Dr Barnett first woman to assume CARICOM General-Secretary office

Caribbean: Dr Carla Natalie Barnett was appointed as the 8th CARICOM Secretary-General on May 11 after Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community agreed unanimously in a virtual meeting. 

National of Belize, Dr Barnett is the first woman and the first person from Belize to be selected for such position. She would replace Ambassador Irwin LaRocque as he completes his second consecutive term and assume office on August 15, 2021. 

All heads of the government in CARICOM congratulated Dr Barnett on the appointment and recognised the historic moment for the community. 

She has served as former Deputy Secretary General of CARICOM and was vice president of the Belize Senate including several ministerial positions in Belize’s government. She has also served as vice president of the Caribbean Development Bank, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize and Financial Secretary of the country. 

Dr Barnett attained her Ph.D in Social Sciences from the renowned University of West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica. Apart from this, she has a masters degree of Science in Economics from the Canadian university, University of Western Ontario, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of West Indies.