French Guiana has officially joined the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as its eighth Associate Member, following the signing of a formal agreement outlining the terms of its membership on Tuesday.
According to Antigua News Room, the agreement was signed during the opening of the Fifty-First Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held in Saint Lucia. CARICOM Chairman and Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre signed the document alongside Gabriel Serville, President of the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana.
The agreement defines the conditions under which French Guiana will participate in the regional bloc. Following the signing ceremony, French Guiana's representatives joined regional leaders attending the ongoing summit in Saint Lucia.
The Caribbean Community was established on July 4, 1973, with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. The treaty was revised in 2001 to pave the way for the establishment of a single market and economy.
CARICOM currently comprises fifteen full Member States and now seven Associate Members, serving approximately sixteen million citizens, 60 percent of whom are under the age of 30. The organisation's work rests on four main pillars: economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development, and security cooperation.
The bloc's member states work collectively toward a community that is integrated, inclusive, and resilient — one driven by knowledge, innovation, and productivity, with a commitment to human rights, social justice, and shared economic and cultural prosperity.
CARICOM is widely regarded as one of the foremost examples of regional integration in the developing world. Its principal administrative organ, the CARICOM Secretariat, is headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana.
