New Year Statement | Incoming Chairman of CARICOM | Honourable Dr Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis

Recent international developments, including geopolitical tensions in our region and external policy decisions affecting Caribbean nationals, remind us of a fundamental truth: None will come to save us. We must save ourselves.
Recent public discussions among Member States, reflecting differing national perspectives, have unfolded in a way that has attracted regional and international attention. While such differences are not unusual in a diverse Community such as ours, they remind us of the importance of managing our dialogue with care, mutual respect, and a resolute sense of regional responsibility.
CARICOM was never conceived as a space free of disagreement. It was created as a forum where differences could be addressed constructively, internally, and with the shared understanding that our collective strength is greater than any single issue before us.
This reality does not call for isolation, but for stronger coordination, clearer purpose, and deeper solidarity. It requires us to speak louder, speak with conviction, speak with one voice, where our shared interests are concerned, and to act with strategic maturity on the global stage.

Fellow citizens and residents of the Caribbean Community, united across sea and shore. As a new year dawns, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to every citizen and resident of the Caribbean Community. From our islands and coastal states to our diaspora around the world, we welcome this new chapter with gratitude for how far we have come, and renewed hope for all that lies ahead.

Allow me to first acknowledge the sterling leadership of the Outgoing Chairman, Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, who ably piloted us through a period of significant turbulence in our Region. I also acknowledge my fellow CARICOM Heads of Government and State, the Secretariat, the wider regional leadership and the people of our Community, whose solidarity, cooperation and shared commitment continue to strengthen CARICOM and advance our common purpose.

I assume the role of Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM with optimism and a deep dedication to the ideals of our regional integration movement. As Incoming Chairman, I address you at a moment that calls for reflection, calm leadership, and renewed commitment to the Caribbean ideal.

The Caribbean Community, established in 1973 through the Treaty of Chaguaramas, was born out of a clear-eyed recognition by our forebears that vulnerable states would face immense challenges in a rapidly changing global order.

As such, CARICOM was founded to promote economic integration, coordinate foreign policy, encourage functional cooperation, and amplify the Caribbean's voice internationally. This was an act of strategic foresight and regional self-belief, one built on the conviction that our collective strength is our greatest asset.

Today, CARICOM comprises sovereign states and associate members bound not by geography alone, but by shared history, values, and destiny. And over time, CARICOM has delivered meaningful benefits to all of our people.

Through regional trade and economic cooperation, we have expanded markets, supported local enterprise, and strengthened resilience. Through the movement of skills and labour, Caribbean people have been able to contribute across borders, enriching societies and building shared capacity. Through functional cooperation, we have advanced health systems, disaster response, education, security, and climate advocacy.

In an increasingly uncertain world, regional integration is not optional. It is essential. As a unified body, we will continue to explore viable partnerships to encourage innovative approaches, capacity building, and access to affordable finance that are needed to foster sustainable development.

Our Caribbean civilization, forged in the crucible of slavery and indentured labour, has produced achievements that far exceed our size. The Region's advocacy for reparatory justice will therefore continue through the work of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and the tenets of the CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice.

The situation in Haiti - the world's first free black republic and the first independent nation in our region - continues to require sustained regional engagement to help our fellow Caribbean brothers and sisters to stabilise and rebuild. We will continue our support, including through the Eminent Persons Group, as Haiti anticipates holding general elections in 2026, and as the UN Security Council Resolution 2793 on the Gang Suppression Force is implemented.

Our region has made profound contributions to literature, economic thought, political philosophy, sports, music, and culture. Caribbean creativity has given the world new musical genres, instruments, literary movements, and intellectual traditions that speak to freedom, dignity, resistance, and hope. We consistently rank among the world's best, particularly in cricket and track and field, establishing a tradition of excellence that has inspired millions and reshaped global expectations of sporting achievement.

These achievements are not accidents of history. They are the result of resilience, discipline,
imagination, and an unyielding belief in possibility.

Recent international developments, including geopolitical tensions in our region and external policy decisions affecting Caribbean nationals, remind us of a fundamental truth: None will come to save us. We must save ourselves.

Recent public discussions among Member States, reflecting differing national perspectives, have unfolded in a way that has attracted regional and international attention. While such differences are not unusual in a diverse Community such as ours, they remind us of the importance of managing our dialogue with care, mutual respect, and a resolute sense of regional responsibility.

CARICOM was never conceived as a space free of disagreement. It was created as a forum where differences could be addressed constructively, internally, and with the shared understanding that our collective strength is greater than any single issue before us.

This reality does not call for isolation, but for stronger coordination, clearer purpose, and deeper solidarity. It requires us to speak louder, speak with conviction, speak with one voice, where our shared interests are concerned, and to act with strategic maturity on the global stage.

As Caribbean leaders, and as citizens of this region, we must recommit to the principles that underpin this Community. We must strengthen our institutions, enhance consultation, and ensure that our engagement reflects the seriousness of the responsibilities entrusted to us by our people.

Differences and all, we are one Caribbean people, heirs to a civilization that transformed suffering into strength and adversity into achievement. We have contributed to the world in profound and undeniable ways that continue to shape global culture, sport, intellect, and conscience.

Let us therefore move forward with shared purpose, with confidence in our combined capacity, and with faith in the Caribbean project.

As we chart our course over the next six months, St. Kitts and Nevis has already begun preparations to host the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM from February 24th to 27th 2026.

I cordially invite my colleague Heads to join us in active engagement as we consider priority issues and advance the welfare of our people and of our region.

CARICOM is and will continue to be a declaration of who we are and who we choose to be.

Together, we will strengthen it.
Together, we will protect it.
Together, we will secure the future of our Caribbean civilization.

Thank you