MINISTER AUBYN HILL TO REPRESENT JAMAICA AT 61ST COTED MEETING IN GEORGETOWN, GUYANA

Senator the Honourable Aubyn Hill, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Jamaica’s Business Ministry, will represent Jamaica at the Sixty-First Regular Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), scheduled for November 20–21, 2025, in Georgetown, Guyana. Minister Hill will attend on behalf of Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

Regional ministers will meet to examine key matters shaping trade and economic cooperation within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with a strong focus on strengthening the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The Ministerial session will address priority areas such as the movement of goods and people, implementation of the Common External Tariff (CET), rules of origin, standards, competition policy, and other goods-related matters that support efficient trade within the region.

Ministers will also review market access issues and ongoing work to modernize customs procedures, certification systems, and regional monitoring mechanisms for key commodities. Discussions will further include CARICOM’s external trade relations, preparations for upcoming global trade engagements, and the Community’s position on evolving international trade policies. Minister Hill’s Delegation will include officials and experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Finance and Public Service and his own Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce

Minister Hill’s participation reaffirms Jamaica’s commitment to deepening regional integration, improving trade facilitation, and advancing decisions that support Jamaican businesses, exporters, and producers within the CSME.