Small island states in CARICOM must take a firm stand in defence of multilateralism as global powers increasingly abandon international agreements and institutions, Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong has warned.
Ahead of the first full day of the leaders meeting at the CARICOM summit, Ambassador Comissiong noted threats posed by the weakening of global governance structures, citing the United States’ withdrawal from key international agreements as a major concern for Caribbean nations.
“We are living in a very, very difficult and unstable geopolitical situation where one of the major powers in the world has basically launched something of an assault on multilateralism,” Comissiong told reporters.
He pointed to Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Human Rights Council as well as its sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as examples of a growing pattern of disengagement from global cooperation.
The CARICOM envoy said that this move is deeply troubling for the Caribbean, noting that regional stability and economic development depend heavily on a fair and rules-based international system.
“Small island states of the Caribbean community depend so much on the multilateral system, on an international system that is based on rules and stability and that is protective of the interests of small, relatively poor nations,” Ambassador Comissiong added.
Against this backdrop, Comissiong said it was no coincidence that Barbados Prime Minister and CARICOM Chair Mia Mottley invited UN Secretary-General António Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as special guests to the summit.
“Clearly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations is all about defending and preserving that multilateral system, starting from the UN and down,” he said.
He also pointed to Mottley’s recent engagement at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, highlighting what he said was CARICOM’s push to strengthen relationships beyond traditional Western allies.
“We will be seeking to solidify relations within the Caribbean, within Latin America, with our African brothers and sisters,” Comissiong said.
Even as he noted the importance of external alliances, he further stressed that CARICOM must also strengthen internal regional integration, including finalising the free movement of people, the ferry system, airline transportation, and food security under the 25 per cent by 25 initiative.
He also welcomed Martinique’s move to become CARICOM’s seventh associate member, viewing it as a step toward a fully sovereign and independent Caribbean.
“We must never lose sight of the fact that our ultimate objective must be a totally independent and sovereign Caribbean region,” he said, adding that CARICOM must prioritise “freeing [the] region of the scourge of colonialism.” (SM)
The post CARICOM urged defend multilateralism as global powers retreat appeared first on Barbados Today.
