Outgoing CARICOM chairman Dickon Mitchell delivers End of Year Message

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Friday, December 27, said in his End-of-Year Message as the chairperson of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that the group exhibited in the past year decisive leadership and collective action to ensure the well-being of the region’s citizens. 

Bloc worked together during hurricane season

The 46-year-old leader, whose six-month tenure at the helm of CARICOM is set to conclude on December 31, said the bloc’s strong sense of community was “especially evident during this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season”. Mitchell added that the CARICOM member-states rallied to help those who were severely affected by Hurricane Beryl (June-July 2024) and other adverse weather conditions. 

Mitchell’s Grenada faced devastating consequences of Beryl, especially the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Mitchell, who had taken over as the chair of CARICOM around the same time, said the hurricane was a massive blow to his country’s ambitious plan to reduce the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025. 

The CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) made a cash contribution worth US$100,000 from its Emergency Disaster Assistance Facility to the Grenadian government to help in its recovery efforts.  

Focus on Haiti problem

Mitchell also said that the bloc focused on resuming functional governance and security in Haiti by engaging with its political leadership. It also worked on facilitation with political, religious, private sector and civil society stakeholders by the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group. 

“These engagements with key Haitian stakeholders led to consensus on the formation and installation of a Haitian-owned and led Transitional Presidential Council; selection of a Prime Minister and a Cabinet of Ministers; and the arrival of the first troops of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission. The consensus remains very delicate and will require much effort in 2025,” Mitchell said in his parting address.

Haiti has witnessed serious political instability and violence since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Gang warfare and natural disasters have added to the Caribbean nation’s woes. 

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, political instability and violence have rocked Haiti.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) conference

Mitchell also spoke about the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which was hosted by Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024, where a 10-point programme of action was discussed. International sessions were also conducted to address the impacts of climate change, a major challenge for the Caribbean region. 

Digital transformation

One of Mitchell’s major contributions as the chair of CARICOM has been the effort towards digital transformation. 

He said, “On Digital Resilience, I was pleased to champion the Strategic Digital Resilience Framework 2030 at the July Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government. This was supported by existing plans for the CARICOM Single ICT Space, including digital skills and artificial intelligence. 

“Further bold and decisive action is particularly crucial as we prepare for 2025 and beyond, where the pace of regional and global change will demand a CARICOM that is digitally capable and resilient.”

Mitchell, who also held responsibility for Science and Technology in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet, has sought the region to collaborate and innovate without any fear and act with accountability to make use of the digital revolution and accelerate regional integration. 

Food security

To enhance food and nutrition security, a regional agricultural insurance product was launched to aid farmers in the CARICOM region, Mitchell emphasised. He said women and young people were involved with CARICOM BOOST, a two-year project worth $1.6 million to make improvements in areas such as sustainable production, climate resilience, and profitability for women and youth farmer groups in 10 member-states. A Regional Youth in Agriculture Strategy was also promoted to focus on education, capacity-building and market linkages. 

To slash food import bills, CARICOM has increased air and maritime connectivity to support regional transportation of food.  

“The Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA) is now in force in almost all our Member States, and there has been a significant increase in regional airlift and connectivity. Also, progress has been made on sea transportation following the announcement from Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago of a new ferry service,” Mitchell said.

Similarly, CARICOM has focused on areas such as health and well-being; human and cultural capital development; youth participation; crime prevention and justice reform. 

International engagements

Mitchell, who also chaired the CARICOM-India Summit in Guyana in September, said the bloc continues to nurture its ties with Third States and hosted several high-level engagements to discuss cooperation successfully. Besides the India summit, the grouping also engaged with Brazil, Canada and Japan and participated in international conferences related to SIDS, Commonwealth, COP and the United Nations. 

“Through it all, our modus operandi has been to speak with one voice and to premise all our interactions on the vision of a Caribbean Community, which is truly “A Community for All”,” he said. 

Mitchell passed CARCOM’s baton to Mia Amor Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, and hoped the bloc would flourish under her leadership.