By: Staff Writer
February 27, 2026
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Godwin Friday, said at the 50th Conference of Heads of Government for CARICOM that the regional body needs to “do a better job,” at engaging their citizenry about CARICOM affairs.
Friday, whose New Democratic Party just won parliamentary elections on November 27, 2025 in SVG, said: “I believe for all of us in the current global realities, we need each other more than ever.
“If we do not continue to strive together and pull our limited power and resources, we cannot hope to withstand the increasing political and economic headwinds and deliver better living standards for our people.
“That is the central value of our integration movement, the reason we make such an effort, just to be here, through CARICOM, we are collectively better able to stake our claim in an evolving world.
“Let us never be so discouraged by our shortcomings that we fail to see just how much we have accomplished over the years. While we must do better, let us acknowledge that what we have done together has been a lot.”
Friday added: “Indeed I say, let us shout about it, so that not only the technocrats in government offices across the region, but also ordinary citizens too, would know about each step forward, big or small. This would enhance the credibility and the relevance of the organization in our respective countries. Clearly, we must do a better job of engaging our people in the affairs of CARICOM.
“What we do here and in other forums must not only be about them. It must also be with them, for that is where our strength truly lies in the people.
Sometimes we question our purpose, but let us resolve that when there are doubts, there be only about how, and never about whether we go forward, and then we can confidently work together on real issues confronting our people, eliminating poverty and creating prosperity, removing obstacles to commerce, including currency related ones, closing the skills gap in our workforce to meet the needs of our economies and promote employment, confronting climate change and resilience, financing, promoting peace and security In Haiti and our region, addressing the emerging humanitarian crisis in Cuba and Cuba’s place within our Caribbean friends.
“Thank you for welcoming me so warmly in this conference, to the people of St Kittd and Nevis and to Prime Minister Drew, thank you so much for literally rolling out the red carpet yesterday.
“I look forward to working with you, but please, let us quicken the pace. The road ahead may be arduous and full of obstacles, but it is a viable path made even more certain when we decide to walk together, when we hold our neighbour’s hand. Now we make the journey easier and safer for those who follow, I say thank you and God bless I pray that we have a successful conference.”