Region must recommit to principles that underpin community – New Caricom Chair 

Prime Minister (PM) Dr Terrance Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis, upon his assumption of the chairmanship of CARICOM, said that Caribbean leaders and citizens of the region must recommit to the principles that underpin the community, as recent international events that have affected the Caribbean call for solidarity, not isolation.
According to the PM, current events call for reflection, calm leadership, and renewed commitment to the Caribbean ideal. The need for regional unity, cooperation, and integration, he said, is essential in today’s increasingly uncertain world.

“This reality does not call for isolation but for stronger coordination, clearer purpose, and deeper solidarity. It requires us to speak louder, speak with conviction, and speak with one voice where our shared interests are concerned, and to act with strategic maturity on the global stage,” PM Drew said in his New Year message.
Reflecting on the conception of Caricom, Dr Drew highlighted that in 1973, foresight by its founders recognised that vulnerable states would face immense challenges in a rapidly changing global order, and it is a collective representation that will enable the region to advance its interests internationally for its development.
He added that since its founding, Caricom has delivered meaningful benefits and achievements for the region through regional trade, economic cooperation, the movement of skills and labour, and functional cooperation over the years.
Focusing on the recent events that have created differing national perspectives, while not naming Member States, he noted that “while such differences are not unusual in a diverse Community such as ours, they remind us of the importance of managing our dialogue with care, mutual respect, and a resolute sense of regional responsibility.”
“CARICOM was never conceived as a space free of disagreement. It was created as a forum where differences could be addressed constructively, internally, and with the shared understanding that our collective strength is greater than any single issue before us,” he added.
He urged Caricom to move forward with a shared purpose within its collective strength and noted that as current events unfold, it is the responsibility of the Community to represent its peoples, saying that the ongoing events “remind us of a fundamental truth: None will come to save us. We must save ourselves.”
The new Caricom Chair also took the opportunity to acknowledge the outgoing chair, along with fellow Heads of Governments and the Secretariat, and to announce that St Kitts and Nevis has begun preparations to host the February 24 to 27 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.