Regional Cooperation in Global Health Crises: The Role CARICOM and SADC in Managing the COVID-19 Outbreak

This study comparatively analyzes the activities of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the fight against the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic and crisis management processes. Crisis management processes regarding the COVID-19 outbreak have been implemented with actions taken at various levels. The regional level is among the levels where the struggle against the pandemic has been handled. In this regard, regional organizations have carried out activities to strengthen the resistance of their regions against the virus and reduce the negative effects of the epidemic on societies. In this context, during the pandemic period, CARICOM and SADC, the members of which are mostly developing states, have attempted to establish common policies at the regional level and promote the resistance of societies against the virus, despite the constraints of their regions in dealing with disasters and crises in economic and geographical terms. In this sense, the questions of ‘what kind of actions have CARICOM and SADC engaged in during the COVID-19 pandemic’ and ‘what are the variables that determine the actions of CARICOM and SADC in the governance of the COVID-19 health crisis at the regional level’ become meaningful to comprehend the role of these organizations in the regional governance related the health-related crises. The study seeks answers to the above-mentioned questions in the context of the relationship between health and regionalism.