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French Guiana Joins CARICOM as Eighth Associate Member
French Guiana has officially become the eighth associate member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The agreement was signed in St. Lucia by Philip J. Pierre, CARICOM chairman and prime minister of St. Lucia, and Gabriel Serville, president of the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana.
Associate membership grants non-independent territories a voice in the bloc’s affairs without the full voting rights of its 15 sovereign members. For French Guiana, an overseas department of France, the move unlocks cooperation in trade, climate resilience, and border security, deepening its institutional ties to the wider Caribbean.
The accession, finalized during CARICOM’s 51st heads-of-government summit, signals a broader push for regional integration. It expands the bloc’s geographic and economic footprint, demonstrating that Caribbean diplomacy extends well beyond its island-nations.