Caricom’s migration policy: “Member states at different points on trajectory” – Crime & Security programme manager

With persons across the world migrating more than ever due to various issues ranging from civil conflict to economic issues, the Caricom Heads of Government in 2019 called for the development of a Regional Migration Policy. However, one of the challenges hindering progress on the implementation of this policy is the nuances in the migration trajectory between the Caricom member states.
This is according to Programme Manager, Crime and Security, Caricom Secretariat, Sherwin Toyne-Stephenson. Toyne-Stephenson noted that the heads of government have been working to regularise the migration process in the Caribbean by creating a Regional Migration Policy.

According to Toyne-Stephenson so far, they have been able to examine the responsibilities and mandates for migration within the Caribbean institutions as well as the United Nations (UN) organised systems. In this regard, he stated that, “we have been able to marry these two [responsibilities and mandates for migration within the Caribbean and the UN organised systems] together based on the mandates from the head”. Stephenson noted that this merge paved the way for the establishment of a steering committee for the development of the policy, also advocacy groups were formed to provide guidance to the other groups in terms of technical expertise that will be required.
Moreover, he highlighted that one of the issues identified was member states being at different points along the migration trajectory. He further noted that in 2023 a survey was done and they have since identified one way to essentially close the migration gap among member states. “One of the first things that we were able to mobilise was a survey last year, which looked at member state priorities they were some gaps uncovered and this year we are looking to close those gaps by introducing the technical support for the creation of a migration grouping in member states” he stated.
Meanwhile, at the July 2023 Heads of Government Meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago, regional leaders had committed to work towards the free movement of all Caricom nationals within the region by March 31, 2024. To achieve this, it was agreed that any appropriate amendments to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas would be dealt with during the period leading up to that deadline. Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley provided an update on the matter, stating “we’re on target”.
According to PM Mottley, there were only two policy issues that were referred to the Heads of Government during the meeting this week to settle. Having had the intervention of regional leaders, the inter-governmental taskforce will now meet on March 7 to finalise the necessary documents. Then on the following day, the Legal Affairs Committee will sign off on the drafts after which those documents will be presented to the Heads of Government at a March 15 meeting. However, while there was a renewed push for free movement, not all Caricom Member States are fully on board – at least not as yet. Freedom of movement within the region is one of components of the CSME, but not all Caricom Member States, such as the Bahamas, have signed onto the single market and economy initiative hence this free movement concept was not applicable to those nations.
The Caribbean Community and several regional and international organisations participated in the Advancing a Regional Approach to a Migration Policy workshop in Bridgetown, Barbados, on 24 and 25 August 2023. Participants worked together, with technical support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Western Hemisphere Program, to establish the regional policy’s priorities and strategic approach to opportunities and challenges regarding migration management in the Caribbean, and to build a roadmap for ongoing development. Changing migration trends in the Caribbean were thoroughly discussed during the activity, including the findings of the research on national and regional migration issues and priorities. The migration matters identified for policy development included border governance, counter trafficking and smuggling, refugee protection, labor migration, social and economic development, as well as climate change and environmental migration.