CALL FOR UNITY
Holness urges Latin American, Caribbean to move from fragmented national initiatives to aligned regional priorities, stamp place in global system
Published:Thursday | January 29, 2026 | 12:09 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
PANAMA CITY, Panama:
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is calling for an end to the era of isolated markets, urging his regional counterparts to abandon fragmented national agendas in favour of a singular, united hemispheric goal.
Holness, who was speaking on day one of the plenary session of the CAF-International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, warned that national borders are becoming economic barriers at a time when the region is navigating global uncertainty and the question of agency.
“The question before us is not whether the global system is changing. It is whether our region will change with intention or drift by default,” said Holness, who shared the stage of the two-day conference in Panama City with leaders from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Bolivia, Guatemala, Colombia, and Chile.
Holness said that, for too long, Latin America and the Caribbean have been described primarily through a language of vulnerability, noting that this is not the region’s destiny.
He argued that the region possesses what the world increasingly needs, listing young populations, strategic geography, extraordinary natural assets, food-producing capabilities, renewable energy potential, creative industries, and resilient democracies as its strengths.
He asserted that the era of Latin America and the Caribbean as a peripheral player is over, and in a defiant call for regional unity, challenged regional leaders to scale their ambitions or risk being left behind in the global race for green tech and digital dominance.
“We are not peripheral to the global system. We are central to its stability, sustainability and future growth. But to project that reality we must act deliberately. We must articulate clearer regional positions on climate resilience, supply chain diversification, digital inclusion and sustainable energy,” he said in front of the thousands in attendance, including diplomats and business leaders.
“We must move from fragmented national initiatives to aligned regional priorities. We must shift from reacting to global change to anticipating it, helping shape the standards and partnerships of the next decade,” added Holness.
SIMMERING TENSION
However, his call comes amid a backdrop of simmering regional tension, deepening ideological rifts that threaten to shred the region’s identity as a zone of peace and re-emerging United States policies that have strained relations with several Latin American governments.
Still, he said leaders must look towards a regional competitiveness agenda anchored in connectivity, logistics, energy security, and digital transformation.
Further, he said Latin American and Caribbean countries must ensure institutional readiness, credible frameworks that give global partners confidence that their ambitions can be executed with professionalism and continuity.
He said there must also be a renewed diplomatic and economic posture deepening engagement not only with traditional partners, but with emerging markets, global value chain leaders, and the rapidly expanding green technology ecosystem.
“If our region is to rise, we must deepen our economic connections. If our economies are to scale, we must scale our ambitions. If our voice is to carry globally, we must speak not as isolated markets, but as a coherent hemisphere.
“The opportunity before us is not modest. It is broad, bold and transformative,” said Holness.
He asserted that Jamaica stands ready to play its part through stronger institutions, more efficient government, and an increasingly competitive economic environment.
“We intend to contribute to a hemisphere that is not merely participating in global affairs, but shaping them. Let us therefore commit to a shared regional vision, a hemisphere that acts with discipline, speaks with purpose, and competes with confidence. A hemisphere that is resilient, dynamic and future-ready. A hemisphere that the world recognises not for its challenges, but for its capabilities,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned that the next decade will not belong to those who wait for opportunity to arrive, but those who create it.
He said countries of Latin America and the Caribbean “standing together” can shape a future worthy of its people and equal to its potential, in the same breath opening an invitation to regional partners and investors to look to Jamaica for economic opportunities.