Which Caribbean treaty established the Caribbean Community, commonly known as CARICOM?

The Treaty of Chaguaramas established the Caribbean Community, commonly known as CARICOM.

The treaty was signed on July 4, 1973, at Chaguaramas in Trinidad and Tobago by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. It created a regional organization intended to coordinate economic integration, foreign policy and functional cooperation among Caribbean states.

The original treaty also established the Caribbean Common Market. In 2001, members signed a revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which created the CARICOM Single Market and Economy framework and broadened the community’s institutional structure.

The treaty’s name can be confused with the Treaty of Basseterre, which created the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in 1981. The Treaty of Rome belongs to European integration, while the Treaty of Georgetown created the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. Chaguaramas is the specific treaty associated with CARICOM’s founding.