The Premier, the Hon. David Burt JP, MP, travelled to Guyana from 24-29 February to attend the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government.
The conference, which took place from Feb. 25 - 28, was hosted under the Chairmanship of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The event gathers the fifteen (15) member states and five (5) associate members in the Caribbean region. This conference of heads takes place at the beginning and middle of each year.
Bermuda has been an Associate Member of CARICOM since 2003, which has provided Bermuda with opportunities in various sectors, including sports, arts, science, public health, education, business, energy, technology, and technical training. While also allowing us to foster strong ties and collaboration with our regional partners with similar political backgrounds within the CARICOM family.
This gathering serves as a platform for the Heads of Government to discuss and make decisions on matters related to regional cooperation, integration, and development. Topics on the agenda include regional security, the Single Market and Economy, food and nutrition security, Climate Resilience and Energy Security.
While in Guyana, the Premier also took the opportunity to meet with the Hon. David Rutley, UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, to discuss the upcoming visit of UK MPs to Bermuda and expressed thanks for the Entrustment from the UK Government to the Government of Bermuda to begin the consultative process of exploring full membership in Caricom.
In addition, Premier Burt also met with Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland KC for a bilateral meeting following their informal engagement at COP28. The Premier and Baroness Scotland discussed the government’s desire for Bermuda’s insurance industry to fully participate in the Commonwealth Climate Finance Hub. This would help open opportunities for technical cooperation across member states and benefit from Bermuda’s growing expertise in climate finance.
Premier’s accommodation was covered by the host Government.