UN General Assembly
1993

In 1965 three of the Caribbean’s most outstanding statesmen created an institution to foster cooperation and to quicken the pace of their countries’ development. Errol Barrow of Barbados, Forbes Burnham of Guyana and V.C. Bird of Antigua and Barbuda met at Dickenson Bay, Antigua. There, they signed a historic document creating the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). Although the three countries they led were not yet sovereign States, those enlightened statesmen envisioned the emergence of an independent, English-speaking Caribbean capable of playing a meaningful role in international affairs. The entire Caribbean, beginning in 1492 and continuing throughout its modern history, had been an object of international intrigue and international competition. How fitting, then, for that region to help shape world history once it had taken hold of its own ambitions and aspirations. In 1973, CARIFTA was transformed into a more extensive institution called the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Today, exactly 20 years after its establishment, all citizens of the 13 countries of CARICOM, whether living in the Caribbean or in the diaspora, celebrate