FOR the Caribbean region to be competitive in the emerging world and achieve its goals, the region must strengthen its institutions and its ties with global partners.
This is according to the newly appointed chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, who made this known during his address at the opening of the 49th Regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Montego Bay.

“As we enter upon the new order which seems to be emerging in the world, that we must be strategic, we must strengthen our institutions. We must take responsibility for our own destiny because that is the only way we are going to only really get it if we really want it,” he said.

This, he said, means there must be a focus on people, as human development must be the centre of the integration mission, and centre of the integration mission.
He added that human development must be the centre of the development mission, ensuring food security, access to decent work, climate protection, along with opportunities for the youth that make up 60 per cent of the population.

“We must focus on people; we must also focus on partnerships, because global progress is built on networks of trust. We need stronger ties within CARICOM and with strategic global partners in Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East… In the new dispensation which is emerging, it is clear that the world is not unipolar, and that there are opportunities that we must explore,” the Jamaican Prime Minister stated.

Against this backdrop, Holness disclosed that there are gains that have been left unexplored as a community, and further noted that trade cooperation with Africa, internal cooperation and South-South cooperation must be strengthened.

He said, “The resources in CARICOM are sufficient for us to provide for the needs of our people. Guyana, with energy and land, Suriname, with energy and land, Trinidad, Jamaica with incredible human resources.”

With this, the chairman indicated that the time to achieve prosperity for the people of the Caribbean region is now, and as such, this prosperity must be inclusive.
To this end, he added that it must be resilient and sustainable, and this must be seen in the policies that are pursued.

“Whether it is the institutional structures that we will have to re-examine, the trade policies that we will have to pursue, the security policies that we will have to pursue, they must be pursued through the prism, through the lens of sustainability and resilience,” he said.

As chairman of the regional body, Holness disclosed that he will continue to champion initiatives that will make the pillars of people, partnership and prosperity more than just operational.
As such, he noted that there is intense global confidence in CARICOM and in the shared agenda and in the months ahead, the regional body will engage the world through various mediums like the second CARICOM-Africa summit and during the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.