During the handover ceremony, Gonsalves said he was honored to assume the leadership of CARICOM, while thanking the outgoing President and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, for her capable and meritorious service within the regional bloc.
The San Vincentian leader will guide the efforts of the Caribbean community over the next six months and in this regard, he called for rebuilding the area’s economies and health systems in difficult times following the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gonsalves insisted on the need to build a stronger regional air network to allow the free movement of Caribbean peoples.
He called for ensuring the return of the cruise industry, stronger and safer than before, in an attempt to strengthen the region’s democratic institutions.
Also participating in the online conference were CARICOM Secretary Irwin LaRocque, Prime Ministers Keith Michell of Grenada, Allan Chastanet of St. Lucia and Joseph Farrel of Monserrat, as well as the secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
CARICOM is composed of 15 Member States and five partners from The Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in South America, with great diversity in the levels of economic and social development.
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