The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organisation that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members throughout the Americas, The Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. It has the primary objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy. The organisation was established in 1973,[11] by its four founding members signing the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Its primary activities involve:
- Coordinating economic policies and development planning.
- Devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction.
- Operating as a regional single market for many of its members (Caricom Single Market).
- Handling regional trade disputes.
The secretariat headquarters is in Georgetown, Guyana. CARICOM has been granted the official United Nations General Assembly observer status.[12]
CARICOM was established by the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean and currently includes all the independent Anglophone island countries plus Belize, Guyana, Montserrat and Suriname, as well as all other British Caribbean territories and Bermuda as associate members. English was its sole working language into the 1990s. The organisation became multilingual with the addition of Dutch and Sranan Tongo-speaking Suriname in 1995 and the French and Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti in 2002. Furthermore, it added Spanish as the fourth official language in 2003. In July 2012, CARICOM announced they considered making French and Dutch official languages.[13] In 2001, the Conference of Heads of Governments signed a revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that cleared the way to transform the idea of a common market CARICOM into the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).[14] Part of the revised treaty establishes and implements the Caribbean Court of Justice.
- ^ "Our Symbols — Caribbean Community (CARICOM)". Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Who we are". Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Spanish agreed as CARICOM second language". www.landofsixpeoples.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Our Culture". Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2007.
- ^ EU Style Structure Evident in CARICOM
- ^ "ROTATION SCHEDULE FOR THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE CONFERENCE (1 JANUARY 2018 TO 30 JUNE 2025)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b "CARICOM – Caribbean Community 2021". countryeconomy.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ "GDP, current prices. Purchasing power parity; billions of international dollars". IMF. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
- ^ List of countries by HDI
- ^ Ramjeet, Oscar (16 April 2009). "CARICOM countries will speak with one voice in meetings with US and Canadian leaders". Caribbean Net News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
- ^ "Intergovernmental Organizations". United Nations. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Communiqué Issued at the Conclusion of the Thirty-Third Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, 4–6 July 2012, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia" Archived 16 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine, "Heads of Government recognized that, although English was the official language of the Community, the facility to communicate in their languages could enhance the participation of Haiti and Suriname in the integration process. They therefore requested the conduct of a study to examine the possibilities and implications, including costs, of introducing French and Dutch."
- ^ "CARICOM (Revised Treaty)" (PDF). (573 KB)