Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago has been voted the Caribbean Global Leader, People’s Choice, at this year’s Caribbean Global Awards.
She secured the top spot ahead of Barbados’ Mia Mottley, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ralph Gonsalves, Jamaica’s Andrew Holness, and Guyana’s Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The award was determined entirely by public votes, with Gonsalves placing second, Mottley third, Holness fourth, and Ali fifth.
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The awards ceremony took place at the Cumberland Hotel in London. Persad-Bissessar, however, was unable to attend in person as she was representing Trinidad and Tobago at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a shared address, she expressed gratitude to the organizers, dignitaries, and the Caribbean community across Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the diaspora.
“My duties at the UN General Assembly have called me to New York, where I carry the voice of Trinidad and Tobago and of small island nations, speaking for resilience, fairness, and the dignity and future of our people, especially our children,” she said. “Yet, even as I stand on that world stage, my heart is here with you, because this award belongs not to me alone, but to all of us who believe that unity is our greatest strength.”
Persad-Bissessar noted that the award was especially meaningful because it came from the people. Reflecting on her journey from humble beginnings to her historic tenure as prime minister, she said the recognition serves as a reminder that true progress requires resilience and purpose.
“Even when progress feels like two steps forward and one back, we must keep faith — choosing evidence over noise, dignity over cynicism, inclusion over indifference, and truth over silence,” she declared.
She urged attendees to support vulnerable children across the region, calling on leaders, educators, and communities to open doors and share stories of resilience so future generations could see what is possible. “Our ancestors forged democracies from broken colonial fragments, from stolen lives, from stolen dignity, from stolen heritage. And still, they endured so that we could rise,” she said.
In closing, Persad-Bissessar congratulated her fellow honorees, stating their achievements prove that “when courage meets collaboration, together we shine brighter.”
