The Caribbean and the United States are intensifying cooperation

Three committees have been set up to provide material for agreements reached in the context of intensifying cooperation between the Caribbean region and the United States. During the week of June 20, the first meetings of the committees will be held to discuss further matters.

This indicates that the United States is accelerating agreements this time around, while CARICOM clearly points out that it is serious about its role. Suriname will be the chairman of CARICOM from July 1 and will be tasked with ensuring that the agreements are fruitful during its tenure as chairman.

Many Caribbean ambassadors and CARICOM leaders in Washington have called for intensified cooperation at various times. The result was a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris on June 9, 2022. However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat President Conte’s government. In fact, President Biden himself came to the meeting and stayed until the end.

During the meeting, it was agreed to form three committees to further shape cooperation between the United States and the Caribbean. On June 14, 2022, the office of Vice President Harris sent a letter to CARICOM indicating the establishment of three committees. CARICOM and the Dominican Republic were also asked to appoint three members to the committees. CARICOM appointed their representatives to the committees within two days.

Three groups:
1) Energy Commission
2) Food Safety Authority
3) Commission for Finance.

CARICOM has appointed the following persons as Co-Chairs: Prime Minister Keith Rowley (Trinidad & Tobago) for Energy, President Irfan Ali (Guyana) for Food Security, and Prime Minister Mia Motley (Barbados) for Finance. Each of them was assigned a replacement. The Dominican Republic has also appointed its representatives.