In her first message upon assuming the pro tempore leadership of the integration mechanism until next June, Motley acknowledged that the community faces a crossroads of challenges and opportunities and the way of acting will define the legacy of the organization.
“The Caribbean is much more than a geographic space. It is a living testimony of power, courage, creativity, collective strength and resilience, a word that we will have to embrace more and more in our future,” she said.
The president urged to resume the implementation of the Caribbean Common Market, which she described as strategic in terms of vision and unity for small states, because of the much to be achieved if they work collectively.
The Head of Government urged to confront what she called “injustices of the global financial system, which continues to marginalize small island States” and recalled the unfair practices of exclusion and insufficient access to financing, which hinders sustainable development efforts in the region.
Strength lies in the unity of small Caribbean States, Motley acknowledged, and insisted that this “must be our truth and our battle cry, whether addressing the climate crisis, armed violence or defending equitable global financial reforms,” she concluded.
Founded on July 4, 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas, Caricom is made up of 15 States and five associates. The pro tempore presidency of the mechanism rotates every semester in alphabetical order among its members.
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