in brief
Kòrsou joins CARICOM as an Associate Member
On Sunday 28 July 2024, Curaçao signed on the dotted line to become the 6th Associate Member of CARICOM.
History was made at the 47th Regular Meeting of CARICOM’s Conference of Heads of Government in St. George’s Grenada when CARICOM’s Chairman, Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, and Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Simon Pisas signed the Agreement accepting Curaçao as an Associate Member of the group.
Before this adhesion, CARICOM consisted of twenty countries, of which fifteen are full Member States. These are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. The earlier five Associated States that Curacao joins as the sixth are Eel, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Prime Minister described the occasion as another historic event in Curaçao’s history, pointing out that joining CARICOM is a testament to its “shared vision of a united, prosperous, and resilient Caribbean Community.”
He also pointed out that Curacao’s associate membership of the bloc will be a win-win for the island and the Caribbean Community as a whole. He could see the island’s potential for participating in regional economic integration, noting that the country’s strategic location, natural ports, and well-developed physical and professional services infrastructure, can serve as a hub for regional trade.
Prime Minister Pisas said that through investments in connectivity and logistics, Curaçao can help streamline the movement of goods and services across the Caribbean, which can lead to greater economic activity and job creation..
In his words, the island brings “the experience, resources, and the vast international network of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which we can leverage in optimizing our collective strengths and economic connections, and to navigate geo-political complexities to benefit all CARICOM Members States and Associate Members.”
He added that “by working together, we can create a more competitive and resilient regional economy,”
Mr. Pisas acknowledged Curaçao’s commitments within the family of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while also highlighting the island’s commitments to pursuing regional integration, as an integral part of the Caribbean family whose cultural identity is linked to the rich historical heritage of the Caribbean region.
And now what?
The ink on the Agreement has dried. The dust has settled. A new flag – the 21st – will be flying at the CARICOM Secretariat in Turkeyen Georgetown, Guyana. The realities will be setting in.
What is CARICOM? What does it stand for? What are the realities? What are the benefits of associate membership? How do these impact on Kòrsou’s socio-political structure?
