Caribbean leaders are gathered in Basseterre this week for a landmark moment in regional history as the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) officially opened on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
The summit, hosted under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, marks five decades of regular high-level consultations since CARICOM’s formation and underscores the region’s continued push toward integration, economic resilience, and collective security.
Held under the theme “Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM,” the February 24–27 meeting brings together heads of government, senior officials, and international partners to address urgent regional priorities including climate change, food security, transportation, crime, economic stability, and reparatory justice.
A key engagement scheduled for Wednesday is a meeting between CARICOM Heads of Government and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where discussions are expected to focus on regional security, migration, economic cooperation, and broader geopolitical developments affecting the Caribbean.
The opening ceremony, held at the Marriott Dome in Frigate Bay, featured addresses from CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, outgoing chair and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and current chair Dr. Drew, along with interventions from other regional leaders.
Attendance was notably high, with approximately 95 percent of CARICOM heads of government present, reflecting the importance attached to the milestone summit and the pressing issues facing the region.
In his address, Dr. Drew urged leaders to move beyond declarations and take meaningful action.
“History, I say to us this evening, will not measure us by our communiqués but by our courage,” he said, emphasising the responsibility of leaders to respond decisively to regional and global challenges.
He warned that instability in neighbouring states could have far-reaching consequences across CARICOM, pointing specifically to humanitarian concerns in Cuba.
“A destabilised Cuba destabilises all of us. Cuba’s population is anywhere from nine to twelve million people. Excluding Haiti, the rest of CARICOM does not amount to ten million people,” he said.
“Therefore, if a state within our community is so destabilised, it will affect all of us in the region… the community must serve as a conduit to ensure that there is communication and dialogue… so that the best opportunity can be had.”
Dr. Drew stressed that CARICOM must respond collectively to humanitarian and geopolitical challenges to safeguard regional stability.
Crime and regional security also emerged as major concerns, particularly for Trinidad and Tobago, where Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar pointed to the severity of criminal activity in her country.
She expressed appreciation for international cooperation, including support from the United States.
“Thanks again to President Trump and thanks again to Secretary Marco Rubio. I thank them and the US military for the cooperation and what they shared with us for national security matters,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar acknowledged that some Caribbean nations face different security realities but stressed the scale of Trinidad and Tobago’s challenges.
“Some of us, the crime is so bad, I cannot depend on just my military, my protective services, and certainly from you in the CARICOM, many of you do not have military or large police services to help us down there,” she said.
“In Trinidad, there’s a saying, ‘who vex loss.’ But we gained, we gained from that military help and I will welcome them again.”
She also called for stronger political solidarity within CARICOM, raising concerns about perceived interference in member states’ domestic political processes and urging greater mutual respect among governments.