CARICOM and Indian leaders convene for landmark Summit

Fourteen Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Georgetown, Guyana, on November 20, 2024. This historic summit marks the first stand-alone meeting between CARICOM Heads of Government and India on CARICOM soil, aiming to deepen ties in economic cooperation, agriculture, food security, health, and science.

The event’s opening ceremony will include remarks from CARICOM Chair and Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell; Guyana’s President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister Modi; and CARICOM Secretary-General, Carla Barnett.

CARICOM leaders and Modi last met in 2019 during the 74th UN General Assembly to discuss renewable energy and climate change initiatives, supported by a US$150 million Indian credit line.

Elizabeth Solomon, Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations at the CARICOM Secretariat, emphasized the importance of India’s role on the global stage and the potential for stronger technical partnerships, advocacy for small states, and closer people-to-people connections.

India and CARICOM’s diplomatic relationship dates back to 1985 with a Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement. In 2003, a CARICOM delegation formalized further cooperation through a Standing Joint Commission.

Subsequent meetings, including the first CARICOM-India Joint Commission in 2015, have focused on areas such as agribusiness, health, fisheries, and disaster management. The two sides continue to collaborate through political, ministerial, and multilateral engagements within the United Nations, Commonwealth, G-77, and Non-Aligned Movement.