The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) recently hosted a landmark diplomatic meeting at its Saint Lucia-based Commission headquarters, where it formally welcomed Stacy M. Lomba, the newly appointed Political and Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassy with accreditation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean region and the OECS. The gathering centered on forging stronger collaborative ties between the United States and the 11-member regional integration bloc, building on momentum from earlier high-level exchanges between OECS leadership and U.S. diplomatic representatives, including a previous meeting with former Chargé d’Affaires Ms. Sullivan.
Leading the OECS delegation was Dr. Kisha Grant, Chief of Staff for Strategic Diplomacy at the OECS Commission, who stepped into the role on behalf of OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules. Participants opened the discussion by reflecting on the deep, decades-long diplomatic and people-to-people connections that have bound the United States and individual OECS member states. Both sides emphasized the unique strategic value of expanding direct engagement with the OECS as a unified regional body and a robust platform for coordinated collective action across the Eastern Caribbean.
During the talks, representatives from both sides mapped out a broad range of priority areas where mutual cooperation aligns with shared strategic and economic goals. These areas span investment attraction and inclusive economic development, bolstering regional energy security, countering cross-border security threats, managing irregular migration, accelerating the region’s digital transformation, building climate-resilient infrastructure, expanding educational access, and growing people-to-people exchange programs that connect communities across the United States and the Eastern Caribbean.
A core focus of the meeting was the need to establish a more formal, structured dialogue framework to address these shared priorities. Attendees agreed that the OECS Commission is uniquely positioned to streamline coordination between its member states on regional priorities, creating a clearer channel for consistent engagement with U.S. diplomatic stakeholders.
As the primary takeaway from the gathering, OECS Commission representatives and the U.S. Embassy reached a formal agreement to move forward with preparations for a full OECS-U.S. planning and working-level dialogue at the earliest possible date. This upcoming meeting will serve as a space to identify and align on the specific priority cooperation areas for individual OECS member states, laying the groundwork for broader strategic discussions between OECS Heads of Government and senior U.S. Embassy leadership.