Caribbean News
Montego Bay Moment: CARICOM Leaders Confront Old Challenges, Eye New Alliances
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
July 14, 2025 – The 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held from July 6–8, 2025, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, brought regional leaders together once again to address security, trade, digital regulation, and external partnerships, amid familiar questions about how much progress is truly achievable.
Chaired by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, the gathering welcomed heads of government and ministerial representatives from nearly all member states and associate territories. The packed agenda underscored the complexity of CARICOM’s integration goals and the often-slow pace of implementation.
On Trade and Global Relations
Discussions on trade centered on the evolving relationship with the United States, CARICOM’s largest trading partner. Leaders welcomed the U.S. request for a five-year World Trade Organization (WTO) waiver to extend the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), but also acknowledged the growing urgency of diversifying regional markets. While there was broad support for pursuing stronger links with Brazil, India, and the African Union, how and when those partnerships can deliver real economic gains remains an open question.
Plans for the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, set for September 7, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were firmed up, with a
Security and Crime: A Mounting Burden
A meeting with INTERPOL Secretary-General Valdecy Urquiza placed a stark spotlight on the region’s worsening crime crisis. The proliferation of firearms, drug trafficking, and organized criminal networks are crippling Caribbean societies — particularly young men. While leaders welcomed INTERPOL’s continued presence and pledged stronger cooperation, the scope of the problem and the resource limitations of member states continue to dwarf current efforts.
Cautious Optimism, Familiar Barriers
The CARICOM meeting also addressed digital safety, regional climate financing, and preparations for the Tenth Summit of the Americas in December 2025. New OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin, himself a CARICOM national, urged the region to bring a clear agenda to the table.
Yet, despite the ceremonial unity and shared declarations, many observers — and citizens — are left wondering how much of what was agreed will translate into tangible results. The CARICOM agenda has often suffered from bureaucratic drag, political caution, and uneven capacity across member states.
The Montego Bay meeting, then, was not so much a pivot point as another attempt to push forward — with aspirations for deeper unity, but with the sobering recognition that execution remains the region’s biggest challenge. Whether this gathering can spark meaningful change will depend not on words spoken in plenary, but on actions taken in the months that follow.