USVI and CARICOM moved toward technical cooperation agreement after July 15 meeting

The U.S. Virgin Islands and the Caribbean Community were moving toward a technical cooperation agreement following a July 15, 2024, meeting between Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., USVI Washington Representative Teri Helenese, and CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations Elizabeth Solomon, according to Government House.

Government House said the arrangement would upgrade the territory’s previous functional cooperation with CARICOM and would be formalized through a memorandum of understanding.

The administration said the discussions covered energy, the blue economy, agriculture, tourism, technology, intraregional trade, labor mobility and education.

Government House also said Helenese described technical cooperation as a step toward possible associate membership in CARICOM, while noting that the U.S. Virgin Islands’ status as a U.S. territory would require specific federal authorizations for that path.

According to the statement, Helenese also said cooperation with CARICOM could help address labor shortages in the territory’s service industry, including through regional employment links tied to disaster recovery and the Visa Waiver Program.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/usvi-caricom-advance-partnership-toward-technical-cooperation/