At the 56th Community Council of Ministers meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett commended Jamaica for maintaining strong regional engagement while navigating complex recovery operations following Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact. The Category Five hurricane struck Jamaica on October 28 with sustained winds reaching 185 mph, creating significant challenges for the island nation.
Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith presided over the December 16 meeting, where Dr. Barnett expressed solidarity with Jamaica’s reconstruction efforts. Minister Johnson Smith detailed the hurricane’s severe consequences, noting it represented both the strongest hurricane to directly hit Jamaica and the first Category Five storm in the nation’s recorded history.
The Foreign Minister expressed profound gratitude for the regional support system, specifically acknowledging personnel deployments, technical assistance through CARILEC for electricity restoration, and ongoing reconstruction work by the Guyana Defence Force in Westmoreland. “The support has been overwhelming. The goodwill has been heartwarming,” Johnson Smith stated, emphasizing how CARICOM’s unified response demonstrates the community’s strength and cohesion.
Minister Johnson Smith connected Hurricane Melissa’s destruction to broader climate change vulnerabilities affecting the Caribbean region, particularly noting its occurrence following Hurricane Beryl’s earlier impact. She stressed the urgent necessity for comprehensive climate action and resilience-building initiatives, including advocacy for climate justice.
Looking toward 2025, Secretary-General Barnett outlined CARICOM’s strategic priorities, highlighting climate change and climate finance as central concerns alongside ongoing challenges related to crime and violence, health systems, and the situation in Haiti. Additional focus areas include implementing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), advancing information and communication technology including artificial intelligence, ensuring food and nutrition security, promoting youth development, and strengthening foreign relations.
Dr. Barnett reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and aligning strategic initiatives with the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to deepen economic integration throughout the region amidst evolving global challenges.