PM Dickon Mitchell meets UAE envoy Omar Hassan Shehadeh on sidelines of 48th CARICOM meeting in Barbados

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Thursday, February 20, 2025, met the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Caribbean and Pacific States, Omar Hassan Shehadeh, on the sidelines of the ongoing 48th Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government conference in Bridgetown, Barbados. 

The two leaders spoke on various key issues, including the advancement of digitalisation initiatives in Grenada, PM Mitchell said on his official Facebook page.

“We explored opportunities to leverage technology to enhance Grenada’s immigration systems, optimise our data management processes, and modernise our health sector,” the PM said.

“Our collaborative efforts aim to improve the efficiency, security, and accessibility of these vital services. I look forward to continued dialogue and partnership as we strive to implement innovative solutions that will ultimately benefit our nation and its citizens.”

The three-day CARICOM event kicked off on Wednesday, February 19, under the chairmanship of the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, who took over as the chair of the Caribbean Community in January this year from Mitchell who served for the last six months of 2024. The conference’s theme is “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”.

Mitchell met UAE representative in May 2024

Mitchell and Shehadeh had a bilateral meeting during the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024 where the UAE pledged to support the Caribbean island-nation in several critical areas, including renewable energy and energy transition, a proposed state-of-the-art teaching school and other initiatives. 

Mitchell, who led his country’s delegation, said then, “We are deeply appreciative of the UAE’s commitment to supporting Grenada’s sustained development effort. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our efforts to build a sustainable and prosperous future for Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique.”

UAE and the Caribbean

While the UAE Embassy in the Caribbean was opened in Cuba only a decade ago, ties between the two sides have grown rapidly. Cooperation has been witnessed in the implementation of projects related to sustainability, solar energy, culture, education, infrastructure and the digital field. These are not only priority areas for the Caribbean nations but also the UAE Policy for Foreign Assistance. 

The UAE has been an important digital economy partner for the Caribbean and Latin American states. Recently, the prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, expressed his admiration for the Middle Eastern nation’s advancements in the digital space during his visit to the World Governments Summit in Dubai and upon returning, said a team from the UAE was due to visit Dominica in March 2025 to help its digitization efforts. 

PM Mitchell also visited Dubai in 2023 to explore opportunities for developing Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.

PM Mitchell’s strong address at CARICOM opening ceremony

At the opening ceremony of the CARICOM meeting in Bridgetown, PM Mitchell gave a significant speech where he reflected on his tenure which kicked off at the same time when Hurricane Beryl devastated several parts of Grenada and other islands in the Caribbean in July last year. He lauded the CARICOM for extending support to make the previous heads of government meeting successful. 

The prime minister touched upon several key areas during his speech, including the current crises in Haiti, Caribbean unity, the fight against climate change and reparations by the former colonial powers for trans-Atlantic slavery. 

He even openly addressed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seeking an “appropriate apology’ and financial compensation for Europe’s history of facilitating the slave trade. “I don’t mean to be impolite, but I’ll say this to you: The issue of reparations for the trans-Atlantic slavery and the enslavement of African peoples and black bodies is an issue we will take up with you,” he said.

The CARICOM meeting has been attended by several heads of government from the Caribbean region and other top ministers besides international dignitaries besides von der Leyen, such as the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Omar Hassan Shehadeh and ministers from countries like Canada, Saudi Arabia and France.