CARICOM Heads of Gov’t meet for 45th Meeting and Jubilee

The 45^th Regular Meeting of the Caribbean Heads of Government will be held in Trinidad and Tobago during 3^rd July and 5^th July. This meeting which opened yesterday also saw the launch of a year of celebrations to mark the 50^th Anniversary of the founding of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).

At the opening, Heads of State reflected on the history of CARICOM, what influenced its establishment, the achievements, challenges, and future works. The vision of the Founding Fathers, Prime Ministers Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Dr. Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Manley of Jamaica, and Errol Barrow of Barbados, was lauded.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley, in his resounding presentation, remarked:

The late Prime Ministers Errol Barrow of Barbados, Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Michael Manley of Jamaica and Dr. Eric Eustace Williams of Trinidad and Tobago. They were leaders who understood that our strength as small states lies in our unity. They understood that our collective destiny can only be fulfilled through our determined collaboration in the face of global systems that are designed to keep us weak, dependent, and apart from each other.

It is my belief that if those founding fathers could speak to us today, they would re-emphasise the essential role of this regional leadership, to empower our people to navigate the storms that the international order consistently throws our way.

Even as we prepare for this great future, as Bob Marley and Frantz Fanon said, we cannot forget our past. We can see that our trajectory, though arduous at times, is one that will lead to a better future for all our people.  We as the leaders must continue to do our part in contribution to this united journey, and in doing so we will ensure that the foundation laid by our founding fathers was not just a foundation for us, but also one for our children, and for the generations to follow. To do this we must continue to have that “boundless faith in our destiny”

The three-day meeting will examine several issues affecting the community such as food security concerns, climate change and the climate finance agenda; the ongoing difficulties in Haiti; security issues; external relations matters and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The Heads of Government are expected to engage several international guests, including the President of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame; the UN Secretary-General, H.E. Antonio Guterres; President-Designate of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28), H.E. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jabe; the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea H.E. Han Duck-Soo; US Secretary-of-State, Mr. Antony Blinken, and Minority Leader in the US House of Representatives, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.

Today, 4^th  July which is the 50^th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty which created CARICOM, the Heads of Government and delegates will return to Chaguaramas, the venue of the historic signing, for a commemorative ceremony which will feature a Flag Raising event; planting of a Time Capsule and addresses by the CARICOM Chairman and host Prime Minister.

Today will also see a business session where representatives of foreign governments and heads of international organisations are expected to pay special tributes to CARICOM in honour of the milestone. This will be complemented by a cultural event of song, dance, steelband music and other artforms during a CARICOM 50^th Anniversary Concert.