- Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
- Honourable Mia Mottley, SC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados and Outgoing Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
- Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government of CARICOM;
- Members of Parliament of Jamaica;
- Honourable Ministers;
- Your Excellency Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary-General of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL);
- His Excellency Albert Ramdin, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States;
- Other Distinguished Delegates;
- Heads of Regional and International Institutions;
- Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
- Other Distinguished Guests;
- Citizens of the Caribbean Community;
- Representatives of the Media;
- Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is wonderful to be here in Jamaica’s beautiful second city, Montego Bay, and to welcome you to this Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The warmth and hospitality which we have received since our arrival have been exceptional. On behalf of CARICOM, I express deep appreciation to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, and the People of Jamaica, for providing such a favourable setting in which to conduct the business of the Community.
Jamaica features highly in CARICOM’s history. 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 Rose Hall Declaration, which aimed to deepen integration and strengthen governance in CARICOM, was adopted here at the Twenty-Fourth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2003. Several other pivotal Regular Meetings of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government have also been hosted here.
I am, therefore, very hopeful that the outcomes of this Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting will be no less impactful.
As we grappled with worrying geopolitical issues over the last six months, CARICOM has been led with decisiveness and foresight by the Outgoing Chair, Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados. 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).
We now formally welcome Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, to the role of Chair of the Conference. As Lead Head on External Trade Negotiations in CARICOM’s Quasi-Cabinet, Prime Minister Holness is strategically placed to pilot us through the current uncertainties of the international trading system. CARICOM also highly appreciates the leadership role Jamaica has played in efforts to strengthen security and stability in Haiti.
Mr. Chairman, you can be assured of the continued support of the Secretariat as you lead our Community’s agenda for the next six months.
Since our last Regular Meeting in Barbados, the Community has welcomed new and re-elected leaders, following general elections. In this regard, the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, again joins the Conference following her victory at the Parliamentary Elections in April. The Honourable John Briceño was returned as Prime Minister of Belize. We also recognize His Excellency Gilmar Pisas who returned as Prime Minister of Curaçao following their elections. Honourable Cora Richardson-Hodge, the first female Premier in Anguilla, and the Honourable Andre Ebanks, Premier of the Cayman Islands wer elected.
Congratulations to them all!
Earlier today, I was pleased to witness the inauguration of the Honourable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson of Jamaica, as President of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Mr. President, congratulations on your appointment to this important regional body. We look forward to the benefit of your experience, intellect and well-known dedication to the rule of law, as we collectively seek to deliver enhanced frameworks for justice within the Community.
Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the theme which anchors this Meeting of the Conference – People, Partnerships, Prosperity: Promoting a Secure and Prosperous Future– goes to the heart of the promise given to the people of our Region when the Original Treaty of Chaguaramas was signed. This Meeting’s agenda has intentionally focused on consequential issues such as climate change and climate finance, external trade, food and nutrition security, the situation in Haiti and citizen security, including transnational organised crime, and cybersecurity threats.
In this latter regard, we will have as a Special Guest for this Meeting, the Secretary-General of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), His Excellency Valdecy Urquiza.
Excellency, we warmly welcome you and look forward to productive exchanges with our Heads of Government.
Secretary General Albert Ramdin of the Organisation of American States also joins us as a Special Guest. SG Ramdin chaired his first General Assembly in Antigua and Barbuda just last week.
Your Excellency, welcome. We look forward to fruitful discussions.
On Saturday morning – yesterday – I was delighted to witness professional and amateur athletes, including the Chair of Conference, as they crossed the finish line in the Eighteenth CARICOM Road Race. Congratulations to all participants and winners.
The Road Race is a good example of integration in action. It demonstrates our commitment to healthy living, which has been translated at the international level through the Region’s leadership and advocacy on addressing non-communicable diseases. We anticipate robust CARICOM participation at the Fourth High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, which is scheduled for September as part of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
Our collective efforts have delivered many commendable results for the people of the Region, in human and social development, economic integration, foreign policy coordination, and security. 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.
Together we have overcome many challenges that our small nations could not have overcome alone.
We have faced military invasions by third states and tackled political instability in some parts of the Region.
We guided our citizens through the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating aftermath on our economies, especially the shipping disruptions which threatened food supply. In response, we have focused, with some success, on agriculture production, to enhance our food security.
We have come together to deal with the overwhelming after-effects of hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters.
But even as we celebrate our successes, we have to acknowledge the challenges that we continue to face in implementing important aspects of our integration project. The CARICOM Single Market and Economy, which is designed to facilitate the free movement of goods, services, finances and people, in the interest of increased economic and market efficiency, continues to fall behind expectations. 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, as intended by the framers of theTreaty.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, in spite of our challenges and our often adverse circumstances, CARICOM can feel rightly proud of the successes we have achieved. Ourvictories are testament to our strength in unity, and provide a useful roadmap as we chart our path forward. As noted in the 2017 Report of the Golding Commission which reviewed Jamaica’s relations within the CARICOM and CARIFORUM Frameworks, [and I quote] “the value of regional integration, notwithstanding the current wave of economic nationalism in various parts of the world, is as relevant and useful and, perhaps, even more urgent today than it was at its inception.” [end of quote]
Eight years later, this statement resonates even more.
Unprecedented global uncertainty, economic pressures, technological innovations that challenge our capacity to keep pace, climate vulnerability, and the needs of our young people, our women, and future generations, compel us to act collectively, with courage and with conviction.
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. In the spirit of family, we should seek to address the concerns of all if we are to be a Community that benefits everyone in the Region. As several of our regional statesmen have been known to say, “If CARICOM did not exist, we would have to invent it”.
And, to borrow from one of Jamaica’s national icons, Honourable Robert Nesta Marley, our guiding principle must continue to be “one love, one heart, one destiny”.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, together we have nurtured a strong Caribbean identity that transcends borders, that is admired globally, and to which others aspire. As we begin our deliberations for this Forty-Ninth Meeting of the Conference, I encourage of us to retain our focus on the purpose of our partnership, which is the prosperity, security and well-being of all the people of our Region.
Let this Forty-Ninth Meeting be a defining moment in the history of our integration movement, where we stand resolutely together, supporting the hopes and aspirations of all our citizens. Here in Montego Bay, we can and we will have clear and frank conversations. We will set realistic and bold objectives that can propel us even further towards a Caribbean Community that will be stronger, safer and more prosperous for generations to come.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
