Georgetown (TDI): The Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr. Carla Barnett, formally accredited Giuditta Giorgio as Italy’s new Ambassador to the regional bloc in a virtual ceremony on Thursday.
The accreditation marks the latest development in a relationship that has grown steadily over more than two decades.
Dr. Barnett noted that the partnership traces its roots to 2004, when the first Italian Ambassador was accredited to CARICOM, laying what she described as the foundation for increasingly close ties.
The ceremony was more than a diplomatic formality. Both sides used the occasion to take stock of a relationship that now spans energy, culture, academia, and security; and to sketch out ambitions for where it should go next.
🤝🏼 Strengthening CARICOM–Italy Ties
On 28 May, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett accredited Her Excellency Giuditta Giorgio as the new Ambassador of Italy to the Caribbean Community, marking another step forward in a partnership that spans over two decades.
📣 “Today,… pic.twitter.com/r5L0A0MkEe
— CARICOM: Caribbean Community (@CARICOMorg) May 29, 2026
On the practical side, Dr. Barnett pointed to Italy’s concrete contributions under a 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Cooperation.
These include a six-million-euro contribution toward strengthening national energy grids across 11 CARICOM Member States, as well as cooperation on protecting the marine and terrestrial ecosystems that underpin life across the island region.
Cultural diplomacy has also featured in the relationship. Italy supported CARIFESTA XV, the 15th Caribbean Festival of Arts held in Barbados last year, which brought Italian fashion into the Caribbean marketplace.
Dr. Barnett also flagged growing academic links between Italian universities and the University of the West Indies as a promising area for further growth.
The Secretary-General used the occasion to raise some of the Caribbean’s most pressing concerns on the world stage.
Read More: CARICOM Secretary General Urges Caribbean Unity at Foreign Ministers’ Summit
Chief among them was the ongoing crisis in Haiti. She called for continued international commitment to the Gang Suppression Force established under UN Security Council Resolution 2793, describing Italy’s role as a partner in peacebuilding as vital as the country works toward general elections.
Dr. Barnett also pressed for Italy’s backing on reforming the global financial architecture; a long-standing CARICOM priority.
She called for the operationalization of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, a framework that would assess nations not solely by GDP but by a broader measure of their exposure to economic and environmental shocks.
CARICOM values Italy’s advocacy for Small Island and Low-Lying Coastal Developing States in major forums where they lack direct representation, including the G7, G20, and the OECD.
For her part, Ambassador Giorgio reaffirmed Rome’s commitment to the relationship, and pointed to a €50 million soft loan being deployed in synergy with the Caribbean Development Bank as evidence of Italy’s continued investment in the region’s future.
