Grenada PM takes over as CARICOM chair pledging fight for climate justice

(Reuters) - Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Sunday took over as the new rotating chairman of CARICOM, the regional bloc of the Caribbean, pledging to work for climate justice, reduce gun violence and advance digital technology.

Mitchell also said he would champion advancing the free movement of people across the bloc, which formally added the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao to its ranks.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Mitchell took over the six-month chairmanship of the bloc from Guyana's President Irfaan Ali during a summit that was delayed when Hurricane Beryl struck Grenada as the Atlantic's earliest Category 4 storm on record, devastating entire islands.

Caribbean nations have long called for developed nations to honor pledges to reduce emissions and provide climate funds to mitigate the impacts of rising temperatures, which are causing more extreme weather as well as stronger, more frequent storms.

Many countries in the region are highly indebted due to the costs of rebuilding from natural disasters.

KEY QUOTE

"If someone chooses to bomb your country, it's existential but easy to stop. You negotiate, you call a truce. Explain to the citizens of Carriacou and Petite Martinique how we will stop these Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes from hitting them," Mitchell said at the opening of the three-day summit.

"That is why CARICOM must, shall and will continue to advocate for climate justice," he added. "The stark reality that we may not have a country to pass on to future generations."

CONTEXT

CARICOM promotes economic integration and cooperation across a region of mostly small island developing states, particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and global economic crises.

It has called for reparations for slavery and climate change through mechanisms such as debt cancellation, and its members last year backed a lawsuit looking to hold U.S. gunmakers accountable for firearms trafficked abroad.

Around 87% of firearms traced in the Caribbean come from the United States, according to U.S. government data.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Chris Reese)