Outgoing CARICOM Chairman wants region to be proud of achievements of 2023

The outgoing chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, wants the Caribbean Community to be proud of what has been achieved in 2023.

In his end of year statement, the Prime Minister remarked that over the course of the outgoing year, steady progress was made in the advancement of regional integration. He referred to the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in July in Trinidad and Tobago where “pivotal” decisions were taken to work towards the free movement of all CARICOM nationals within the Community and to advance measures to bring the regional capital market into being, with appropriate attendant amendments made to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

He also recalled the “joyous” celebrations across the Community for the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the signing of the original Treaty of Chaguaramas held under theme, “50 Years Strong: A

Solid Foundation to Build On,” noting that, “we paused for reflection on the many seminal achievements since 1973 and recommitted to the vision of our Founding Fathers for a prosperous, unified Community.”

In his comments on food security, Skerrit observed that the initiative had picked up pace, with several Member States recording important initiatives to reduce their food import bill, and advance food and nutrition security for their citizens. Mention was made of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture “a flagship event,” held in The Bahamas in April, which allowed focussed engagement with the private sector. This was coupled with a “critical” Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture aimed at prioritising actions to combat food and nutrition insecurity, and improve the climate resilience of agriculture in the Caribbean.