Media Advisory | Speeches | 50 HGC | Opening Ceremony

The 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) opened on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, under the theme ‘Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM.’

Chair of the Community, the Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, delivered the feature address, setting the tone for the three-day meeting. Heads of Government will deliberate on a range of matters, including pressing global and hemispheric issues and their impact on regional priorities; the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); climate change and climate financing; food and nutrition security; regional security; transportation; reparations; and foreign and community relations.

Remarks were also delivered during the opening ceremony by outgoing Chair of the Community, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Dr. the Hon. Godwin Friday, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Her Excellency Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, President of Suriname; the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar S.C., Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, and CARICOM Youth Ambassadors of St. Kitts and Nevis, Aquanjé Robinson and Siobhan Phipps-Harding.

Please see the links to the speeches below:

The Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew – Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Chair of CARICOM

Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness – Prime Minister of Jamaica

Her Excellency Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons – President of Suriname

Dr. the Hon. Godwin Friday – Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines

The Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar S.C. – Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

Remarks by Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General

St Kitts and Nevis Youth Ambassadors, Aquanjé Robinson and Siobhan Phipps-Harding

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