CARICOM Summit: Dominica’s Skerrit Challenges Limited Free Movement for Selected Groups
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit opposes limiting free movement within CARICOM to select groups, advocating for equal access for all Caribbean nationals.
Speaking ahead of the CARICOM Summit in Barbados, which starts Wednesday, Skerrit confirmed that free movement under CSME will be on the agenda.
“At the conference of heads we will be discussing many issues including free movement. As you know I have been advancing the cause of all people in CARICOM. I am hoping that we can make some progress in Barbados and get the full free movement,” he stated. “I have made it clear to them, because they now want to add pilots and flight attendants. I want people to support this because this is just convenient and I believe that if we are truly committed to the CARICOM project, which I believe we are, then we have to show it in a tangible way.”
Skerrit says he believes the best way to show this is for people to be able to move freely in the Caribbean.
“This notion that people are going to flock into one country or another country, the evidence doesn’t show that. None of our economies are strong as it is that people are going to flock to a country for opportunities. We do not have enough people in the Caribbean. We need to be able to have the movement of people so that we all can benefit from the skills, talents, and opportunities that exist within the Caribbean space.”
The conference will take place from February 19-21 under the theme: “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development.” An opening ceremony will be held on the afternoon of February 19 at the Lord Erskine Sandiford Centre, Bridgetown.
Heads of Government are expected to discuss several pressing issues for the Community, including food and nutrition security; climate change and the climate finance agenda; as well as the ongoing challenges in Haiti; security issues; digital resilience; external relations matters and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) among other topics.