MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders go into the final day of their three-day summit here on Tuesday, after concluding what the host prime minister and CARICOM chairman, Andrew Holness, has described as a “successful caucus” on Monday.
Prime Minister and CARICOM chairman, Andrew Holness and other CARICOM colleagues all smiles following a “successful caucus) that ended during the early hours of Tuesday (Photo Andrew Holness Facebook page)In a message posted on his Facebook page, Prime Minister Holness said that the caucus ended at 1.00 am (local time) on Tuesday adding “we got through some difficult issues but at the end, we are all one Caribbean family”.
Holness did not disclose the matters discussed in caucus but observers note that the problems surrounding the full implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) would be among the issues discussed.
The CSME allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labor and services across the region and on Monday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne during the plenary session raised concerns that member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are being “treated with benign neglect” within the wider CARICOM grouping.
“We ought not to be treated with benign neglect as how the international community treats us,” Browne said, echoing similar sentiments by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who voiced his disappointment at the persistent inequities faced by the OECS within the CSME framework.
Gonsalves told his colleagues that although OECS countries are independent, sovereign members of CARICOM, they signed the Revised Treaty with the expectation of receiving their fair share of benefits, particularly under Chapter 7, Disadvantage Countries, Regions and Sectors of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali later told reporters that regarding the free movement within the region, some countries will need more time to transition and “we are finding the right language and framework to support that.
He also called for stronger regional cooperation to tackle the key challenges facing the Caribbean, including climate change, crime, and economic integration.
“There are many different challenges that we as a region have to confront—climate security, food security, and national security. What we are sure of is that the only way we can get ahead of these challenges is if we work together in an integrated way,” he said.
Political observers told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the leaders would have gone into caucus on Monday aware that the full implementation of free movement protocols is unresolved, with commencement dates, transition periods, and local content adjustments requiring further consultation and confirmation among member states.
In addition, there are concerns of persistent trade imbalances and sectoral disadvantages, particularly affecting smaller and less developed member states that remain unresolved.
Further, there seems to be no clear consensus or practical solution on how to address these imbalances, ensure equitable participation in the CSME, or implement compensatory mechanisms.
The adequacy and seriousness of funding for the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF) and other regional institutions are in question, given that current resources are insufficient, member contributions are inconsistent, and there is no clear plan for raising additional funds or implementing a guarantee mechanism.
The observers said that several regional institutions face imminent risk of being unable to pay salaries due to the lack of automaticity of financing and unclear allocation of Green Climate Fund resources.
They said that comprehensive governance reform and institutional review within CARICOM remain outstanding.
“There is no defined pathway or timeline for addressing institutional effectiveness, structural disadvantages, or the Secretariat’s capacity, nor for implementing recommendations from previous studies. This lack of clarity risks ongoing inefficiency and undermines regional decision-making,” the observers told CMC.
