Washington DC, 4 July 2022(TDI): CARICOM Day is observed as a holiday in Guyana on the first Monday of July. This day marks the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973.
The pact established the Caribbean Community and Common Market later renamed the Caribbean Community. The headquarters of CARICOM is in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital city.
CARICOM began as an English-speaking Caribbean community but has subsequently expanded to include Dutch and French-speaking countries. It now has 15 member countries and aims to encourage economic development.
This community works for the Caribbean’s least-developed countries in an environmentally conscious manner. Guyana is one of the poorest countries in South America, making it a deserving receiver of CARICOM assistance.
Happy CARICOM Day!
Canada is proud of its strong relationship with the @CARICOMorg and will continue to engage the region as a partner for economic and social development.
🇨🇦🇬🇾🇸🇷🇹🇹🇧🇸🇧🇧🇧🇿🇩🇲🇬🇩🇭🇹🇯🇲🇲🇸🇰🇳🇱🇨🇻🇨🇦🇬#CARICOMDay@CanadaFP @SG_CARICOM pic.twitter.com/eucexmKfc9
— Canada in Guyana (@CanAmbGuyana) July 4, 2022
Guyana’s substantial mineral richness and other natural resources, combined with the manufacturing and construction sectors, have resulted in a fast-growing, albeit rather sluggish, economy.
Between 2000 and 2007, the economy grew at a two percent yearly rate, but four percent growth has been the norm since 2008. The Guyanese government is devoted to improving the suffering of the country’s poor, as is CARICOM on a Caribbean-wide scale.
What is CARICOM?
Caricom is a union of twenty countries, fifteen of which are members and five of which are associate members. It has a population of about sixteen million people, 60% of whom are under the age of 30.
They are primarily Indigenous Peoples, Africans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese, Portuguese, and Javanese. The community is multilingual, with English as the primary language and French and Dutch as secondary languages.
CARICOM is made up of developing-country states, all Members and Associate Members are island governments. Except for Belize in Central America and Guyana and Suriname in South America.
Happy #Caricomday and congratulations to the incoming 🇸🇷 #Suriname Chair! Beautiful opening ceremony for the 43rd Heads of Gvmt Conference in Paramaribo #CARICOMHGC43 @globe58 @CARICOMorg @SG_CARICOM @eu_eeas @WasilewskaEU @CSantokhi @DELGUYGEO https://t.co/f3i3CDf97B pic.twitter.com/2IILisJ1lG
— Fernando Ponz Cantó (@FJPonzCanto) July 4, 2022
If in Guyana for CARICOM day, some activities you might want to engage in include:
- Attend one of the many beach parties held on or near CARICOM Day. There are frequently accompanying music festivals that feature a wide range of musical styles.
- Keep an eye out for the Wheat Up CARICOM Day Cycling Classic. This thirty-lap bike race is entertaining to watch, and the victors receive cash prizes, trophies, and a year’s supply of “Wheat Up.”
- Pay a visit to the Guyana National Museum. There are various displays that showcase Guyana’s diverse biodiversity and cultural heritage.
- Hike Mount Roraima, a 1,300-foot-high plateau home to various rare plant species, rare animals such as the Roraima bush toad, and some of the world’s highest waterfalls.
- Take a walk across the Iwokrama Forest’s rope bridges. You will be exploring the depths of a massive rainforest with a canopy height of 70 to 100 feet.
If Guyana is visited on CARICOM Day, there is a different environment. Many people are off work and enjoying the official activities at the beach or another venue.
Everyone is welcome to join them, and they are also welcome to explore Guyana’s immense natural resources.
There is much to learn about its distinct history and to experience life in a country. It nearly appears to be its own “micro-world.”
