46th Caricom Regular Heads of Govt Meeting kicks off in Guyana on Sunday

The 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) will formally open at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown, Guyana, on Sunday.

The Meeting is being convened under the chairmanship of President Dr Irfaan Ali, who will deliver the feature address at the opening ceremony. In addition, Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett and outgoing Caricom Chairman and Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit are also slated to address the gathering.
The business sessions of the four-day Meeting will be held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel. Heads of Government will hold discussions with the Meeting’s special guest, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as well as with other high-level guests.
Discussions during the business sessions will include the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and an update on the implementation of the free movement of all Community nationals by March 31, 2024, as mandated at the 45th Regular Meeting in July last year.
The Caricom Chairman, as lead Head of Government with responsibility for Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security in the Caricom Quasi-Cabinet, will update the meeting on the Community’s 25 by 2025 initiative to tackle the Region’s rising food import bill and improve intra-regional trade.
The Meeting will discuss climate change and climate financing; regional security, including the situation in Haiti and border issues; regional transportation; financial matters, including replenishment of the Caricom Development Fund (CDF); global and hemispheric issues ,including developments in the Middle East; reparations; and the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup.
The Meeting will end with a press conference on February 28. Media participation will be in-person with accreditation, and virtual.