BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has a new Secretary-General following a Heads of Government Meeting today (May 11).
A statement from the CARICOM Secretariat said that the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community Meeting, which was held virtually in a Special Session today, unanimously agreed to appoint Dr. Carla Natalie Barnett as the eighth CARICOM Secretary-General.
Dr. Barnett, a citizen 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.
She will assume office on August 15, 2021.
In congratulating Dr. Barnett on her selection, the Heads of Government recognised the historic moment for the Community.
“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),” CARICOM disclosed in the statement.
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 UWI.
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