Premier Hon. André Ebanks and his fellow Caribbean Overseas Territories Leaders have concluded their 2026 Caucus meeting in Hamilton, Bermuda, held from 8 to 10 September, in preparation for this year's United Kingdom (UK) Joint Ministerial Council, scheduled for November.
The meeting, hosted by the Government of Bermuda under the chairmanship of Premier Hon. David Burt, brought together the Premiers of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Montserrat, along with the Deputy Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, for discussions on matters of shared concern across the region, including participation in international fora, health and social care, the impacts of climate change, and financial services, trade and economic partnerships.
As highlights from the outcome statement issued at the close of the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed that the Overseas Territories are strongest when acting together; and the right of self-determination of the Territories under the Charter of the United Nations. They also agreed that the positions reached during the meeting will be advanced collectively, and committed to continuing cross-regional collaboration.
Premier Ebanks said, “It has been a wonderful 2026 Caucus meeting of the Caribbean Overseas Territories leaders. The theme that kept coming up in each agenda item was working collectively. We have such a shared history, such a shared set of challenges and such a shared sense of relationship, and even though there is of course uniqueness between our Territories, our interests are broadly aligned.
“As we continue to talk, we will address the things that matter to our people such as constitutional relationships, cost of living, advent of AI, financial services and health services – the full gamut, as we work to help our people and take our countries from strength to strength.”
He further highlighted that the cost of living resonates not just for Cayman, but for all Caribbean Overseas Territories, particularly because of the high importation of goods. “All of us need to look at ways to assist our people, particularly when it comes to the cost of energy. That is a shared challenge among the Caribbean Overseas Territories, and one that really resonated for me from a Cayman perspective.”
The leaders agreed that their 2027 Caucus meeting will be held in the Cayman Islands.