"World Food Day provides us with a unique opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every person in the CARICOM Region has the right to food.
"CARICOM recognises the Hand-in-Hand Initiative as a beneficial vehicle in supporting the removal of barriers to agricultural development.
“The theme selected for Caribbean Statistics Day 2024, 'Improving Lives through Statistics: Strengthening and Innovating Together' underscores the critical role that statistics play in enhancing the welfare of CARICOM citizens.
I join with all before me, in welcoming you to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and to Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2024.
I am indeed happy, that since arriving on the weekend, many had the opportunity to attend both Miss SVG on Saturday night, and the adventurous field tour yesterday, which took us sailing along the Leeward Coast, and we were able to see the Windward side of the island up to Spring.
Today, we are ready for work!
Georgetown, Guyana – October 3, 2024 – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is preparing for the Twenty-Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is scheduled to take place from 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. This pivotal event will see CARICOM Member States advocating for urgent climate action and robust financial commitments to address the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Barbados joins Belize as the second CARICOM Member State to ratify the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). The Agreement was adopted during the 79th United Nations General Assembly. During this period, Jamaica also signed the Treaty joining Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Preparations are underway to host the 18th edition of CARICOM’s premier agricultural event, the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), from 7-11 October at the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This year’s theme ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’ is aligned with the objectives of the 25 by 2025 Initiative to reduce the Region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025 and to transform regional food systems to be more resilient and sustainable.
Bridgetown, Barbados – September 10, 2024 – The CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) has made a cash contribution of US$100,000 or approximately EC$270,000 from its Emergency Disaster Assistance Facility (EDAF) to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to assist in recovery efforts following the devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, 2024.
The Caribbean Region faces existential threats, including biodiversity loss which continue to be a major challenge for global leaders and conservationists. Many plant and animal species in the Region are critically endangered, including the Grenada dove, the hawksbill turtle, the Antiguan racer, and the Saint Lucian racer—the rarest snake in the world. These are just a few among the over 200 critically endangered species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants in the Caribbean Region.
The Caribbean region is especially vulnerable to the rapid transboundary spread of disease and has experienced numerous infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, Cholera, HIV, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, Norovirus, SARS, H1N1, which have had profound human, economic, and social impacts.