CARICOM Secretary-General welcomes new Ambassador of Sweden to CARICOM

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett on Tuesday 3 February accredited Her Excellency Maria Velasco, new Ambassador of Sweden to CARICOM during a virtual ceremony anchored at the Georgetown, Guyana Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat.
In accepting Ambassador Velasco’s Letters of Credence, Secretary-General Barnett noted the long-standing relationship between CARICOM and Sweden, grounded in cooperation at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

She highlighted the continued engagement between CARICOM and Sweden’s Foreign Ministers, including at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, and dialogue in 2016 that advanced collaboration on ocean governance, water management, and climate resilience.

Read the Secretary-General’s full remarks below:

 Your Excellency Maria Velasco, Ambassador-Designate of the Sweden to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);

 Ms. Angella Prendergast, Director, Foreign and Community Relations;

 Other Members of Staff of the Secretariat.

Your Excellency, I accept your Letter of Credence as Ambassador of Sweden to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as we celebrate a partnership that is not only long-standing but also increasingly vital in an era of global shifts.

Our relationship with Sweden is anchored in mutual respect and a shared vision for a stable, multilateral world order. This has been consistently demonstrated by the engagement of our Foreign Ministers, most recently during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. We recall the 2016 engagement with then Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, which laid the groundwork for cooperation in ocean security, water management, and climate resilience – priorities that remain at the top of our regional agenda.
Sweden has been a steadfast ally in the fight against climate change, as evidenced by your significant contribution to the Green Climate Fund. We value Sweden’s technical leadership in building resilient energy systems. As Sweden navigates its role within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and continues to champion the Paris Accord, we see a partner who understands that security, whether environmental or geopolitical, is a critical pillar.

This shared commitment was reaffirmed in the CARICOM-Nordic Joint Statement issued in September 2025. In that declaration, our Foreign Ministers collectively recognised the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, pledging to work together to protect our planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

In this context, Your Excellency, CARICOM looks to Sweden – a consistent voice for fairness in the global arena – to support the Bridgetown Initiative. This Initiative is a clarion call for the urgent reform of the global financial architecture to better serve climate-vulnerable nations. Central to this reform is the operationalisation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI). For too long, the Caribbean’s access to concessional financing has been restricted by narrow economic metrics; the MVI provides the necessary framework to recognise our inherent vulnerabilities and ensure that development support reaches those who need it most.

Excellency, as we continue our work under the 2016 Nordic-CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding, the Community is eager to explore new areas of collaboration. We draw on Sweden’s world-class expertise for our Regional Innovation and Digitisation Programme and “Girls in ICT” initiative, as well as in renewable energy, a key component of the CARICOM Energy Policy.

Sweden’s strong commitment to international development – demonstrated by an ambitious Official Development Assistance (ODA) contribution of 0.9% of Gross National Income (GNI) – sets a global standard. This signals that Sweden is not merely a donor, but a steadfast ally committed to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ambassador, your appointment comes at a pivotal time of deep geopolitical shifts and an urgent need for stability in our own neighborhood. Nowhere is this more pressing than in Haiti.

As Haiti continues its delicate transition toward general elections, we welcome the international community’s continued commitment to the restoration of security. Specifically, we appreciate the support for the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793. The success of the GSF is the foundation upon which the roadmap to free and fair elections must be built.

As this Force works alongside the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti to neutralise threats to the democratic process, Sweden’s role as a partner in peace-building remains vital. The people of Haiti, particularly women and children, are suffering unimaginable violence and depravation. We must not let fatigue and complacency slow international efforts to alleviate their suffering and build a brighter future.

In this context, I wish to recognise Sweden’s pioneering role in championing gender equality and your principled stance on global issues, which reflect values of justice and equality that CARICOM holds dear.

Excellency, I can assure you of the Secretariat’s full cooperation during your tenure. Let us work together to turn these frameworks into tangible progress for our people.

I thank you.

The post CARICOM Secretary-General welcomes new Ambassador of Sweden to CARICOM appeared first on CARICOM.

Read full article at _Caribbean Community (CARICOM)