CARICOM leaders have endorsed a proposal to replace the University of the West Indies’ Royal Charter with a treaty signed and ratified by member states, marking a shift from British colonial-era oversight to a Caribbean sovereign framework.

The decision was announced at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Kitts and Nevis by the country’s prime minister and CARICOM chair, Terrance Drew.

Dr Drew said the move would take the region “a step closer to indigenise that institution”, describing it as a significant achievement.

The university was established under a Royal Charter granted by the British Crown, which has governed its operations and degree-awarding powers since its founding.

Under the proposal, that arrangement would be replaced by a treaty embedded within CARICOM’s legal framework, preserving the university’s autonomy, governance structure and academic freedom.

UWI Vice-Chancellor Hilary Beckles has long supported the change as part of broader regional reform. Last year, he warned that revoking the Royal Charter without an alternative legal basis could threaten the university’s existence.

This week’s decision formalises the transition, moving the proposal from policy discussion to agreed regional action.