PM Holness points to free movement, Haiti progress in final CARICOM chair address

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has pointed to regional unity during Hurricane Melissa, expanded free movement, coordinated security action and renewed focus on Haiti as defining achievements of his tenure as chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as he hands over the role at year’s end.

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In his end-of-year message issued Saturday from the Caribbean Community Secretariat in Guyana, Holness said 2025 tested the region’s resilience but also reinforced the “simple truth” of Caribbean solidarity, particularly in the wake of record-breaking Hurricane Melissa, which caused widespread damage across Jamaica and other territories.

Among the most concrete integration advances, Holness highlighted the decision by Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to implement full free movement of persons among themselves from October 1, 2025. He described the move as a “concentric circles” model that allows willing states to deepen cooperation while leaving the door open for others to join when ready.

On the economic front, Holness said CARICOM successfully defended regional interests amid shifting global trade conditions through coordinated advocacy with the CARICOM Private Sector Organization and strategic partners. He also pointed to expanded regional and international airlift, strengthened trade ties, and initiatives aimed at improving food and nutrition security.

Security challenges featured prominently during Jamaica’s chairmanship, particularly with the adoption of the Montego Bay Declaration on Transnational Organised Crime and Gangs at the July Conference of Heads of Government. Holness stressed that CARICOM continues to address crime and violence through multiple mechanisms, underscoring that “security and development are inseparable.”

Internationally, he said CARICOM maintained a unified voice at major global fora, including the United Nations General Assembly, the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the CELAC–EU Summit, strengthening foreign policy coordination and crisis response. On climate change, Holness acknowledged that outcomes from COP30 in Belém fell short of what vulnerable Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States require, reaffirming the region’s commitment to the 1.5°C goal and praising the work of regional institutions such as CDEMA, CARPHA and the Caribbean Development Bank.

Holness also pointed to deepened engagement with Africa following the Second Africa–CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa, including expanded cooperation on trade, investment, culture and advocacy on reparations.

On Haiti, he said sustained regional lobbying helped keep the country on the global agenda, contributing to a UN Security Council resolution establishing a gang suppression force partly supported by UN funding. CARICOM, he noted, is now a key partner in coordinating the OAS roadmap toward stability, with preparations under way for elections in 2026.

As he handed over the chairmanship, Holness warned that the region must navigate an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment with “clarity, cohesion and strategic discipline,” emphasizing diplomacy, respect for sovereignty and peaceful engagement.

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Despite the year’s challenges, he said CARICOM remains one of the world’s most enduring integration movements, expressing confidence in the Community’s future and the Secretariat’s continued role in supporting regional stability.

In January, St. Kitts and Nevis will become chair of CARICOM.