MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Caricom Summit promotes integration and South-South cooperation

The summit addressed critical regional issues, including climate change, security, agricultural transformation, and intra-Caribbean trade

The 49th Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) concluded Tuesday in Montego Bay, Jamaica, with a strong commitment to accelerating regional integration, strengthening South-South cooperation, and building a more secure and resilient future.

Jamaican Prime Minister and Caricom Chairman Andrew Holness stressed that South-South cooperation with Africa, Central and South America, and Asia is now an “urgent matter” for the region's development, offering an alternative to protectionist trade policies.

“As a region, we have long talked about strengthening South-South trade cooperation with Africa, Central and South America, and Asia. Today, that is no longer an option; it is an urgent matter,” he said.

In addition, Holness highlighted the Caribbean's “extraordinary resources” and the need for better public infrastructure, particularly in maritime and air transport, to enhance economic integration and intraregional trade. He also called for more agile governance and implementation structures within Caricom to deliver outcomes more efficiently.

Holness also pointed out that the leaders of the 15 member countries addressed priority issues such as climate change, regional security, agricultural transformation, governance of the bloc, and strengthening intra-Caribbean trade. Progress on these initiatives will be reviewed at the upcoming Caricom–Africa Summit in Ethiopia this September.

Another breakthrough was the full free movement of people within Barbados, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica starting on Oct. 1, which marks a significant step under the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). It will allow skilled nationals to work in other member states without permits. Jamaica, though committed, noted internal legislative considerations that require a more gradual approach.

“We agreed that the pace and scope of implementation [was] just too slow, and we agreed that we will do everything in our power to speed up implementation,” Holness mentioned. He added that the four nations reiterated their willingness to implement full free movement under the Protocol on Enhanced Cooperation, which all member countries signed.

Caricom leaders also agreed to expand the list of approved skilled categories under the CSME to include aviation personnel, with Jamaica contributing new occupations such as photogrammetry, field maintenance, and aircraft maintenance personnel.

The Montego Bay Declaration on Transnational Organized Crime provided for the strengthening of Caricom's security cooperation with international bodies such as Interpol and the Organization of American States (OAS).