TheCaribbean Community (abbreviated asCARICOM orCC) is anintergovernmental organisation that is apolitical andeconomic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members throughout theAmericas, The Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean.[1] It has the primary objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy. The organisation was established in 1973,[11] by its four founding members signing theTreaty of Chaguaramas.
The secretariat headquarters is inGeorgetown, Guyana. CARICOM has been granted the officialUnited Nations General Assembly observer status.[12]
CARICOM, originally The Caribbean Community and Common Market, was established by theTreaty of Chaguaramas which took effect on 1 August 1973.[13] Founding states wereBarbados,Jamaica,Guyana andTrinidad and Tobago.
The Caribbean Community superseded the 1965–1972Caribbean Free Trade Association organised to provide a continued economic linkage between the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean after the dissolution of theWest Indies Federation, which lasted from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962.
A revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishedThe Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and was signed by theCARICOM Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community on 5 July 2001 at their Twenty-Second Meeting of the Conference in Nassau, TheBahamas.[14] The revised treaty cleared the way to transform the idea of acommon market CARICOM into theCaribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy.
Haiti's membership in CARICOM remained effectively suspended from 29 February 2004 through early June 2006 following the2004 Haitian coup d'état and the removal ofJean-Bertrand Aristide from the presidency.[15][16] CARICOM announced that no democratically elected government in CARICOM should have its leader deposed. The fourteen other heads of government sought to have Aristide fly from Africa to Jamaica and share his account of events with them, which infuriated the interim Haitian prime minister,Gérard Latortue, who announced he would take steps to take Haiti out of CARICOM.[17] CARICOM thus voted on suspending the participation of Haitian officials from the councils of CARICOM.[18][19] Following the presidential election ofRené Préval, Haitian officials were readmitted and Préval himself gave the opening address at the CARICOM Council of Ministers meeting in July.[20][21]
Since 2013 the CARICOM-bloc and with the Dominican Republic have been tied to theEuropean Union via anEconomic Partnership Agreements signed in 2008 known asCARIFORUM.[22] The treaty grants all members of the European Union and CARIFORUM equal rights in terms of trade and investment. Under Article 234 of the agreement, theEuropean Court of Justice handles dispute resolution between CARIFORUM and European Union states.[23]
CARICOM was established by the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean and currently includes all the independentAnglophone island countries plusBelize,Guyana,Montserrat andSuriname, as well as all other British Caribbean territories andBermuda as associate members. English was its sole working language into the 1990s. The organisation became multilingual with the addition ofDutch andSranan Tongo-speaking Suriname in 1995 and theFrench andHaitian Creole-speaking Haiti in 2002. Furthermore, it addedSpanish as the fourth official language in 2003. In July 2012, CARICOM announced they considered making French and Dutch official languages.[24] In 2001, the Conference of Heads of Governments signed a revisedTreaty of Chaguaramas that cleared the way to transform the idea of acommon market CARICOM into theCARICOM Single Market and Economy.[25] Part of the revised treaty establishes and implements theCaribbean Court of Justice. Its primary activities involve:
The following is the overall structure of Caribbean Community (CARICOM).[26]
| Institution | Abbreviation | Location | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretariat of the Caribbean Community | CCS | Georgetown | Guyana |
| Caricom heads of government | PCC | variable | |
| Conference of Heads of Governments | HGC | variable | |
| Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians | ACCP | variable | |
| Caribbean Community Administrative Tribunal | CCAT | Port of Spain | Trinidad and Tobago |
The post of Chairman (Head of CARICOM) is held in rotation by the regional Heads of Government of CARICOM's 15 member states. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
CARICOM contains a quasi-Cabinet of the individualHeads of Government. These heads are given specialised portfolios of responsibility for regional development and integration.[27]
TheSecretariat of the Caribbean Community is the Chief Administrative Organ for CARICOM. TheSecretary-General of the Caribbean Community is the chief executive and handles foreign and community relations. Five years is the term of office of the Secretary-General, which may be renewed. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community handles human and Social Development. The General Counsel of the Caribbean Community handles trade and economic integration.
The goal statement of the CARICOM Secretariat is: "To contribute, in support of Member States, to the improvement of the quality of life of the People of the Community and the development of an innovative and productive society in partnership with institutions and groups working towards attaining a people-centred, sustainable and internationally competitive Community."[28]
| Organ | Description |
|---|---|
| CARICOM Heads of Government | Consisting of the various heads of Government from each member state |
| Standing Committee of Ministers | Ministerial responsibilities for specific areas, for example the Standing Committee of Ministers responsible for Health will consist of Ministers of Health from each member state |
The Community Council comprises ministers responsible for community affairs and any other Minister designated by the member states at their discretion. It is one of the community's principal organs; the other is the Conference of the Heads of Government. Four other organs and three bodies support it.
| Secondary organ | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Council for Finance and Planning | COFAP |
| Council for Foreign and Community Relations | COFCOR |
| Council for Human and Social Development | COHSOD |
| Council for Trade and Economic Development | COTED |
| Body | Description |
|---|---|
| Legal Affairs Committee[29] | provides legal advice |
| Budget Committee | examines the draft budget and work programme of the Secretariat and submits recommendations to the Community Council. |
| Committee of the Central Bank Governors | provides recommendations to the COFAP on monetary and financial matters. |
The following institutions are founded by or affiliated to the Caricom:[30]
| Institution | Abbreviation | Location | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Tourism Organization | CTO | Saint Michael | Barbados |
| Caribbean Council of Legal Education | CLE | several | |
| Caribbean Export Development Agency | Caribbean Export | Saint Michael | Barbados |
| Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute | CRITI | Paramaribo | Suriname |
The following institutions have been cancelled or merged into other ones:
| Institution | Abbreviation | Location | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Educational Programme for Animal Health Assistants | REPAHA | New Amsterdam | Guyana |
| Caribbean Food Corporation | CFC | Saint Augustine | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Caribbean Environmental Health Institute | CEHI | Castries | Saint Lucia |
| The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre | CAREC | Port of Spain | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute | CFNI | Kingston | Jamaica |
| Caribbean Health Research Council | CHRC | Saint Augustine | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Caribbean Regional Drug Testing Laboratory | CRDTL | Georgetown | Guyana |
 | Parts of this article (those related to Anguilla and other associate CARICOM members) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2012) |
CARICOM was instrumental in the formation of theAssociation of Caribbean States (ACS) on 24 July 1994. The original idea for the Association came from a recommendation of the West Indian Commission, established in 1989 by the CARICOM heads of state and government. The Commission advocated both deepening the integration process (through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy) and complementing it through a separate regional organisation encompassing all states in the Caribbean.[32]
CARICOM accepted the commission's recommendations and opened dialogue with other Caribbean states, the Central American states and the Latin American nations of Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico which border the Caribbean, for consultation on the proposals of the West Indian Commission.[32]
At an October 1993 summit, the heads of state and government of CARICOM and the presidents of the then-Group of Three (Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela) formally decided to create an association grouping all states of the Caribbean basin. A work schedule for its formation was adopted. The aim was to create the association in less than a year, an objective which was achieved with the formal creation of the ACS.[32]
CARICOM was also involved in the formation of theCommunity of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on 3 December 2010. The idea for CELAC originated at theRio Group–Caribbean Community Unity Summit on 23 February 2010 in Mexico. This act caters to the integration of the Americas process, complimenting well-established initiatives of the Organization of American States.[33][34][35][36]
Since 2013, the CARICOM-bloc and the Dominican Republic have been tied to theEuropean Union via anEconomic Partnership Agreements known asCARIFORUM signed in 2008.[22] The treaty grants all members of the European Union and CARIFORUM equal rights in terms of trade and investment. Within the agreement under Article 234, theEuropean Court of Justice also carries dispute resolution mechanisms between CARIFORUM and thestates of the European Union.[23]
In May 2016, Caricom's court of original jurisdiction, the CCJ, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with theACP Legal Association based in Guadeloupe recognising and supporting the goals of implementing a harmonised business law framework in the Caribbean through ACP Legal Association's OHADAC Project.[37]
OHADAC is the acronym for the French "Organisation pour l'Harmonisation du Droit des Affaires en les Caraïbes", which translates into English as "Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in the Caribbean". The OHADAC Project takes inspiration from asimilar organisation in Africa and aims to enhance economic integration across the entire Caribbean and facilitate increased trade and international investment through unified laws and alternative dispute resolution methods.[37]
As of 2024[update] CARICOM has 15 full members, seven associate members and eight observers. The associated members are fiveBritish Overseas Territories, one constituent county of theKingdom of the Netherlands and oneFrench Overseas Territory. It is currently not established what the role of the associate members will be. The observers are states which engage in at least one of CARICOM's technical committees.[38][page needed]
Under Article 4 CARICOM breaks its 15 member states into two groups: Less Developed Countries (LDCs) and More Developed Countries (MDCs).[39]
The countries of CARICOM which are designated as Less Developed Countries (LDCs) are as follows:[39]
The countries of CARICOM which are designated as More Developed Countries (MDCs) are:[39]
| Status | Name | Join date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full member |  Antigua and Barbuda | 4 July 1974 | |
 The Bahamas | 4 July 1983 | Not a part of the customs union | |
 Barbados | 1 August 1973 | One of the four founding members | |
 Belize | 1 May 1974 | ||
 Dominica | |||
 Grenada | |||
 Guyana | 1 August 1973 | One of the four founding members | |
 Haiti | 2 July 2002 | Provisional membership on 4 July 1998 | |
 Jamaica | 1 August 1973 | One of the four founding members | |
 Montserrat | 1 May 1974 | British overseas territory | |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 26 July 1974 | Joined asSaint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla | |
 Saint Lucia | 1 May 1974 | ||
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 May 1974 | ||
 Suriname | 4 July 1995 | ||
 Trinidad and Tobago | 1 August 1973 | One of the four founding members | |
| Associate |  Anguilla | 4 July 1999 | British overseas territory |
 Bermuda | 2 July 2003 | ||
 British Virgin Islands | 2 July 1991 | ||
 Cayman Islands | 16 May 2002 | ||
 Curaçao | 28 July 2024 | Constituent country of theKingdom of the Netherlands | |
 Martinique | 20 February 2025 | French overseas territory | |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | 2 July 1991 | British overseas territory | |
| Observer |  Aruba | Constituent country of theKingdom of the Netherlands | |
 Colombia | |||
 Dominican Republic | |||
 Mexico | |||
 Puerto Rico | Unincorporated territory of theUnited States | ||
 Sint Maarten | Constituent country of theKingdom of the Netherlands | ||
 Venezuela |
Thousands of Caricom nationals live within other member states of the Community.
An estimated 30,000 Jamaicans legally reside in other CARICOM member states,[40] mainly in The Bahamas (6,200), Antigua & Barbuda (estimated 12,000),[41] Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago).[40] Also, an estimated 150 Jamaicans live and work in Montserrat.[41] A 21 November 2013 estimated put 16,958 Jamaicans residing illegally in Trinidad & Tobago, as according to the records of the Office of the Chief Immigration Officer, their entry certificates would have since expired.[42] By October 2014, the estimated Jamaicans residing illegally in Trinidad and Tobago was 19,000 along with an estimated 7,169 Barbadians and 25,884 Guyanese residing illegally.[43] An estimated 8,000 Trinidadians and Tobagonians live in Jamaica.[44]
Barbados hosts a large diaspora population of Guyanese, of whom (in 2005) 5,032 lived there permanently as citizens, permanent residents, immigrants (with immigrant status) and Caricom skilled nationals; 3,200 were residing in Barbados temporarily under work permits, as students, or with "reside and work" status. A further 2,000–3,000 Guyanese were estimated to be living illegally in Barbados at the time.[45] Migration between Barbados and Guyana has deep roots, going back over 150 years, with the most intense period of Barbadian migration to then-British Guiana occurring between 1863 and 1886, although as late as the 1920s and 1930s Barbadians were still leaving Barbados for British Guiana.[46]
Migration between Guyana and Suriname also goes back a number of years. An estimated 50,000 Guyanese had migrated to Suriname by 1986[47][48] In 1987 an estimated 30–40,000 Guyanese were in Suriname.[49] Many Guyanese left Suriname in the 1970s and 1980s, either voluntarily or by expulsion. Citing anational security concern, over 5,000 were expelled in January 1985 alone.[50] In the instability Suriname experienced following independence, both coups and civil war.[48] In 2013, an estimated 11,530 Guyanese had emigrated to Suriname and 4,662 Surinamese to Guyana.[51]
In 2017, theRepublic of Cuba and CARICOM signed the "CARICOM-Cuba Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement"[52] to facilitate closer trade ties.[53] In December 2022,President of CubaMiguel Díaz-Canel met inBridgetown, Barbados with the Heads of State and Government of CARICOM. On the occasion of the 8th CARICOM-Cuba Summit to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with the independent States of CARICOM and Cuba and the 20th Anniversary of CARICOM-Cuba Day. Cuba also accepted CARICOM's offer to deepen bilateral cooperation and to join robust discussions in the bloc's regional 'Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Food production and Security'.
A number of global partners have established diplomatic representation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat located inGeorgetown, Guyana. Nations with non-resident representatives to CARICOM initalics:[54][55]
Argentina[56]
Australia[57]
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada[58]
Chile Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
El Salvador
European Union
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
India[59]
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel[60]
Italy
Japan[61]
Korea
Latvia
Lithuania Mexico[62][63]
Netherlands
New Zealand[64][65]
Panama
Portugal
Romania
Singapore[66]
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States of America Venezuela| Member | Membership | Land area (km2)[68] | Population (2019) | GDP (PPP) Millions USD (2017)[69] | GDP Per Capita (PPP) USD (2017) | Human Development Index (2022)[70] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla | associate | 91 | 15,174 | 175.4 | 12,200 | – |
| Antigua and Barbuda | full member | 442.6 | 104,084 | 2,390 | 26,300 | 0.826 |
| The Bahamas | full member | 10,010 | 385,340 | 9,339 | 25,100 | 0.820 |
| Barbados | full member | 430 | 287,010 | 4,919 | 17,500 | 0.809 |
| Belize | full member | 22,806 | 398,050 | 3,230 | 8,300 | 0.700 |
| Bermuda | associate | 54 | 63,779 | 5,198 | 85,700 | – |
| British Virgin Islands | associate | 151 | 32,206 | 500 | 42,300 | – |
| Cayman Islands | associate | 264 | 64,420 | 2,507 | 43,800 | – |
| Dominica | full member | 751 | 74,679 | 851 | 12,000 | 0.740 |
| Grenada | full member | 344 | 108,825 | 1,590 | 14,700 | 0.793 |
| Guyana | full member | 214,970 | 786,508 | 6,367 | 8,300 | 0.742 |
| Haiti | full member | 27,560 | 11,242,856 | 19,880 | 1,800 | 0.552 |
| Jamaica | full member | 10,831 | 2,728,864 | 26,200 | 9,200 | 0.706 |
| Montserrat | full member | 102 | 5,220 | 43.8 | 8,500 | – |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | full member | 261 | 56,345 | 1,528 | 26,800 | 0.838 |
| Saint Lucia | full member | 606 | 180,454 | 2,384 | 13,500 | 0.725 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | full member | 389 | 109,803 | 1,281 | 11,600 | 0.772 |
| Suriname | full member | 156,000 | 573,085 | 7,928 | 13,900 | 0.690 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | full member | 5,128 | 1,359,193 | 42,780 | 31,200 | 0.814 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | associate | 948 | 37,910 | 632 | 29,100 | – |
| Full members | members only | 432,510 | 18,400,316 | 130,711 | 15,247 | 0.751 |
The flag of the Caribbean Community was chosen and approved in November 1983 at the Conference of Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The original design by the firm of WINART Studies in Georgetown, Guyana was substantially modified at the July 1983 Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.[71] The flag was first flown on 4 July 1984 in Nassau, The Bahamas at the fifth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.[72]
The flag features a blue background, but the upper part is a light blue representing sky and the lower, a darker blue representing the Caribbean Sea. The yellow circle in the centre represents the sun on which is printed in black the logo of the Caribbean Community, two interlocking Cs. The two Cs are in the form of broken links in a chain, symbolising both unity and a break with the colonial past. The narrow ring of green around the sun represents the vegetation of the region.[71]
For CARICOM's 40th anniversary, a competition to compose an official song or anthem for CARICOM was launched in April 2013[73] to promote choosing a song that promoted unity and inspired CARICOM identity and pride. A regional panel of judges comprising independent experts in music was nominated by member states and the CARICOM Secretariat. Three rounds of competition condensed 63 entries to a final three, from which judges choseCelebrating CARICOM by Michele Henderson of Dominica[73] in March 2014.[74] Henderson won a US$10,000 prize.[75] Her song was produced by her husband, Roland Delsol Jr., and arranged by Earlson Matthew. It also featured Michael Ferrol on drums and choral input from the St. Alphonsus Choir. It was re-produced for CARICOM by Carl Beaver Henderson of Trinidad and Tobago.[74]
A second-place entry titledMy CARICOM came from Jamaican Adiel Thomas[73] who won US$5,000,[75] and a third-place song titledOne CARICOM by Carmella Lawrence of St. Kitts and Nevis,[73] won US$2,500.[75] The other songs from the top-ten finalists (in no particular order) were:
The first official performance ofCelebrating CARICOM by Henderson took place on Tuesday 1 July 2014 at the opening ceremony for the Thirty-Fifth Regional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Antigua and Barbuda.[73]
The celebration ofCARICOM Day is the selected day some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries officially recognise the commemorative date of signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, the agreement that established CARICOM on 4 July 1973. The Treaty was signed in Chaguaramas, Trinidad & Tobago by then leaders of: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. CARICOM Day is recognised as an official public holiday in Guyana where the secretariat is based, and isobserved on the first Monday of July. The government of Antigua and Barbuda has also implemented CARICOM Day as aholiday.
The day features activities that are organised by government entities such as parades, pageants, and campaigns to educate people about CARICOM.
Caribbean Festival of Arts, commonly known asCARIFESTA, is an annual festival for promoting arts of theCaribbean with a different country hosting the event each year. It was started to provide a venue to "depict the life of the people of the Region, their heroes, morals, myths, traditions, beliefs, creativity and ways of expression"[76] by fostering a sense of Caribbean unity, and motivating artists by showing the best of their home country. It began under the auspices of Guyana's then PresidentForbes Burnham in 1972, who was inspired by other singular arts festivals in the region.
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