe may sit on different sides of an Ocean. But in recent years, we have decided to stand on the same side of history.”
She acknowledged CARICOM’s call for reparatory justice, which outgoing chair of CARICOM, Hon. Dickon Mitchell of Grenada highlighted in his speech to the Conference.
“Slavery is a crime against humanity. The dignity and the universal rights of every single human being are untouchable and must be defended by all means.
Echoing the call for partnerships, President von der Leyen said,
“We are in a race against time. So even in a moment of harsh competition, we need to join forces. This is what brings me here today. In this world there is a clear attempt by some to build spheres of influence. Where competing visions of world order are leading to a more transactional approach to global affairs. Where the disruptive potential of intense competition is rising. In this world, Europe’s offer is clear. Let us look for mutual interests and work together.”
