The Caribbean Community, commonly called CARICOM, was created by the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973.
The treaty was signed on 4 July 1973 by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. It established a regional community intended to promote economic integration, coordination of foreign policy and cooperation in areas such as education and health.
CARICOM replaced the Caribbean Free Trade Association, known as CARIFTA. The original treaty entered into force on 1 August 1973, and the organization’s membership later expanded across the Caribbean.
CARICOM is sometimes confused with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, a smaller grouping founded by the Treaty of Basseterre in 1981. The two organizations overlap geographically but are separate institutions.