The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) opened its 48th meeting of leaders in Barbados with speeches that agreed on the urgency of providing collective responses to socioeconomic challenges, geopolitical tensions, and climate problems.
Bridgetown.- After the opening gala, several leaders took the floor and celebrated the achievements of a bloc distinguished by its integrationist essence. They also referred to future expectations and the challenges to overcome.
The group’s secretary general, Carla Barnett, called for renewing alliances, expanding collaboration, and reaching consensus on beneficial decisions for integration and the quality of life of the region's inhabitants.
“Global challenges cannot be effectively addressed in isolation (…) we must redouble collective efforts, take advantage of our wisdom, and act based on our fundamental principles,” she said and reiterated CARICOM’s support in the face of the instability in Haiti, the territorial claims of Belize and Guyana, and the cause of the people of Palestine.
The rotating leader of the organization and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, stressed the need to join forces to solve the issues that hinder regional development, advocated for progress in demands for reparations during the era of slavery, and for unblocking the path for the free flow of people, goods and capital.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, considered it essential to collate “international solutions” if a better future is to be guaranteed, warning of the recurrence of disastrous natural events, rising geopolitical tensions, and the economic slowdown in the world.
The ceremony was also attended by Prime Ministers Dickon Mitchell (Grenada) and Reuben T. Meade (Montserrat), as well as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
A meeting between the foreign ministers took place before the opening of the Conference; Mottley received Guterres and von der Leyer and signed with the latter an agreement between the German biomedical research institute BioMed X and Barbados.
The event's plenary sessions will take place on Thursday and Friday. The heads of government will discuss several pressing issues for the Community, including food and nutrition security, climate change, and current challenges in Haiti.
The agenda includes discussions on security, digital resilience, foreign affairs matters, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, maritime and air transport, and reparations for abuses suffered during the era of slavery. (PL)
