Dr Carla Natalie Barnett has been selected as the first ever woman secretary-general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The appointment of Barnett, who is also to become the first Belizean and eighth overall secretary general of the regional bloc, was unanimously agreed on when CARICOM heads of government met virtually in special session on Tuesday (May 11).

Replacing Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, who is completing his second term, she is scheduled to take up her new office on August 15.

HISTORIC MOMENT FOR CARICOM

The heads of government, in congratulating Barnett on her selection, recognised the “historic moment for the Community”.

A former deputy secretary general of CARICOM, Barnett was formerly vice president of the Belize Senate and has served in various ministerial capacities in her country’s government. She has also served as financial secretary of Belize and deputy governor of the Central Bank of Belize, as well as vice president (operations) of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

In a statement, CARICOM Chairman Dr Keith Rowley, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, noted that Barnett attained her Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the UWI.