CARICOM To Address Issues Faced By Rastafarians 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is set to convene a meeting of representatives from Member States and other key stakeholders to examine issues affecting Rastafarians across the Region. This, against the background of persistent discrimination and marginalisation experienced by Rastafarians, both in the Region and internationally.

The decision was taken at the Forty-second Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, held on 8 May 2026. 

In the Meeting, Member States noted that many Rastafarians continue to face exclusion in areas such as education, employment, and public life. They reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the full recognition and protection of the rights of Rastafarians as equal members of society.

They also agreed to establish a committee comprising representatives from Barbados, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, to advance consideration of issues affecting Rastafarians at both the regional and international levels.

They highlighted several positive national initiatives already undertaken by Member States to address historical injustices experienced by Rastafarians, including official public apologies, provision of land grants and legislation to protect individuals from discrimination in the workplace. 

These initiatives, they observed, are examples of progressive action that could inform a coordinated regional approach.

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About CARICOM:

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was established on 4 July 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which was revised in 2001 to allow for the establishment of a single market and economy. CARICOM comprises fifteen Member States and six Associate Members and is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under 30 years old. CARICOM’s work rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security cooperation.

The members of CARICOM work together to create a Community that is integrated, inclusive and resilient; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity; a Community which is a unified and competitive force in the global arena, where every citizen is secure and has the opportunity to realise his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice, and contributes to, and shares in, its economic, social and cultural prosperity.

CARICOM remains one of the best examples of integration in the developing world.

The CARICOM Secretariat, the principal administrative organ of the Community, is headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana.

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