UAE engagement with CARICOM has moved towards a more structured trade and investment track after Caribbean foreign ministers agreed to explore a framework that could widen economic cooperation, climate financing and infrastructure partnerships between the Gulf state and the 15-member regional bloc.The push was highlighted at the 29th Regular Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community, held in Paramaribo, Suriname, from May 20 to 21. Omar Shehadeh, Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Caribbean and Pacific States, represented the UAE as a special guest at the meeting, signalling Abu Dhabi’s effort to build deeper diplomatic and commercial links with small island and coastal economies across the Caribbean.
Discussions focused on trade, sustainable energy, infrastructure development, digital transformation, innovation and people-to-people links. The UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement model featured prominently, with officials presenting it as a possible template for a future UAE-CARICOM trade and investment framework. The UAE has used CEPAs to accelerate non-oil trade with partners across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, positioning such agreements as core instruments of its economic diversification strategy.
CARICOM foreign ministers agreed to begin exploratory discussions on a possible framework that would give both sides a more formal channel for investment flows, market access and sector-specific cooperation. For Caribbean states, the talks come at a time when climate resilience, food security, renewable energy and digital public infrastructure have become central to development planning. For the UAE, the outreach supports its wider policy of expanding partnerships beyond traditional trade corridors and strengthening its role as a connector between emerging markets.
The meeting was chaired by Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and Cooperation, Melvin Bouva, and brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from across the Caribbean. CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett and several regional ministers used the session to underline the importance of coordinated foreign policy at a time of geopolitical tension, uneven global growth and mounting pressure on small states.
UAE officials indicated that a deeper relationship with CARICOM could cover renewable energy projects, logistics, port development, digital services, climate finance and capacity-building. These are areas where Caribbean governments have been seeking long-term partnerships that can reduce dependence on imported fuel, strengthen disaster resilience and improve trade competitiveness.
The climate agenda formed a central part of the engagement. The UAE reaffirmed support for CARICOM priorities at forthcoming multilateral platforms, including COP31, with emphasis on climate finance, the renewable energy transition and sustainable infrastructure. Caribbean economies face repeated exposure to hurricanes, flooding, coastal erosion and rising insurance costs, making climate adaptation a fiscal as well as environmental priority.
The UAE also highlighted its experience as host of COP28 and its Net Zero 2050 strategy as a basis for cooperation with small island developing states. Abu Dhabi has increasingly used climate diplomacy to expand its development partnerships, particularly through renewable energy investment and concessional financing initiatives in vulnerable economies.
Water security was another area of discussion. The UAE will co-host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference with Senegal in December, giving Caribbean states an opportunity to press for stronger international commitments on water governance, drought resilience and adaptation funding. Several CARICOM members have faced water stress linked to changing rainfall patterns, saltwater intrusion and ageing infrastructure.
Shehadeh also held bilateral meetings on the sidelines with Caribbean leaders and ministers, including Suriname’s President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons and representatives from Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas. The talks covered UAE-CARICOM relations, regional developments and prospects for closer commercial engagement.
The UAE’s interest in the Caribbean reflects a broader shift in its foreign economic policy. Non-oil trade has become a central pillar of national growth, with the country pursuing agreements and investment partnerships designed to expand exports, re-exports and services activity. Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s logistics, finance, aviation and clean energy platforms give the UAE a strong base for outreach to smaller markets that require capital, connectivity and technical expertise.
For CARICOM, a structured relationship with the UAE could diversify external partnerships beyond long-standing ties with North America, Europe and regional lenders. Caribbean governments have been seeking new sources of investment for energy transition, ports, food systems, tourism infrastructure and technology, while also trying to retain policy flexibility in an increasingly competitive global environment.
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