Caribbean at Crossroads of Challenge and Opportunity, Says CARICOM Chair
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Car and Community (CARICCOM) chairman Mia Ottley Wedd said that the 15-member regional integration movement begins 2025 at the crossroads of immense challenges and extraordinary opportunities against global uncertainty.
The Caribbean is far more than a geographic space. We know it. It is a living testament to the power of courage, creativity, and our collective strength. Ours is a history marked by resilience, a word that we will have to embrace more and more in our future.
Time and again, the region has faced storms, both natural and manmade, and risen stronger, more determined, and united in shaping its destiny. The Caribbean region is at a critical juncture beginning 2025 against that backdrop of global uncertainty.
The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic linger. The worsening climate crisis endangers our homes and livelihoods…the devastating conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon reverberate far beyond their borders, while in our community, the multifaceted crisis in Haiti demands urgent, thoughtful, and compassionate solutions, and we pray for the continued stability of our relations between Guyana and Venezuela.
But these challenges, while testing the resolve of the Caribbean people, also underscore the urgency of adaptation, resilience, and bold action.
The Caribbean must not only weather these storms, but we must lead in crafting solutions for a changing world. Central to the mission must be resuming the full implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labor, and services across the region.
We paused our coordinated actions on this noble but critical mission as we applied all that we could muster to fight COVID and its trail of economic and social upheaval. But five years on, we must resume our work on the CSME.
The CSME is not merely an economic agenda. It is a vision of unity and opportunity for small states that know they can achieve much more together than individually.
Full realization of the CSME, including above all else, yes, the free movement of our nationals is essential for unlocking the true potential of our people and our economies. So is the necessity for the region to attain and go beyond the target that it has set for itself for food and nutritional security, best exemplified by the “Vision 25 by 2025” agenda, dating back to 2021.
We must now focus, my friends, to apply the few but necessary recommendations of the distinguished CARICOM Commission on Economy, who reported to us during the pandemic when we were justifiably distracted. The pooling of our sovereignty must also be better addressed by pooling our efforts, from investment to skills to procurement. We can do better together.
We must also confront the injustices of the global financial system, which continues to marginalize Small Island and Low-lying Developing States (SIDS). Unjust blocklisting practices and insufficient access to concessional financing hinder our sustainable development efforts.
CARICOM will persist in advocating for reforms championed in the Bridgetown Initiative and working with others, like the 73 vulnerable countries in the Climate Vulnerable Forum, “as we fight for a better financial landscape regionally and globally, within which we can build resilience, prosperity and yes, equity – fairness – for all our people.
We also urge the adoption and the laser-like refining of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to secure critical resources for our region’s future as we face these crises that are often beyond our control to avoid, but for which we must strengthen our resilience to survive.
But in so doing, the Caribbean must urgently settle a floor of rights as a community for its people so that agreement can be reached on what must be the minimum protection and the opportunities that every Caribbean person must benefit from while instilling the need for each to live daily lives to do better by family, communities, country, and region.
Our home will only be as good in this region as we collectively make it. We remain inspired by the principles of Ubuntu – “I am because we are.”
In tandem, the region must deliver on the commitments of the recently concluded George-Bridge Declaration, built at the regional symposium in Port of Spain, recognizing crime and violence as a public health issue in the Caribbean.
This declaration reached in Guyana prioritizes citizen security and safety by addressing it as a public health challenge while innovating and strengthening national and regional efforts in law enforcement and the modernization of the criminal justice systems.
This is critical for most of our people who simply want to ensure that the zone of peace that we aspire to as a region for the Caribbean is a lived reality in each of our communities. We look forward to the meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis this year, which will add to the meetings in Trinidad and Guyana on this most critical of issues that affect every Caribbean person.
The region must also welcome the declaration of the second decade for people of African descent as a community, beginning January 1, 2025.
This achievement reflects the tireless advocacy of our region and the strides made during the first decade, including global recognition of our ten-point plan for reparatory Justice and the establishment of the United Nations Permanent Forum for People of African Descent.
Yet, my friends, so much remains to be done in this area. We must continue to press the international community for a mature, face-to-face conversation at all levels so that we may see them repair the damage from the exploitation through the immoral institutions of slavery and colonialism which our people suffered from.
The international community must also be urged to provide resources necessary to improve the dignity, security, and material conditions of African-descended people worldwide.
The spectacle of 600 million Africans without electricity in an age of AI is in no way morally acceptable to us as a community, which is part of the African diaspora, a sixth region of Africa. Yes, us CARICOM people. In this regard, we will continue our work to strengthen our relationship with the African Union as a community of Caribbean people.
The Caribbean must seize the boundless opportunities before it. The world is racing into a digital future, and the Caribbean must not be left behind.
From green energy to artificial intelligence, we must lead with alacrity as innovators, not blindly but responsibly equipping our young people with the tools to drive change and to position our region as a hub for sustainable industries.
This is even more so when we consider that we face the challenge of many developed countries equally. That is, an aging and declining population. It is for that reason that our young people, therefore, must be given every opportunity to ensure that when they age, there are those who are young enough to help them mature in their gray and silver years.
Conclusion
As we embark on this new year, we are reminded that the Caribbean is at a crossroads of challenge and opportunity. We must seize this moment to build a stronger, more resilient, and more prosperous region, guided by the principles of Ubuntu and our commitment to unity, creativity, and resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)?
A: The CSME is a vision of unity and opportunity for small states that know they can achieve much more together than individually. It allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labor, and services across the region.
Q: What is the goal of the CSME?
A: The goal of the CSME is to unlock the true potential of our people and our economies by promoting economic integration, free trade, and cooperation.
Q: What is the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI)?
A: The MVI is a tool to measure the vulnerability of Small Island and Low-lying Developing States (SIDS) to natural disasters, climate change, and economic shocks.
Q: What is the George-Bridge Declaration?
A: The George-Bridge Declaration is a regional agreement recognizing crime and violence as a public health issue in the Caribbean and prioritizing citizen security and safety.
Q: What is the second decade for people of African descent as a community?
A: The second decade for people of African descent as a community is a declaration recognizing the historic and ongoing struggles of people of African descent and the need for reparatory justice and reconciliation.
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