PM Roosevelt Skerrit Hails CARICOM’s role as Caribbean's voice at 48th Heads of Government Meeting

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit attended the recently held three-day 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Barbados and hailed the bloc as the region’s only entity which advocates the Caribbean's interests.

Speaking in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, he called CARICOM the Caribbean’s only organized structure and said while it has been criticized for not doing things, there are many things that it has done. The prime minister cited the examples of CARICOM institutions such as CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council), CARPHA (Caribbean Public Health Agency), CDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) and the Regional Security System which have facilitated various fields in the region.  

“Had it not been for CARPHA and the ability to do testing within our region, where would we have done those tests for COVID-19?” he asked, adding that it would be wise to see CARICOM as a glass half filled with water than one which is half empty. 

PM Skerrit Calls for Change in CARICOM Structure 

PM Skerrit, one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers in the Caribbean with 21 years under his belt, said for the Caribbean region to achieve more from CARICOM, the bloc’s structure needs to be changed. He asked whether, as members of the bloc, the member countries would be ready to delegate to a central authority some of their national responsibilities. 

“The challenge that CARICOM has is on national implementation, not necessarily the decisions we take, but a deficit in implementation and implementation rests with national governments and national parliaments,” he said. 

Skerrit, who went to the United Arab Emirates for the World Governments Summit and also welcomed United Airlines’ first direct flight from Newark to Dominica before visiting the CARICOM meeting, also wrote on his official Facebook page that the regional bloc is their “collective voice”.

“CARICOM is our collective voice, our shield and our bridge to a stronger future. Yes, there are challenges, but there are also undeniable successes. The real issue is not what we decide, but how we implement,” he wrote.

“True regional progress demands that we, as Caribbean people, commit to strengthening CARICOM, not just in words, but in action. The question is, are we ready to take that step towards implementation? I believe we can. I believe we must.”

PM Skerrit meets counterparts at the opening ceremony

In another post, Skerrit spoke about his participation in the opening ceremony of the heads of government meeting in Bridgetown where he was seen greeting his counterparts from other Caribbean nations, including Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, the current chair of CARICOM. 

He also posed for photographs with other regional heads on the dais with international dignitaries such as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. 

“I joined my colleague CARICOM Heads at the Opening Ceremony of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday (February 19),” Skerrit wrote.

“The meeting is being held under the theme “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”.

I joined my colleague CARICOM Heads at the Opening Ceremony of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday.

The meeting is being held under the theme “Strength in Unity: Forging… pic.twitter.com/Kl1NL9i9Cv

— Roosevelt Skerrit (@SkerritR) February 21, 2025

“The two-day summit is focusing on climate change, food and nutrition security, financial sustainability, the ongoing challenges in Haiti, regional security, digital resilience and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).”

On CARICOM free movement

Ahead of the meeting, Skerrit spoke about the idea of free movement in the CARICOM region under the CSME programme, one of the major topics discussed at the event.

The Dominican prime minister, who holds the responsibility of labour (Including intra-Community movement of skills) in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, said he is against the idea of selected category of people getting the opportunity to move and work freely within CARICOM and said every Caribbean national should get it. 

“At this conference of heads we would be discussing many issues including the free movement. As you know I have been advancing the cause of the free movement of all people in the CARICOM,” he remarked. 

“It should not be an elitist … it has to be about everybody.”

CARICOM is our collective voice, our shield and our bridge to a stronger future. Yes, there are challenges, but there are also undeniable successes. The real issue is not what we decide, but how we implement.

True regional progress demands that we, as Caribbean people, commit to… pic.twitter.com/R5MvN8ajOX

— Roosevelt Skerrit (@SkerritR) February 24, 2025

On regional travel

During his visit to the CARICOM meeting, PM Skerrit spoke with a Caribbean journalist in which he stressed the need for strategic airline planning and government support to make air travel affordable through a revisit to high airport taxes. He also spoke on a regional ferry network between the island-nations of the Caribbean to boost accessibility and economic opportunities. 

PM Skerrit said, “Regional travel is a public good and for a private entity, it will be difficult to survive without government support and concessions because of sheer number of destinations and stops.”

He gave the example of Nevis, the sister isle of St. Kitts in the Caribbean Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, saying without LIAT (a regional airline) or a government arrangement, one might not be able to fly into that island despite it being an important part of the Caribbean.

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He said a strategic plan for air transportation in the Caribbean is the need of the hour and people, who are capable of running airlines, need to be hired and given backing by the government. 

On ferry services, the PM said it is something the governments cannot do alone and can extend necessary support to the private sector to get them done. 

During PM Skerrit’s absence in Dominica, Deputy Prime Minister Irving McIntyre led the governance.