A team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by the Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland KC, is in Guyana for the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government. A release from the Commonwealth Secretariat said that this is part of a series of regional meetings that she is attending in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this year.
Among the issues to be discussed at the four-day CARICOM meeting are climate resilience, regional security, energy as well as nutrition and food security. In Guyana, the release said that the Secretary-General will engage with Caribbean leaders directly and as a group. The Commonwealth Secretariat team will also update the leaders on upcoming ministerial meetings, special Commonwealth events and possible areas of assistance and collaboration.
There are three significant Commonwealth milestones this year. On 11 March 2024, Commonwealth Day will be celebrated, while in April, the Secretariat will start the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the London Declaration that gave birth to the modern Commonwealth. In October, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Samoa. It will be the first time that CHOGM will be held in a Pacific small island developing state.
Reflecting on the close relationship with CARICOM, the Dominican-born Commonwealth Secretary-General said:
“As a Caribbean person, every one of these meetings are like coming home to family. In particular, I am happy to be back in Guyana to attend this important summit. I look forward to rich discussions, hearing about areas of concern, and learning about recent successes. For us at the Secretariat, CARICOM is a strong and treasured partner.”
The Commonwealth Secretary-General added that it was an essential part of her role to be cognisant of the issues of the member states and to maintain close ties in order to fully support the work done on behalf of countries. Commenting on the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa, she said:
“In October, we go to CHOGM as a united and committed collective. As we represent the views and carry out the directives of our member states, we are bound to listen to their concerns and visions for the future.”
The CARICOM meeting began this afternoon closes on the 28th. Twelve of the CARICOM member states are part of the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth. Earlier in February, Scotland also participated in the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).