“Our Sovereignty Depends on the Collective”  Prime Minister Drew Underscores CARICOM’s Role

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, February 13, 2026 (PMO) – Prime Minister and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Hon Dr. Terrance Drew, has strongly reaffirmed the indispensable role of CARICOM in sustaining the sovereignty, stability, and development of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean region.

While speaking in Parliament this week,  the Prime Minister made it clear that for small island states, regional integration is not a matter of convenience but one of survival and strategic necessity.

As Chair of CARICOM, Dr. Drew underscored that the regional architecture provides shared institutions that no single small state could sustainably replicate on its own. He pointed specifically to the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) as foundational pillars of collective Caribbean strength.

“I want our people to know that CARICOM is important to us. We cannot do without these vital services. Can you imagine if University of the West Indies is no longer there?” he asked. “Imagine if you don’t have CDEMA anymore. If we were to bear the cost of preparation for any type of disaster by ourselves… we will not survive.”

Dr. Drew further highlighted the role of CARPHA in safeguarding public health across the region, particularly in the face of global health threats. “Our very health, the protection that we enjoy from diseases, is because you have an organization that is ensuring that that happens.”

The Prime Minister articulated the concept of collective sovereignty, a principle at the heart of CARICOM’s integration model,  explaining that regional unity enhances, rather than diminishes, national independence.

He warned that without coordinated regional mechanisms, individual member states would struggle to secure adequate human resources, financial capacity, and institutional infrastructure, and further noted that regional institutions lower costs, pool expertise, and create shared platforms for education, disaster response, examinations standards, and public health surveillance, systems that are particularly critical for small, open economies like Saint Kitts and Nevis.

As Chairman of CARICOM for 2026, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening dialogue among member states, promoting unity, and ensuring that CARICOM remains responsive to the geopolitical, economic, and security challenges facing the region.

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