Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne assumed the Chairmanship of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as of Thursday.
New Caricom Chair, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne
In a statement on Friday, the Secretariat announced that Prime Minister Browne succeeds Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley and takes control of the regional bloc for the next six months.
The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minster holds responsibility for Services in the Caricom Quasi Cabinet. He will chair the virtual Forty-Second Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government which begins on Monday, July 5, 2021.
The Caribbean Community has 15 Member States – Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, and five Associate Members – Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. There are an additional five associate members.
The Conference of Heads of Government, which consists of the Heads of Government of the Member States, is the supreme Organ of Caricom and determines and provides its policy direction.
In addition to this function, it is the final authority for the conclusion of treaties on behalf of the Community and for entering into relationships between the Community and International Organisations and States. The Conference is also responsible for making the financial arrangements to meet the expenses of the Community, but has delegated this function to the Community Council. Decisions of the Conference are generally taken unanimously.
The mandate is “to contribute, in support of Member States, to the improvement of the quality of life of the People of the Community and the development of an innovative and productive society in partnership with institutions and groups working towards attaining a people-centred, sustainable and internationally competitive Community.”
This means creating a Community that is inclusive and resilient, driven by innovation and productivity. It seeks to provide an environment where every citizen is secure with guaranteed human rights and social justice.
Just last May, Caricom got its first female Secretary General when the Heads of Government, including Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, unanimously agreed to appoint Dr Carla Natalie Barnett as the eighth person to serve in this capacity. Replacing Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, she is expected to assume office on August 15, 2021.
