Belize’s Dr. Carla Barnett Sworn in as CARICOM SecGen

Gaston Browne

Belize shines again tonight as our very own former Minister of Labour, Doctor Carla Barnett was today installed as the eighth Secretary-General of CARICOM. Doctor Barnett was sworn in by Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne during a brief virtual ceremony of CARICOM this morning.

Gaston Browne, Chairman, CARICOM

“As we join this noble endeavour of Caribbean integration, I know that you bring vast expertise and experience to this position. Your previously years as Assistant Secretary-General obviously places you in an ideal position to hit the ground running. As the first female CARICOM Secretary-General, I know that you will succeed in demonstrating to the world that talent resides in both sexes equally and that the leadership of our regional institutions is open to those talented sons and daughters who bring their requisite skills to the table.”

Carla Barnett

Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General, CARICOM

“Chair, I begin my tenure with no misapprehensions about the severity of the challenges that our community faces economically, socially, environmentally and financially. The thrust to build resilience against the existential threat of climate change in all its dimensions and the urgency of constructing a recovery from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic demand our continued focused energy. Even as we address these critical tasks, we cannot afford to neglect youth unemployment, which has led the explosion of the jobless in the wake of COVID-19. A troubling rise in crime, especially violent crime in the home and on the streets, the need to strengthen food security, reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases and more effectively address the issue of blacklisting by the major industrial countries and the consequential loss of correspondent banking relations. All of these affect the lives and livelihoods of each and everyone in our community.  It is, therefore, incumbent on all of us to be engaged in finding solutions and taking action to overcome these obstacles in our path to a secure, viable and ultimately sustainable prosperous community for all.”

While Barnett highlighted the successes that the region celebrated in the recent Olympic Games, she also extended sympathy to the survivors in Haiti who lost loved ones and lost property to a devastating earthquake on Saturday, followed by torrential rains and flooding now by Tropical Depression Grace.