St Vincent’s Prime Minister Godwin Friday, and current chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), delivered a speech at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM that emphasized both the necessity of regional integration and the urgent need to accelerate its progress.
Friday acknowledged the common criticism regarding the “agonizingly slow pace” of regional movement and the difficulty of achieving collective action. However, he argued that the spirit of integration persists simply because “we need it”.
He asserted that if CARICOM and the OECS did not exist today, the region would feel their absence and immediately set about creating them. He committed to working with his colleagues, stating there is “no better alternative” for his country or the region in the face of current global realities.
Friday warned that the world is growing “more perilous daily” and that familiar international rules are changing in troubling ways. To withstand these increasing political and economic “headwinds” and to improve living standards, he urged member states to pool their limited power and resources.
He stated that through CARICOM, the region is collectively better able to stake its claim in an evolving global order.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of making CARICOM relevant to ordinary citizens rather than just government technocrats and suggested that the organization should “shout about” its accomplishments, no matter how small, to enhance its credibility. He argued that CARICOM’s true strength lies in its people and that work must be done with them, not just for them.
Friday identified several “real issues” that require confident, collective action, including:
Eliminating poverty and creating prosperity.
Removing obstacles to commerce, including those related to currency.
Closing the skills gap in the regional workforce.
Confronting climate change and securing resilience financing.
Promoting peace and security in Haiti.
Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Cuba and its place within the Caribbean.
In his closing remarks, he called on his fellow leaders to “quicken the pace” of their work, noting that while the road ahead is arduous, the journey is made safer and more certain when they “hold our neighbor’s hand”.