The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) brings together 15 member states and 5 associate member states in the Caribbean.
Member states include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Lucia, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas, CARICOM was signed by Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago on August 1, 1973. The other eight Caribbean territories joined CARICOM at later dates.
The Bahamas became the 13th Member State of the Community in 1983, but not a member of the Common Market. In 1991, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos became Associated Members of CARICOM, followed by Anguilla in 1999.
The Cayman Islands became the fourth Associate Member of the regional grouping in 2002, and Bermuda the fifth Associate Member in 2003. Suriname became the 14th Member State of the Caribbean Community in 1995. In 2002, Haiti became the first French-speaking Caribbean State to become a full member of CARICOM.
CARICOM’s main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy.
The objectives of CARICOM are:
- To improve standards of living and work
- The full employment of labour and other factors of production
- Accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and convergence
- Expansion of trade and economic relations with third States
- Enhanced levels of international competitiveness
- Organization for increased production and productivity
- Achievement of a greater measure of economic leverage
- Effectiveness of Member States in dealing with third States, groups of States and entities of any description
- The enhanced coordination of Member States’ foreign and foreign economic policies and enhanced functional cooperation.
Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction; operating as a regional single market for many of its members (CARICOM Single Market); and handling regional trade disputes.
The CARICOM Secretariat is the principal administrative organ of the Community and is headed by a Secretary General who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Community. Its headquarters is based in Georgetown, Guyana.
CARICOM MEMBER STATES
CARICOM MEMBER STATES
- Antigua and Barbuda
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Montserrat
- Saint Lucia
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
CARICOM ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
- Anguilla – 4 July 1999
- Bermuda – 2 July 2003
- British Virgin Islands – 2 July 1991
- Cayman Islands – 15 May 2002
- Turks and Caicos Islands – 2 July 1991
Meetings held in Jamaica from 1964 to Present
Other Communiques
COMMUNIQUES ISSUED BY MEETINGS OF COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN/CARICOM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT, 1964-2000