Regional unity in focus at 50th CARICOM Summit as leaders confront crises in Haiti, Cuba

The importance of the continuation and strengthening of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the humanitarian crisis in Cuba, the ongoing instability in Haiti, regional security, climate resilience, and economic cooperation took centre stage on Tuesday as regional leaders gathered in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, for the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.

The featured address at the event was delivered by the current CARICOM Chair, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrence Drew, while remarks were also delivered by the outgoing Chair, Andrew Holness, PM of Jamaica.
Also speaking at the event were the PM of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the President of Suriname, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons.
The speakers underscored that despite differences, challenges, and global uncertainty, the regional integration movement must endure and evolve. Dr Drew highlighted the moment as pivotal for the region.
“CARICOM stands at a decisive hour. Supply chains remain uncertain, markets fluctuate, and climate shocks have intensified. In such a world, fragmentation breeds vulnerability. By contrast, togetherness generates resilience,” Drew said.
He emphasised that the regional body has been indispensable to small states.
“A world without a Caribbean Community would be culturally poor, intellectually diminished, and spiritually less vibrant. Our integration was not accidental. By ourselves, many states could not have achieved what CARICOM made possible,” Drew noted.
Drew called for deeper collaboration on food security, trade, connectivity, digital transformation, and crime fighting. “Connectivity is the infrastructure of togetherness. It allows trade, culture, and opportunity to circulate freely within our shared Caribbean space,” he said.
On Haiti, he noted that “Haiti demands our sustained attention. A stable Haiti means a stable Caribbean.” While acknowledging limited resources, he stressed, “We must continue to work as a community to ensure that the best opportunity for Haiti does not waver.”
Turning to Cuba, Drew, a doctor who studied in Cuba, stressed that the humanitarian situation requires urgent regional attention.
“It would affect the whole region. A destabilised Cuba will destabilise all of us. Let us devise the mechanisms and the channels so that we can help the people of Cuba,” he said.
Holness also reflected on the regional project’s durability while cautioning that adaptation is necessary. “The question before us is not whether CARICOM can endure – for we have, and we will – but whether it can deliver for our people with urgency and relevance in a rapidly changing world,” Holness said. He reminded leaders that integration does not mean uniformity.
“CARICOM is not a political union… and because we are sovereign states, each accountable to our own electorates, we will at times assess risks differently… That is not evidence of the weakness of our association,” he noted.
“CARICOM endures because it adapts… small states can achieve big things when we work together.” Addressing Cuba, Holness urged careful but principled engagement.
“It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba. It will affect migration, security, and economic stability across the Caribbean basin,” he said.
“Let there be no doubt Jamaica stands firmly for democracy, human rights, political accountability, and open market-based economies.”
On Haiti, he said CARICOM “has a critical role in supporting the political, humanitarian, and security pillars of the recovery.”
In addition, Persad-Bissessar echoed the call for collective purpose. “We all have different pathways to walk, but our destination, our goal, and aim are the same: for a better quality of life for the people in our countries and the entire region,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar took a firm position on Cuba. “Trinidad and Tobago will not support a dictatorship in Cuba. We are all citizens and must have equality before the rule of law. We must have separation of powers and checks and balances, freedom of expression, and association,” she said.
She also highlighted Haiti’s fragile democracy. “In Haiti, democracy continues to be under threat… We in Trinidad and Tobago are committed to helping Haiti,” she said.
Further, Geerlings-Simons reminded delegates that CARICOM is about unity, not uniformity.
“CARICOM is not merely an institution; it is a family. Regional unity is not optional.” It is a necessity to stand together and speak with one voice to demonstrate that small states can exert collective influence far beyond their small size,” she said, adding that “the region is not defined by its vulnerability.” It is defined by creativity, resilience, and determination.”
PM of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Godwin Friday, reflected on past tensions within the movement but reaffirmed its necessity.
“The spirit of regional integration persists. We may complain and fight amongst ourselves, but meanwhile, we continue to support and reshape it… because we need it,” he said. He stressed that in an increasingly uncertain global order, unity is a necessity.
“In the current global realities, we need each other more than ever,” he said.
CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett described 2025 as one of the most challenging years in the integration movement’s history, citing extreme weather, geopolitical tensions, and economic pressures.
“Individual national priorities remain vital; however, our collective strength is what amplifies our voice, secures opportunities for growth, and mitigates risk,” she said.