French Guiana today became the eighth Associate Member of CARICOM when it signed the Agreement defining the conditions for granting French Guiana Associate Membership in CARICOM. This Agreement was signed by CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre and Gabriel Serville, President of the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana.
A release yesterday from CARICOM said that French Guiana has begun to participate in the Fifty-First Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, underway in Saint Lucia.
Pierre in remarks said that French Guiana’s participation as an Associate Member will provide opportunities for closer dialogue and cooperation in areas of mutual interest. These, he said, include regional development, trade and economic engagement, climate resilience, border and security issues, culture, education, health, environmental protection, and people-to-people cooperation.
He thanked the CARICOM Secretariat, under the leadership of Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, for its work in advancing this process and acknowledged the Government of France and the representatives of French Guiana for their engagement and cooperation in bringing us to this point.
“Let this ceremony serve as a reminder that CARICOM continues to move forward. We are not only preserving the achievements of regional integration; we are building upon them. We are widening the circle of cooperation and strengthening the bonds that unite the Caribbean”, he said.
The St Lucia PM added: “The Caribbean has always been more than a grouping of islands and mainland territories. It is a Community shaped by geography, history, culture, shared vulnerabilities, and common aspirations. Our strength has always rested in our ability to recognise that, although our territories may differ in size, language, constitutional arrangements, and development experience, we are bound together by a shared regional destiny”.
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