Caribbean Community

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies.

Its main purposes are to

• promote economic integration and cooperation among its members
• to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared
• to coordinate foreign policy.

Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction; operating as a regional single market for many of its members (Caricom Single Market); and handling regional trade disputes.

The secretariat headquarters is based in Georgetown, Guyana.

The web site is at

Members

Full members

1. Antigua and Barbuda (4 July 1974)
2. Bahamas (4 July 1983) (not part of customs union)
3. Barbados (1 August 1973)
4. Belize (1 May 1974)
5. Dominica (1 May 1974)
6. Grenada (1 May 1974)
7. Guyana (1 August 1973)
8. Haiti (provisional membership on 4 July 1998, full membership on 2 July 2002)
9. Jamaica (1 August 1973)
10. Montserrat (a territory of the United Kingdom) (1 May 1974)
11. Saint Kitts and Nevis (26 July 1974 as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla)
12. Saint Lucia (1 May 1974)
13. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1 May 1974)
14. Suriname (4 July 1995)
15. Trinidad and Tobago (1 August 1973)

Associates

1. Anguilla (July 1999)
2. Bermuda (2 July 2003)
3. British Virgin Islands (July 1991)
4. Cayman Islands (16 May 2002)
5. Turks and Caicos Islands (July 1991)

Observers

1. Aruba
2. Colombia
3. Dominican Republic
4. Mexico
5. Netherlands Antilles
6. Puerto Rico
7. Venezuela