The Installation Ceremony for the new Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr. Carla Barnett was held on Monday, 16 August, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. ECT.

The Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Hon Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda will welcome the new Secretary-General and bring greetings from the Conference of Heads of Government.

Dr. Barnett will address the Ceremony and is expected to outline her vision and indicate some matters that will occupy her immediate attention.

Dr. Carla Barnett Bio

Dr. Carla N. Barnett, a national of Belize, is the first woman and the first Belizean to be selected for the post. She will replace Ambassador Irwin LaRocque who is completing his second term.

A former Deputy Secretary General of CARICOM, Dr. Barnett was formerly vice president of the Belize Senate and has served in various ministerial capacities in her country’s government. She has also served as Financial Secretary of Belize and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, as well as Vice-President (Operations) of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Dr. Barnett attained her Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the UWI.