CARIBBEAN policymakers and scholars who convened at The University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Vice Chancellor’s Forum to discuss the state of regional integration have called on non-compliant states to reconsider enabling unrestricted movement and trade among member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to avoid further deterioration of existing socio-economic issues.

Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves voiced his opinion on those countries who were still either hesitant or resistant to attempts of satisfying Articles 45 and 46 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas — clauses that would permit freedom of movement within the Caribbean.

“To the countries which are trying to limit the extent of the freedom of movement either by not signing on to what we did on October the first or putting a break on the full menu of contingent rights, I think that they’re making a mistake,” he warned.

Dr Gonsalves highlighted countries in the region which are suffering similar socio-economic issues, such declining birth rates and projected ageing populations — factors that, he said, will subsequently result in workforce shortages. He insisted that this form of integration was necessary to ensure that the Caribbean stays afloat.

“They’re not understanding that all of us have a problem with particular levels of skills and even ordinary labour because we have a difficulty in the demographics in our respective countries. The fertility rate of women, statistically, the replacement rate should be 2.1 children on per woman in the Caribbean, but it’s now hovering about 1.5, 1.6, and the populations are really stagnating,” he said.

“They’re also getting older because there’s not a sufficiently young replenishment, and this is a huge problem that we are going to see manifest in another decade or two, just like the problem is happening in Japan and in South Korea where there’s extreme cases currently,” continued Gonsalves, who charged that leaders needed to take steps to avoid similar outcomes.

As of October 1, 2025, Barbados, Dominica, Belize, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have implemented absolute freedom of movement where citizens of the four countries can travel to and work in each other’s countries for an unlimited period of time and can work on arrival without needing a work permit, except where prohibited on the grounds prescribed by law, such as national security concerns.

Head of the Political Science Department at The UWI, St Augustine campus, Dr Indira Rampersad shared similar views, noting that there had been events in the past that permitted full freedom of movement successfully that could be used as a precedent by other countries going forward.

“In 2007 the Caribbean hosted the International Cricket World Cup and instituted a single-entry visa in order to facilitate easy movement between the host islands. During the 27th meeting at the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2006 leaders had reached an agreement to ensure hassle-free movement for visitors to the Cricket World Cup as well as intelligence sharing for security during the event. This experience is perceived as a successful example of how cross-country coordination for facilitating the movement of travellers is possible,” she said.

Dr Rampersad continued to delve into occurrences when unrestricted movement was tried and proven in the region, noting that the statistics indicate that the Caribbean would have little issue adjusting should all members offer full cooperation.