Outcomes of CARICOM 51st Heads of Government meeting in St. Lucia

By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 9, 2026

   CARICOM Secretary General, Belize’s Carla Barnett PhD will continue in her post as interim Secretary General, pending the decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), after the CARICOM Heads of Government voted to refer the disputed renewal of her appointment to the CCJ, when the issue was debated at their 51st Regular Conference at Sandals Grande on Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, from Sunday to Wednesday, July 5-8.

   This was in accordance with Article 212 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar had adamantly opposed Barnett’s reappointment in February of this year, and objected at length when she addressed the meeting. She demanded that Barnett be engaged on a “month to month basis” until the CCJ decision. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness PhD has also expressed concern that the rift caused by Persad’s dissent threatens regional unity and the spirit of the treaty.

   Belize signed a 3rd country agreement with the United States last October, to host persons seeking asylum in the U.S. or certain persons deported from that nation, and the U.S. had approached other CARICOM territories individually, seeking to sign similar agreements. The CARICOM leaders discussed the issue, recommending that the region should adopt a common, unified position on the matter, as they would be in a stronger position as a unified bloc to negotiate such agreements. They stressed that every effort would be made to ensure that “Third Country Nationals” arrangements do not disrupt the security of CARICOM nations or divert resources and services from the citizens of these countries.

   The proposed agreements are intended to provide for the transit of individuals without criminal antecedents to their home countries rather than settlement in CARICOM states, and the region’s leaders agreed that every effort should be made to engage CARICOM citizens on this issue, so that they understand the distinction. In their joint statement, the CARICOM Heads “affirmed their commitment to the principles of safe, orderly and regular migration, and to the dignity of migrants.”

   The CARICOM Heads also reiterated their commitment to continue working closely with the Haitian authorities, the United Nations, the Organization of American States and other international partners to help Haiti overcome the current crisis and create lasting stability. They welcomed the efforts undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Haiti, led by Prime Minister H.E Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, to strengthen national security, advance the electoral process, and lay the foundations for free, credible, inclusive and peaceful elections.

   Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño has attended previous CARICOM leaders meetings, but pressing matters kept him at home during this most recent gathering, and Attorney General Hon. Anthony Sylvestre led the Belize delegation in his stead. Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Oscar Arnold; and Ambassador Ayesha Borland, Director of International Affairs, accompanied Sylvestre, along with Foreign Service 0fficer Giselle Gibson.

   The regional leaders also discussed how they would put the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) into action and make it work. So far, only Belize, Barbados, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have ratified the agreement for full free-movement policy for all their citizens last October. Other nations are slowly advancing into its full participation. The CSME is intended for regional partners to support each other’s development by member states supplying other members’ needs for food and other products, and for CSME members to seek to source goods and services within the region. But the process has not been without its setbacks, one of which has been the instances of CSME members buying sugar outside the region. Belize and Guyana have taken other CSME countries to task, when extra-regional sugar was imported without applying the Common External Tariff, which would have made Belizean or Guyanese sugar the cheaper alternative.

   CARICOM’s new chairman, St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, summed up what was achieved, citing that they had “agreed to strengthen regional cooperation to protect consumers, improve affordability, and explore additional measures that can provide relief to vulnerable members.”  He further explained, “We also agreed to strengthen consumer protection, and work together to address rising prices across the community. On food security and economic resilience, we reaffirm our commitment to the Vision 2025 by 2025 + 5 initiative to reduce the region’s food import bill and strengthen agriculture production.” But he admitted that the cost of food production and living is linked to the price of oil. “We have no control over the price of oil. We’ve shared experiences from islands like St. Lucia; we’ve removed the VAT on certain items. In the case of Barbados, certain measures have been taken. Every island, every government has taken certain steps to reduce the cost of living; but the main fact which we have to consider is that we have absolutely no control over the price of oil,” he said.

   The chairman continued, “We also accelerated a law towards establishing an affordable inter-regional ferry service that will improve travel, facilitate trade, strengthen food security, and make our community more connected. Recognizing that technology will shape our future, we also agreed to establish a regional blue-ribbon commission on artificial intelligence to guide the development of policies that will enable the Caribbean to benefit from AI while responsibly managing its risks.”

   On Climate Change and Climate finance, he said that the Heads “reaffirm our commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and for advocating for the special circumstances for small island developing states.” “We also agreed to advance a regional insurance strategy to better protect our people, infrastructure, and economy against hurricanes and other natural disasters,” Pierre said.

   On the humanitarian crisis in Cuba, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley explained, “We are agreed that the discussion and debate must take place, but without prejudice — discussion and debate for a peaceful resolution of what is transpiring with Cuba. That there is a humanitarian crisis, and you cannot continue to ignore that reality. The United States of America, I believe, has said itself, it will contribute to the relief of the humanitarian crisis. The Caribbean has been resolute in saying that we want to do it. In Barbados’ own case, we had to spend 5 months, and the money was returned twice. This is the third time for us to buy baby milk for the children of Cuba, which was one of the clear priorities, so that the region will continue. We recognize that this is always going to be a complicated and complex issue, as was reflected in the United Nations’ debate on Tuesday; but we want to remain focused on the humanitarian efforts, and we want to remain focused on the dialogue that should continue to take place.”

   On the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela after last week’s earthquakes, Mottley stated, “Guyana’s coordinating a ferry, and there are 88 containers going from the majority of CARICOM on that boat that Guyana has coordinated. Barbados, through the RSS (Regional Security System), would have sent in people within 48, 72 hours, I believe, to be able to help with the rescue efforts.”

   Belize’s Attorney General, Anthony Sylvestre, also participated in the Heads of Government Retreat, advancing Belize’s positions to deepen regional integration, strengthen climate resilience, and coordinate Caribbean responses to the unique challenges facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS). He updated the region’s leaders on Belize – including on relations with Guatemala and other matters of national interest.

   Belize held bilateral meetings with delegations from Saint Lucia, Cuba, the Republic of Korea, and Australia to further strengthen bilateral relations and explore opportunities for enhanced cooperation. Discussions covered climate change, sargassum management, candidatures in multilateral fora, COP31, trade, and technical cooperation.

   Sylvestre also signed the Amendment to Article 84 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which establishes a more flexible and efficient mechanism for updating Schedule I (Rules of Origin), thereby strengthening the implementation and responsiveness of the CSME.

   Martinique and French Guiana became the 7th and 8th Associate Members of CARICOM, when French Guiana’s president Gabriel Serville signed an agreement with St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre on Tuesday, July 7, and Martinique signed a similar agreement in February, to which the French government acceded in June, allowing Martinique to participate in the 51st meeting.