CARICOM today appointed Dr. Carla Barnett as the 8th Secretary-General, in doing so she becomes the first female to hold the prestigious post. The announcement was by the chairman of CARICOM Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the statement from the Caricom Secretariat, Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met virtually in a Special Session on Tuesday, 11 May and unanimously agreed to appoint Dr. Carla Natalie Barnett.
Dr. Barnett, a national 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. Dr. Barnett will assume office on 15 August 2021.
Heads of Government in congratulating Dr. Barnett on her selection, said they 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).
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 the UWI.