Prime Minister Andrew Holness will serve as the incoming Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), succeeding Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

His chairmanship presents an opportunity to prioritise human development, capacity-building, and strategic partnerships—themes expected to underpin all regional dialogues and initiatives during his tenure.

Holness will host the upcoming 49^th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, scheduled to take place at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James, from July 6 to 8, under the theme ‘People, Partnerships, Prosperity: Promoting a Secure and Sustainable Future’. 

The conference will bring together CARICOM member states, associate member states, representatives from regional bodies and specially invited guests.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on June 17 in Kingston, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, said that significant thought planning and effort went into developing the theme.

She said that ‘people’ was placed first to reflect the importance of human development and capacity-building, which must remain at the heart of all regional initiatives.

Addressing the element of ‘partnerships’, Johnson Smith stressed that nothing can be done in isolation. 

“Not only as a region but globally, we have to ensure that we have appropriate partnerships in place to build resilience and to achieve our goals,” she said.

The theme’s focus on “prosperity,” she said, reflects the aspirational developmental goals shared by all CARICOM member States.

The minister also reflected on the phrase, ‘promoting a secure and sustainable future’,  recognising that peace, stability, and security are critical pre-conditions for prosperity and require collective commitment from all.

On the matter of ‘sustainability’, she explained that it reflects the need to focus on climate change and on building resilience, both nationally and regionally.

“The sustainable element also includes an economic aspect. Sustainability is also about inclusive and sustained economic growth… This is key to building a region that is not only environmentally sustainable but also capable of achieving more together,” she added.