The Treaty of Chaguaramas identifies Foreign Policy Coordination as the third pillar of regional integration. For CARICOM, foreign policy coordination gives effect to the imperative for the Community to speak with one voice on matters of global and hemispheric interests. This is critical to ensure that the peculiar concerns of Small Island and Low-Lying Coastal Developing States of the Community are heard and accounted in global decision-making.

The foundation of CARICOM’s foreign policy agenda was laid in 1972 at the Seventh Meeting of the Standing Committee of Commonwealth Caribbean Heads of Government. Recognising the need for a unified diplomatic approach, the Committee adopted a resolution to establish a Standing Committee of Ministers to address issues of common interest in foreign policy. This initiative culminated in November 1973 with an inaugural meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, where the body was renamed the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR). COFCOR remains the principal organ responsible for coordinating foreign policy positions among Member States.

CARICOM’s foreign policy is grounded in the principles of democracy, the rule of law, multilateralism, and international cooperation. The Community seeks to harmonise national positions on critical hemispheric and global issues, including:

• Advocacy for reform of the international financial architecture to improve access to development and climate financing.
• Support for Haiti through political dialogue and humanitarian assistance, facilitated by the Eminent Persons Group.
• Strengthening ties with traditional partners while expanding new and emerging partnerships 
• Active participation in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the
• Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Achievements
CARICOM’s coordinated diplomacy has delivered significant achievements. Over the years, the Community secured leadership roles in global institutions, including presidencies of the United Nations General Assembly such as Hon. Samuel R. Insanally (48th Session, 1993), Mr. Julian Hunte (58th Session, 2003), and H.E. Dennis Francis (78th Session, 2023). CARICOM acted collectively to secure seats for Member States on the United Nations Security Council, including Guyana (1975, 1982, 2023), Jamaica (1979, 2000), and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2019).  It also supported candidatures for senior positions in the Commonwealth, OAS, and Pan-American Health Organization.

The Community played a pivotal role in establishing the International Criminal Court, an initiative launched by Trinidad and Tobago in 1986 with full regional support. It was also instrumental in creating the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group through the Georgetown Agreement in 1975, strengthening the collective voice of small developing states in trade negotiations with the European Union.