CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — Dominica has assumed chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Group in Geneva, succeeding Haiti, according to the St Lucia-based Organisation of  Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission.

The Caricom Group in Geneva comprises the Caricom ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Geneva. Its members include The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, the OECS and Trinidad and Tobago. The missions are accredited to the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations based in Geneva, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The group operates in accordance with the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which calls on Caricom member states to coordinate their foreign policies and as a result, the Geneva-based missions meet regularly to review and align their positions on issues before the many UN agencies and international organisations that make up International Geneva. The work of the heads of mission is supported by a corresponding group of technical experts from the member missions.

Under the group’s rotating annual chairmanship, the OECS and Dominica have taken over leadership for the coming year.

The Permanent Delegation of the OECS in Geneva is headed by Ambassador Colin Murdoch, while the mission of the Commonwealth of Dominica is led by Chargé d’Affaires Kamila Bell.

“Our group faces a challenging year ahead because of the volatility in international relations and the many changes taking place but we will work assiduously with our colleagues to secure and promote the interests of the small states of the Caribbean region,” said Bell during the handover ceremony.

Ambassador Murdoch emphasised the importance of effective coordination and collective leadership in advancing the region’s priorities.

“Leadership matters and the missions of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the OECS can and will coordinate the policies of the Caricom Group in Geneva to better serve the interests of our region.”

The OECS Commission said that the transition underscores the sub-regional grouping’s continued commitment to presenting unified positions on key international issues and strengthening the voice of Caricom’s small states within the multilateral system.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat.