By Peter Richards
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Feb 24, CMC – Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping, Dr. Terrance Drew, Tuesday night urged support for Cuba as the country counters the latest actions of the United States that are fueling a humanitarian crisis in that Caribbean country.
Drew, who is also the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, told the opening ceremony of the CARICOM summit that the regional grouping must address the humanitarian situation in Cuba, warning that “a destabilised Cuba will definitely affect the whole region”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is due to hold talks with CARICOM leaders here on Wednesday, said that economic reforms could offer the Cuban government a path to easing US pressure even as the Donald Trump administration’s oil blockade pushes the island deeper into crisis.
But Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who moved to the United States in 1956, declined to spell out specific conditions but suggested the regime must allow Cubans greater economic freedom, not just political reforms, if it wants relief from Washington’s tightening grip.
Prime Minister Drew said a destabilised Cuba will destabilise all of the region.
“Cuba’s population is anywhere from nine to 12 million people, excluding Haiti. The rest of CARICOM does not amount to 10 million people. Therefore, if a state within our community is so destabilised, it will affect all of us in the region.
“And as a matter of course, the community must look at the humanitarian issue in Cuba, treat it extremely seriously, and the community must serve as a conduit to ensure that there is communication and dialogue between the forces that be so that the best opportunity can be had. And so we ask the community that even though the situation might be daunting, we have a collective effort to make to stabilise our region.”
Drew, a medical practitioner who studied medicine in Cuba for seven years, said he has in that country “people who are like family to me.
“They reach out to me and tell me of their difficulties. Food has become terribly scarce, and access to water has been challenging. Garbage fills the streets, houses without electricity, and I can only feel the pain of those who treated me so well when I was a student. I can feel their challenges and their difficulties.
“I do not get involved in their politics, but as a matter of humanity, it is challenging. I will say it is almost impossible not to feel the pain that is conveyed to me in messages and calls from those with whom I lived.
“And therefore I want to bring that to CARICOM so that we can look at the humanitarian situation, and like the others would have said before me, let us devise the mechanisms, the channels, so that we can help the people of Cuba at this particular time,” Drew said.
The CARICOM chairman said that CARICOM can help directly become a “conduit for conversations so that the best outcome would be hard.
“And so if ever there were a time to recommit ourselves to togetherness, it is now. If ever there was a time to recommit ourselves to togetherness. It is now, therefore, I call on all of us respecting our sovereignty, and it was put very eloquently by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (Kamla Persad-Bissessar), that our sovereignty, our sovereignties, must be respected.
“But while we do that and that cannot be compromised, I am hoping that this conference be remembered, not merely for eloquence and speeches, not merely for the nice cities of the decorations, not merely for the huge crowd that is here and the excellent entertainment that we had, not merely for the fact that all the leaders are here with us today
“But let this be a conference that must be remembered for action, for execution that would have advanced our Caribbean Community and civilization, let us commit, therefore, to measurable outcomes, disciplined coordination and faithful adherence to the principles that founded our community let us strengthen CARICOM for none, I said, in my opening remarks or my introductory speech, none is coming to save us, we must save ourselves,” Prime Minister Drew said.
He said that the Caribbean has always risen from adversity.
“We have gone through slavery. We have gone through indentured labour. We have gone through colonisation, and yet today, the Caribbean stands as a beacon on the world stage. “
He said prior to the summit he had visited each member country “because I believe so deeply in the ideas of our Caribbean Community and the principles of CARICOM that despite the adversities, I have that hope, that hope of a child, but I think it is well placed that the Caribbean, through this difficult situation that We face at this time, that we shall rise again.
“But we shall not only rise again for those who think we need to be uplifted, but I dare say that we should rise again, and we will rise again together, and we will rise again together, not for the benefit of individual leaders or political entities, but we shall rise again for the benefit of all of our people, from the north to the south, the east and the west.
Prime Minister Drew said that the ongoing situation in Haiti, where criminal gangs have been trying to overthrow the interim government since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, “demands our sustained attention,” adding “a stable Haiti is a stable.
“Caribbean Haitian people are part of our regional family, St. Kitts and Nevis. As small as we are, we welcome members of the Haitian community and extend all of our social services and support, and settled a community of Haitians here in our small state.
“And so even as a small state, we have done such however, our resources, we must admit, are finite. Nevertheless, we must continue to work as a community to ensure that the best opportunity for Haiti to remain at peace and tranquility, stability, democracy, and economic development, all these things that will benefit its people.
“We must not waver. Health and security remain equally indispensable across our region. Shared surveillance, coordinated emergency response, resilient supply chains, and strong public health institutions are essential if we are to continue to be healthy people in this region”.
He said the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) exemplifies how togetherness in health governance saves lives and strengthens confidence, “another CARICOM entity serving our people.
“ None by ourselves could have handled the response during COVID, but through CARPHA, its diligent work, its coordinated efforts, bringing all of us together, we were able to confront COVID as a region and survived, and we were victorious.
“But moreover, the climate crisis compels urgent and coordinated action. Our rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and unpredictable rainfall threaten our infrastructure and economies, despite our emissions being small.
“Though our emissions are small, our exposure is significant; therefore, we must advocate for one voice internationally, while strengthening resilience at home, climate action rooted in togetherness, to safeguard our shared future.”
Prime Minister Drew said that the Caribbean is disproportionately affected negatively by the scourge of climate change, and regional countries must never relent in advocating for themselves on the international stage.
He said technological advancement is also an issue facing the region, and this will define the next generation of Caribbean development.
“Digital Transformation strengthens governance, education, commerce, and security initiatives, such as expanded digital education. These offerings from our fellow CARICOM country of Guyana illustrate how innovation can widen access and empower our youth.
“We must strengthen digital infrastructure, enhance cyber resilience, and cultivate technological capacity that supports diversification and competitiveness. Technological progress pursued together expands the possibility for all of our people here in CARICOM, and so taken collectively, and I’ve only touched on a few issues; these priorities are not isolated ambitions.
“Rather, they are interconnected expressions. They’re interconnected expressions of togetherness in action. Food Security reinforces health, and energy security strengthens trade. Connectivity enables commerce. Technology enhances security. Regional engagement stabilises Haiti, climate resilience protects our future history,” he told the ceremony.
CMC/pr/ir/2026,