CARICOM

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.

 

History of CARICOM

CARIFTA

CARICOM Secretariat

 

 

CARICOM MEMBER STATES

CARICOM MEMBER STATES 

1. Antigua and Barbuda
2. The Bahamas
3. Barbados
4. Belize
5. Dominica
6. Grenada
7. Guyana
8. Haiti
9. Jamaica
10. Montserrat
11. Saint Lucia
12. St. Kitts and Nevis
13. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
14. Suriname
15. Trinidad and Tobago

 

CARICOM ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

1. Anguilla – 4 July 1999
2. Bermuda – 2 July 2003
3. British Virgin Islands – 2 July 1991
4. Cayman Islands – 15 May 2002
5. Turks and Caicos Islands – 2 July 1991

 

 

Meetings held in Jamaica from 1964 to Present

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES, 13-17 JANUARY 1964, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

SIXTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE OF COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES OPENS IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA 13-17 APRIL 1970

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 16-18 NOVEMBER 1982, OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE ELEVENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 31 JULY-02 AUGUST 1990, KINGSTON, JAMAICA 

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THIRD INTER-SESSIONAL MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 19 FEBRUARY 1992, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED ON THE CONCLUSION OF THE FOURTH SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM), WHICH WAS HELD IN JAMAICA ON 17 – 18 NOVEMBER 1994 IN PREPARATION FOR THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE EIGHTEENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 30 JUNE-4 JULY 1997, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 2-5 JULY 2003, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED BY HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AND LEADERS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 30 JANUARY 2006, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TWELFTH MEETING OF THE COUNCIL FOR FOREIGN AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS (COFCOR), 8-9 MAY 2009, KINGSTON, JAMAICA

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE EIGHTEENTH MEETING OF THE COUNCIL FOR HUMAN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (COHSOD) – EDUCATION AND HEALTH, 3-4 JUNE 2009, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA 

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THIRTY-FIRST REGULAR MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, 4-7 JULY 2010, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA 

 

 Other Communiques

COMMUNIQUES ISSUED BY MEETINGS OF COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN/CARICOM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT, 1964-2000

COMMUNIQUES ISSUED BY MEETINGS OF CARICOM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AND THE ORGANS OF THE COMMUNITY, 2001- PRESENT