How We Work
The Caribbean Community works through a governance structure which includes Organs, Bodies, Institutions, and other Stakeholders.
Organs
The Organs are decision making councils of the Community, with responsibility for key policy areas as set out in the Treaty.
The Principal Organs are:
- The Conference of Heads of Government (and its Bureau which operates as a sub-committee as required; and a Quasi Cabinet through which individual Heads of Government have Lead Responsibility for specific areas)
- The Community Council of Ministers (Ministers of CARICOM Affairs in Member States)
The Principal Organs are assisted by several organs, bodies, and the CARICOM Secretariat, which is the Principal Administrative Organ.
The Organs are:
- Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED)
- Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR)
- Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD)
- Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP)
- Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE)
The Bodies are:
- Legal Affairs Committee (Attorneys General and Ministers of Legal Affairs) – which advises the Organs and Bodies
- Budget Committee – which reports to the Community Council
- The Committee of Central Bank Governors – which advises COFAP
- The Committee of Ambassadors – which reports to the Community Council
Institutions
Institutions, formed under the umbrella of the Community, or, with its collaboration, serve the Community as specialist technical agencies.
Other Stakeholders
Governments of Member States and Associate Members, working with various other stakeholders, are ultimately accountable to the peoples of the Community for achieving the goals of regional integration.
The CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, appointed by their respective Member States, lead the leveraging of youth views and perspectives for the regional development process.
The Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), which groups the CARICOM Member States, and the Dominican Republic and Cuba, provides, among other things, a platform to manage and coordinate policy dialogue between its participating states and the European Union – a key development partner.
International Development Partners support a number of Community programmes and projects through technical cooperation and provision of human and/or financial resources.
See below for more information
The Conference of Heads of Government
The Bureau of the Conference
The CARICOM Quasi Cabinet (Portfolio Allocation)
The Community Council Of Ministers
The Organs and Bodies of the Community
The CARICOM Secretariat
Member States and Associate Members
Member States and Associate Members
Committee of Ambassadors
Heads of Government established the CARICOM Committee of Ambassadors (CCA) as a Body of the Community. The CCA is headed by a Chair who is also the Chair of the Community Council of Ministers, one of two principal organs of the Community.The Secretary-General or his representative is an ex-officio member of the Committee.
The role of the CCA is to facilitate the implementation of the Community Strategic Plan. Learn more
Institutions
CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Corps
The CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme was launched in Saint Lucia in 1993 by the Heads of Government to mark the Twentieth Anniversary of CARICOM and was formally instituted in 1994. Since its inception, the Youth Ambassador Programme has contributed to increased youth knowledge and awareness of CARICOM issues and priorities; has raised the profile of young people at the national and regional levels; and has assisted in integrating the views and perspectives of young people from across the Region into national, regional and international policy and programmes.