Incoming Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley, has identified two key themes, ‘unity’ and ‘resilience’, as essential prerequisites to drive the body towards a future shaped by contemporary events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
According to the statement on January 1st, Mottley said, “Today, we stand at the crossroads of immense challenges and extraordinary opportunities. How we act, united as a people, and as nations will define not only this year, 2025, but the legacy of our generation. 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 we have faced storms most natural and manmade and risen stronger, more determined than ever, united in shaping our destiny; especially in this year as we saw the ravages of Hurricane Beryl make history not just for the history books, but regrettably, in the lives of too many families across our region… “
The Barbados Prime Minister remained emphatic that the resumption of the full implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was central to the region’s mission to advance regional unity and development. According to Mottley, CSME “is not merely an economic agenda,” but rather, “a vision of unity and opportunity for small states who know that we can achieve so much more together than we do so 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 us to attain and go beyond the target that we set ourselves for food and nutritional security, best exemplified by the `Vision 25 by 2025’ agenda, which we set in 2021.”
The incoming Chair identified the global financial system as the underlying issues which continue to marginalize Small Island and Low-lying Developing States and said that unjust blacklisting practices and insufficient access to concessional financing hinders CARICOM sustainable development efforts. CARICOM, Mottley stated, 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.”
Identifying resource access and availability, the Prime Minister urged the adoption and the laser-like refining of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to secure critical resources for the 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. In so doing… we must urgently settle a floor of rights as a community for our people so that we agree on what must be the minimum protection and the opportunities that each and every Caribbean person must benefit from while we instill as well in all of us the need for each to live our daily lives to do better by our family, our communities, our country, and yes, our region. Our home will only be as good in this region as we collectively make it.”
The Barbados PM called upon the regional body to deliver on the commitments of the recently concluded George-Bridge Declaration, which built on the regional symposium in Port of Spain that recognized crime and violence as a public health issue in the Caribbean. This declaration reached at in Georgetown, Guyana, under the chairmanship of Barbados, prioritizes citizen security and safety by addressing it as a public health challenge while innovating and strengthening the region’s efforts nationally and regionally in law enforcement and the modernization of CARICOM’s criminal justice systems. “This is absolutely critical for the majority 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 affects each and every Caribbean person,” Mottley said
While welcoming the declaration of the second decade for people of African descent, which began on 1st of January, 2025, Mottley reminded that “so much remains to be done in this area.” The PM said that the achievements for People of African Descent reflects the tireless advocacy of the region and the strides made during the first decade, including global recognition of the ten point plan for reparatory Justice and the establishment of the United Nations Permanent Forum for People of African Descent. “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… urge the international community to provide resources necessary to improve the dignity, security and material conditions of African descended people worldwide.” The spectacle of 600 million Africans, Mottley said, 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 that is a sixth region of Africa.”
Mottley pleaded with the region to seize the “boundless opportunities” and forewarned that 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.” Reflecting upon the region’s changing demographics, the Barbados PM said, “… when we consider that we equally face the challenge of many developed countries, 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 to age, that there are those who are young enough to help them mature in their gray and silver years.”
The incoming CARICOM Chair identified the region’s creative industry as the region’s greatest asset. “From the arts to technology… let us celebrate all that is good and is possible for our Caribbean civilization, as we do what we do best in the expression of our Festival of Arts CARIFESTA”.
Addressing the theme of unity, Mottley concluded, “In our unity lies our strength. This must be our truth and our rallying cry. Whether tackling the climate crisis, addressing gun violence, or championing equitable global financial reforms, we must act with one voice and one purpose. To our Caribbean people, let us put aside what divides us and focus on what binds us together. I call on us to stay engaged. I say hold us, yes, as leaders accountable. But remember, building this region we love is not only about the governments and its work. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us as Caribbean people, as Caribbean institutions. So, my friends, let us contribute our energy and our talents to this cause that matters most to us. This must not, however, be our cry alone, but it must be the actions of our generation of Caribbean people. We know better. We can do better. Together we can build a Caribbean that is resilient, prosperous, healthy and united. A beacon of hope in a world yearning for solutions. And we do so in our own, indomitable style with a smile on our face and a pep in our step.”