CARICOM leaders agree to reappoint Carla Barnett as Secretary-General

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government have agreed to the reappointment of Dr. Carla Barnett as Secretary-General following deliberations at their Fiftieth Regular Meeting held in Saint Kitts and Nevis from February 24 to 27, 2026.

In a statement, CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Terrance Drew, confirmed that the required majority supported the decision.

Dr. Barnett will begin her second term in August 2026, serving another five-year term and continuing her leadership of the regional body headquartered in Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana.

Barnett made history in 2021 when she was selected as CARICOM’s first female Secretary-General, succeeding Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. She officially assumed office on August 16, 2021, after being unanimously appointed by CARICOM Heads of Government.

An economist by training, Barnett has held several senior roles across the Caribbean region. From 1989 to 1990, she served as an economist at the Caribbean Development Bank. In 1991, she was appointed Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, becoming the first woman to hold the position, which she served until 1996.

In 1997, she again broke new ground as the first woman and youngest person to serve as Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM. She later became Belize’s first Treasury Secretary, serving from 2004 to 2007.

Barnett returned to the Caribbean Development Bank in 2012, where she held a senior managerial role responsible for operations. She resigned from that position in 2014.

Her career also includes service in Belizean politics. As a candidate for the United Democratic Party (UDP), Barnett contested the Freetown constituency in the 2015 general election but lost to opposition leader Francis Fonseca. She was subsequently appointed Vice President of the Senate by Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

In August 2016, Barnett was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance. A year later, in August 2017, she was also assigned responsibility for Natural Resources. However, following a cabinet reshuffle in June 2018, she relinquished the Natural Resources portfolio and assumed responsibility for Labour, Local Government and Rural Development.

Barnett has also worked as a consultant for several multilateral and bilateral organizations across the CARICOM region, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Her reappointment comes as CARICOM continues to address regional priorities including economic growth, climate resilience, food security, and regional integration.