The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is making final preparations for its 51st Regular Conference of Heads of Government, a landmark annual gathering that will bring regional leaders together in the coastal town of Gros Islet, St. Lucia, from July 5 to 8, 2026.
This year’s summit comes as St. Lucia Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre prepares to take the helm of the 15-nation bloc. Pierre will officially assume the organization’s rotating chairmanship on July 1, three days before the conference kicks off, and will lead all proceedings throughout the four-day event.
According to an official press statement from CARICOM, the summit will open with a formal ceremony scheduled for 4:00 PM Eastern Caribbean Time on Sunday, July 5, hosted at the Sandals St. Lucia venue. The opening session will feature keynote addresses from three key figures: incoming chair Pierre, outgoing chair Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew (who also serves as Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis), and CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett. To expand public access to the historic gathering, the entire opening ceremony will be streamed live across CARICOM’s official social media platforms, allowing residents across the Caribbean and international observers to follow the proceedings in real time.
Following the opening festivities, heads of government will shift into closed-door working sessions from July 6 through 8. During these business meetings, regional leaders will deliberate on a wide slate of pressing priority issues impacting all CARICOM member states, with conversations focused on advancing the bloc’s shared long-term development agenda. Key topics expected to feature in discussions include climate resilience, cross-border trade integration, post-pandemic economic recovery, public health infrastructure strengthening, and regional security cooperation.
The conference will wrap up on Wednesday, July 8, with a closing press briefing held in a hybrid format, a flexible arrangement that allows both in-person attendance by journalists on the ground and virtual participation for correspondents unable to travel to St. Lucia.
In advance of the high-profile gathering, CARICOM has announced plans to launch a centralized online information portal dedicated to the 51st conference by June 10. This digital knowledge hub will host real-time updates, background briefing materials, speaker profiles, and other key resources for media and the public, and will be permanently hosted at the URL https://caricom.org/51hgc/ for the duration of the summit and beyond.