CARICOM humanitarian aid to Cuba ‘fully on the way’

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community, announced Monday that the regional mechanism to deliver humanitarian assistance to Cuba is “fully on the way.”

Speaking at a news conference, Prime Minister Drew confirmed that updates on the initiative would continue, noting that the process is progressing on schedule following commitments made at CARICOM’s 50th summit in February.

“CARICOM will update. They updated last week, and they will update this week. But the mechanism is fully, fully on the way to extend that humanitarian help to our brothers and sisters in Cuba,” he said.

The initiative comes in response to repeated and extensive blackouts in Cuba, as well as ongoing economic pressure from the United States, including decades-long trade and economic sanctions aimed at encouraging Havana to adopt a pro-Western capitalist system.

The Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat previously announced that regional governments were preparing aid shipments to Cuba, with support from . Mexico has identified suppliers capable of delivering essential items to departure ports and is providing free shipment to Cuba.

Prime Minister Drew said St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged US$500,000 toward the regional effort, with the first US$100,000 already delivered to the CARICOM Secretariat. He noted that the aid includes critical items such as baby food, while other contributions from regional countries are being coordinated.

“That meeting was at the end of February. This is at the end of March. We are well within the time frame, and we have already established the pathway, or route, or mechanism for delivering that humanitarian aid to Cuba with the help of the Mexican government. And so, that has started,” Prime Minister Drew said.

He emphasized the need for proactive diplomacy and innovation to secure opportunities for the Caribbean region. “Nobody is going to bring the opportunity to you or to us and rest it on our lap. We have to be innovative. We have to be proactive. We have to establish relationships that would allow us to meet our objective, and that is why we are so aggressive in our diplomatic outreach,” he added.

CARICOM’s humanitarian aid initiative signals the region’s commitment to providing relief and solidarity to Cuba amid ongoing energy shortages and economic challenges, with updates expected in the coming weeks.