Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has insisted that differing national positions within CARICOM should not be mistaken for fragmentation, declaring that the regional body’s strength lies in cooperation rather than conformity.
“CARICOM is not and has never claimed to be a political union,” said Holness. “Our treaty does not mandate a singular foreign policy or a supranational authority, and because we are sovereign states each accountable to our own electorates, we will at times assess risks differently, sequence priorities differently, or interpret geopolitical opportunities differently. That is not evidence of the weakness of our association. This is the natural expression of sovereign democracies navigating an increasingly turbulent global environment. Too often, differences in national perspectives are portrayed as fractures threatening the regional project. I submit that they are nothing of the sort.”
“While there are undoubtedly circumstances where one voice has and will work for us to great effect globally, variation in national perspectives is not a liability to be feared. It is a resource to be harnessed. The measure of our integration should therefore not be uniformity of position but effectiveness of cooperation.”
Addressing the opening of the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in St Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday evening, he also stressed the need to address the ongoing crisis in Cuba.
He said: “Apart from our fraternal care and solidarity with the Cuban people, 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. It is therefore important that we carefully consider this matter and take collective action.”
In her speech, CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett acknowledged the challenges facing the region due to the shifting global order, saying the body must be intentional in developing a coordinated foreign policy to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks.
She said: “The shifting global order presents tangible opportunities as new markets emerge, strategic partnerships are recalibrated. Caricom must engage extra-regionally with intention and with coherence by articulating our shared priorities in such areas as energy transition, digital infrastructure, building resilience to climate change and technology; we can attract investments and forge business opportunities that are aligned with our development objectives. A coordinated foreign policy reduces our vulnerability to the inevitable external shocks, which no member state can effectively absorb alone.”
Indicating that a high number of third states have pledged to increase engagement with the Community, many of whom were present at the conference, she said that this demonstrated that “cooperation and credibility can be transformed into new opportunities for growth, resilience and shared prosperity.”
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