Carla Barnett presses CARICOM ministers for stronger joint diplomacy

CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett has called on Caribbean foreign ministers to tighten their collaboration and present a stronger collective position overseas as member states contend with rising economic and geopolitical strain.

She delivered the message on Wednesday at the opening of the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations, known as COFCOR, in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Speaking to ministers at the session, Barnett said the Community is navigating a time of “hemispheric and global shifts” with serious consequences for Caribbean economies, trade ties and foreign policy agendas.

She said choices made through COFCOR and other CARICOM institutions have a direct bearing on the social and economic welfare of people across the region, and argued that coordinated action is central to building resilience.

“One of our Caribbean Community’s greatest strengths is our ability to project a united voice,” Barnett said, adding that solidarity has long helped small states make themselves heard in international decision-making.

While recognising that governments must weigh their own national concerns against regional objectives, she said partnership among CARICOM states remains necessary. “None of our small nations can effectively confront these challenges in isolation. Working together is therefore not an option, it is an imperative,” Barnett told delegates.

Barnett also pointed to CARICOM’s work to widen its diplomatic reach, including through established relationships and engagement with additional global partners.

Officials attending the meeting are expected to meet representatives of Japan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates to discuss matters of common interest.

The secretary-general also encouraged member countries to get ready for several major international gatherings in 2026 that may influence debate on matters important to the Caribbean.

She listed the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, the United Nations General Assembly, the Organization of American States General Assembly and the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, among the key forums ahead.

Barnett said those meetings are expected to be important platforms for Caribbean concerns, including reparatory justice, the situation in Haiti, climate change, climate-finance access, and wider issues of global peace and security.