Black Immigrant Daily News
Queen of Dancehall Spice on Friday told fans that she died in ER last year while she was being treated for sepsis in the Dominican Republic, and she is
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Black Immigrant Daily News
By NAN Sports Editor
News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Fri. March 17, 2023: A Jamaican fighter is set for UFC 286 tomorrow at The O2 Arena in London, England.
Leon Edwards will face Kamaru Usman of Nigeria in the main event for the welterweight title rematch. Edwards is the welterweight champion – 20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) while Usman is 20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC)
Usman had little issue with Edwards for nearly 25 minutes when they fought this past August, but Edwards pulled off a stunning late head-kick knockout to take the title.
A professional competitor since 2011, Edwards formerly competed for BAMMA, where he was the BAMMA Welterweight Champion. As of March 7, 2023, he is #4 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived with his parents and his brother in a one-room house. Growing up, he was surrounded by crime, and his father was involved in what he describes as “questionable activities.”
Edwards moved to the Aston area of Birmingham, England at age nine, and his father was shot and killed in a nightclub in London when Edwards was thirteen. He was then involved in criminal activity such as drug dealing, street fighting, and knife possession along with his social circle, but was able to get out of his lifestyle at age 17, when his mother got him to join an MMA club.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
By Cristina Caus
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 17, 2023: Last month, Guyana gathered leaders for a 4-day international energy conference to discuss how the oil & gas sector can harness the country’s development. Given the current global energy context, sustainability was the hot-button topic throughout the program and the conversations revolved around how can Guyana, an oil superpower in the making, explore and produce oil sustainably while remaining aligned with the world’s 2050 net-zero goals.
While some global powers, pushing their agendas toward carbon-free and clean energy projects, view the Caribbean oil hype skeptically, others are highly optimistic about the opportunities arising. Can an oil & gas-based economy be sustainable?
In a broader sense, sustainability is not an environmental-only term, as many think. It encompasses fulfilling the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations while balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being.
Since the oil & gas production rising in Guyana, the development of communities and renewable energy initiatives has been a focus for the key oil players and the government. Multiple achievements and promising plans were shared during the 2023 International Energy Conference in Guyana, all fueled by the nation’s petroleum industry.
ExxonMobil has invested in the community by partnering with local entities to engage with the community and address community challenges since 2012. The focus areas include the environment, STEM education, and women, youth and community empowerment. Over the past years, ExxonMobil Foundation invested more than US$10 million in Guyana for research, sustainable employment and conservation, collaborating with the University of Guyana to train Guyanese for sustainable job opportunities and expand community-supported conservation. The investment is also intended to support Guyana’s Green State Development Plan, the country’s 15-year development plan that aims, among other things, to diversify Guyana’s economy and balance economic growth with the sustainable management and conservation of the country’s ecosystems.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge shared during the conference that the US$160 million Ogle Operations Center, in construction at the moment, is proof of long-term investment in Guyana’s prosperity and sustainability. With the latest digital capabilities, this modern center in Guyana aims to control Exxon’s offshore operations and around 130 ex-pats are now training locals to build the future workforce. The company has comprehensive mentoring programs in place to ensure that Guyanese will run the operations in the near future.
CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) has been building communities in Guyana since it started its oil & gas activities. Liu Xiaoxiang, President CPGL shared the latest news on the 130 solar lights system donation to Moraikobai, the only indigenous village in Region Five. As part of the “building the partnership bridge” plan between China and Guyana, CPGL’s CSR initiatives are selected under four main pillars: developing Amerindian communities, promoting Education, the transition to Clean and Renewable Energy and fostering Safe and Thriving Communities. To date, CPGL has planned and implemented over 30 projects across six regions in Guyana in addition to the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI).
The Greater Guyana Initiative is a partnership with the Stabroek Block co-venturers ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC; and the People of Guyana. This is intended to support communities to help develop the local workforce, build human capacity, advance education and improve healthcare, and promote sustainable economic diversification for a growing Guyana. The Greater Guyana Initiative has funded a Hinterland Poultry Project valued at more than US $608,000 to boost the poultry industry in the hinterland regions. This project, also called the ‘Egg Sandwich Project,’ is the first regional socio-economic project funded by the GGI. It is focused on enabling the hinterland residents to raise their local poultry capacity, thereby enhancing consumer access to high-quality local poultry products and economic independence.
A lot is happening in Guyana because of oil & gas, “… because investing in Guyana means an investment in the region,” as the Minister of Finance of Guyana, Dr. Ashni Singh, highlighted. From investment in urban development to education projects and social infrastructure (such as the building of 12 new hospitals), the new Gas-to-Energy Project will address long-standing issues of high electricity costs. The government has allocated US $759 million for the development of the plants that are advancing this Gas-to-Energy project, set to significantly lower the cost of electricity, triggering rapid growth in industrial activity, and promoting a smooth transition to renewable energy sources countrywide.
The government has massive solar projects in store for the hinterland for 2023, part of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which will benefit the coastal communities and the most remote areas. One of the initiatives funded through a line of credit of US $7.2 million from the Government of India starts this year and will include 30,000 150-watt solar photovoltaic units with batteries and lighting kits being installed in hinterland communities.
All these projects and initiatives place importance on ensuring that Guyanese across the country benefit from the petroleum sector through revenue and
investments in socio-economic development, which is a sustainable approach in essence. Case in point, what the Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana, Vickram Bharrat, has mentioned, “… the big powers built their economies on non-environmentally friendly practices. These are the same rich countries so concerned about the emissions that they are trying to limit production from natural resources. However, none offer help to small economies for the renewable energy transition, which requires massive government input financially.”
Now is the time and the place for countries like Guyana to ensure security for its people and the entire region by using the petroleum industry as a ladder to a sustainable future.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cristina Caus is an international oil and gas business developer and consultant and holds a master’s degree in international business from Florida International University.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. March 17, 2023: Here are the top Caribbean travel news and deals this week in 60 seconds.
Canada is again warning nationals to exercise a high degree of caution if travelling to The Bahamas , Guyana, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Belize due to crime there.
A 5,000-mile-of seaweed that formed in the Atlantic Ocean is headed for the shores of Florida and the Caribbean. The seaweed, a variety called sargassum, could be the largest on record — spanning more than 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.
Global pop star Nicole Scherzinger officially named P&O Cruises’ newest ship, Arvia, on Thursday in a naming ceremony in Barbados. Olly Murs also performed at the ceremony, which was held simultaneously in Arvia’s SkyDome venue and from nearby Heywood’s Beach and screened live on the line’s YouTube channel.
JetBlue is adding daily nonstop flights between Nassau, Bahamas and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Inaugural flights will take place on Thursday, March 30th.
Southwest Airlines is adding a new nonstop route to the tourism hotspot of Montego Bay, Jamaica. The carrier is adding its first-ever flights between Kansas City International Airport in Missouri and Montego Bay. The new flight will kick off on Oct. 7, 2023, with service operating once weekly on Saturdays. The route is already available for reservations.
Fly now between April 25th and 28th from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and stay at the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort And Spa – All Inclusive for just $728 now when you book on Cheap Caribbean.
And spend three nights at the Ocean Blue & Sand – All Inclusive, located along the lush Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana for just $576 per person from April 30th to May 2nd., when you fly from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Book now Here.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
By Cristina Caus
Last month, Guyana gathered leaders for a 4-day international energy conference to discuss how the oil & gas sector can harness the country’s development. Given the current global energy context, sustainability was the hot-button topic throughout the program and the conversations revolved around how can Guyana, an oil superpower in the making, explore and produce oil sustainably while remaining aligned with the world’s 2050 net-zero goals.
While some global powers, pushing their agendas toward carbon-free and clean energy projects, view the Caribbean oil hype skeptically, others are highly optimistic about the opportunities arising. Can an oil & gas-based economy be sustainable?
In a broader sense, sustainability is not an environmental-only term, as many think. It encompasses fulfilling the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations while balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being.
Since the oil & gas production rising in Guyana, the development of communities and renewable energy initiatives has been a focus for the key oil players and the government. Multiple achievements and promising plans were shared during the 2023 International Energy Conference in Guyana, all fueled by the nation’s petroleum industry.
ExxonMobil has invested in the community by partnering with local entities to engage with the community and address community challenges since 2012. The focus areas include the environment, STEM education, and women, youth and community empowerment. Over the past years, ExxonMobil Foundation invested more than US$10 million in Guyana for research, sustainable employment and conservation, collaborating with the University of Guyana to train Guyanese for sustainable job opportunities and expand community-supported conservation. The investment is also intended to support Guyana’s Green State Development Plan, the country’s 15-year development plan that aims, among other things, to diversify Guyana’s economy and balance economic growth with the sustainable management and conservation of the country’s ecosystems.[1] President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge shared during the conference that the US$160 million Ogle Operations Center, in construction at the moment, is proof of long-term investment in Guyana’s prosperity and sustainability. With the latest digital capabilities, this modern center in Guyana aims to control Exxon’s offshore operations and around 130 ex-pats are now training locals to build the future workforce. The company has comprehensive mentoring programs in place to ensure that Guyanese will run the operations in the near future.
CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) has been building communities in Guyana since it started its oil & gas activities. Liu Xiaoxiang, President CPGL shared the latest news on the 130 solar lights system donation to Moraikobai, the only indigenous village in Region Five. As part of the “building the partnership bridge” plan between China and Guyana, CPGL’s CSR initiatives are selected under four main pillars: developing Amerindian communities, promoting Education, the transition to Clean and Renewable Energy and fostering Safe and Thriving Communities. To date, CPGL has planned and implemented over 30 projects across six regions in Guyana in addition to the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI).
The Greater Guyana Initiative is a partnership with the Stabroek Block co-venturers ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC; and the People of Guyana. This is intended to support communities to help develop the local workforce, build human capacity, advance education and improve healthcare, and promote sustainable economic diversification for a growing Guyana. The Greater Guyana Initiative has funded a Hinterland Poultry Project valued at more than
US $608,000 to boost the poultry industry in the hinterland regions. This project, also called the ‘Egg Sandwich Project,’ is the first regional socio-economic project funded by the GGI. It is focused on enabling the hinterland residents to raise their local poultry capacity, thereby enhancing consumer access to high-quality local poultry products and economic independence.[2]
A lot is happening in Guyana because of oil & gas, “… because investing in Guyana means an investment in the region,” as the Minister of Finance of Guyana, Dr. Ashni Singh, highlighted. From investment in urban development to education projects and social infrastructure (such as the building of 12 new hospitals), the new Gas-to-Energy Project will address long-standing issues of high electricity costs. The government has allocated US $759 million for the development of the plants that are advancing this Gas-to-Energy project, set to significantly lower the cost of electricity, triggering rapid growth in industrial activity, and promoting a smooth transition to renewable energy sources countrywide.
The government has massive solar projects in store for the hinterland for 2023, part of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which will benefit the coastal communities and the most remote areas. One of the initiatives funded through a line of credit of US $7.2 million from the Government of India starts this year and will include 30,000 150-watt solar photovoltaic units with batteries and lighting kits being installed in hinterland communities.
All these projects and initiatives place importance on ensuring that Guyanese across the country benefit from the petroleum sector through revenue and investments in socio-economic development, which is a sustainable approach in essence. Case in point, what the Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana, Vickram Bharrat, has mentioned, “… the big powers built their economies on non-environmentally friendly practices. These are the same rich countries so concerned about the emissions that they are trying to limit production from natural resources. However, none offer help to small economies for the renewable energy transition, which requires massive government input financially.”
Now is the time and the place for countries like Guyana to ensure security for its people and the entire region by using the petroleum industry as a ladder to a sustainable future.
Cristina Caus is an international oil and gas business developer and consultant and holds a master’s degree in international business from Florida International University.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
By Sir Ronald Sanders
Authoritative international bodies – among them, the respected Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) – have concluded that “democracy is under both literal and figurative assault around the world.” The countries of the Caribbean have not been exempted from this judgement which is based on more than a decade of studies.
In the Americas (Canada and US, Central and South America and the Caribbean), there has been a rise in undemocratic governance as in Haiti and Nicaragua – both of which are teetering on the brink of disaster. In other countries in Latin America, there have been setbacks, particularly in Peru. Established democracies have also experienced decline. These were particularly severe in Brazil and the US, where current administrations are battling to overcome the legacies of the previous administrations.
Against this background, indications, from the governing and opposition representatives in the elected national assembly of Antigua and Barbuda, that the fundamental principles of democracy remain strong and respected, are welcomed.
On January 18, general elections, which were judged to be free and fair by several international observer groups, were held in Antigua and Barbuda. There was a vigorous campaign that resulted in the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) sliding from a 15-2 majority in the National Assembly to a one-seat majority. The ABLP won 9 of the 17 parliamentary seats; the main opposition party, the United Progressive Party (UPP) won 6 seats; the separatist Barbuda Peoples’ Movement won 1; and for the first time in Antigua’s history, an independent candidate, who was a former member of the ABLP, was elected.
The forceful nature of the election campaign and the resultant one seat majority in the National Assembly, led to the view by commentators, in and out of Antigua and Barbuda, that the stage had been set for a possible disruption of the democratic process, including civil disorder.
However, any such expectation was dispelled when the National Assembly convened from March 9 to 14 to debate the national budget that the Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, presented on March 2. The elected representatives of the UPP, while five of them were new, put forward their arguments firmly, but with respect for parliamentary rules. For their part, the government representatives, especially the young, lone woman elected member, Maria Browne, laid out their detailed plans and responded in a mature manner to the heckling of the opposition representatives.
The result was a pellucid articulation of the differences on how issues should be addressed; proposals on areas that require priority attention; and evidence that the National Assembly will be a forum for forceful debate on the policies and programmes that the governing party intends to pursue.
These circumstances are good for democracy in Antigua and Barbuda at a time when global challenges are impacting every country in the world, calling for an inclusionary approach to governance.
The political campaign, for general elections in Antigua and Barbuda, was held amid global political and economic instability, including the escalation of prices for food and energy, increasing inflation, high interest rates for borrowing, and decreased access to financing.
These phenomena occurred – and are persisting – alongside enduring effects of climate change, attempts to recover from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the continuing global uncertainty caused by the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine.
All this holds consequences for democratic governance. Popular dissatisfaction over high prices, low employment, and non-inclusionary decision-making, in any country, could result in protests and other acts of civil strife.
In Antigua and Barbuda’s case, the country is benefitting from a continuous growth of the economy (8.5 per cent in 2022, and a projected 9.4 percent for 2023); increasing employment; and significant private sector investment in tourism, construction and physical infrastructure, hefty outlays by the government in health and education, and an abiding respect for democracy, including freedom of speech, free and fair elections, and a strict separation of powers between the government, the legislature and the courts.
But while sound economic performance and respect for democratic principles and values have contributed to stability in Antigua and Barbuda, in many countries around the globe, “the ability to provide key public goods to their citizens and to close the gap between social expectations and institutional performance is increasingly at risk”, as IDEA points out in its 2022 report on democracy in the world.
The world is at a critical crossroad. Given the current global uncertainties, which include a possible recession, governments in democratic countries are under pressure to deliver the goods and services their people expect. Unlike authoritarian regimes, which are backed by military might to enforce their will, governments in democratic states have to form a new social contract with their populations, including their representative bodies in every sector.
Any who choose an authoritarian path, have to be conscious that, in countries where authoritarian regimes rule, there has been an exodus of talented and trained persons, economic decline, and a high dependence on the military to repress dissatisfied people. Authoritarianism, therefore, ought not to be an option for any nation that wants peaceful progress.
As part of a social contract to preserve democracy as a platform for progress of the individual, the society and the economy, international bodies strongly suggest that governments, political parties, private sector, civil society, media, expert groups, and academics have a role to play.
The hardest part of all this is how to encourage political parties to regard constructive participation in a national dialogue as an acknowledgment of their roles as representatives of the people, rather than as agencies for discrediting each other.
Yet, it is in constructive and inclusionary dialogue that national plans for peace, progress and prosperity can be best fashioned. Unreasoned division and brinksmanship to promote party political advantage is a certain prescription for national failure and the erosion of democracy.
Hopefully, political parties throughout the Americas, including the Caribbean, can agree to fashion with other partners in civil society, a relevant social contract for national progress that can carry countries successfully through the present global turmoil and beyond.
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Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wants countries in the region to invest in intra-regional travel. He believes that governments’ investment in air transportation in the region cannot be supplanted by the private investment sector only.
He made the disclosure during a press briefing on Monday.
According to him, Dominica is prepared to play its part financially. The Prime Minister referred to Leeward Island Air Transport (LIAT), indicating that it should be complemented-but not replaced-by the private sector airlines to give the kind of service that is really needed in these islands.
“The governments must invest in intra-regional travel,” he stated. “Because intra-regional travel for so many islands is really a public good that, while you want these entities to run professionally and greater accountability and greater transparency, there are certain things that you don’t expect from them.”
He continued, “Because they have to fly into areas that a commercial airline running as a private investment will not want to go into and that’s where LIAT was important.”
Skerrit added, “So I would rather I was declared to be wrong by history than I am correct by history.”
This he said is affecting “all of us badly, pointing to the dramatic effect on the economy since the departure of LIAT from the regional scene.
He asserted that this is why in most parts of the world, no matter how developed, the country’s treasury plays a role financially in the running of these airlines, “because of the greater good to the economy.”
The Prime Minister went on to defend his government’s decision to invest in LIAT.
“I hear people complain, including our own citizens about how difficult it is to travel intra-regionally. But I recall when I took the decision on behalf of the government to invest in LIAT. The political opponents of this government and some people in this country criticized me for investing money into LIAT…saying LIAT is a failed company and it makes no profit,” Skerrit argued. “And I cautioned Dominicans, I cautioned those people.”
He said, “If LIAT doesn’t come into Dominica for one day we will have a problem.”
Skerrit said further that he recognizes as Prime Minister of the country the important and unprecedented role that LIAT has played and was playing at the time in terms of intra-regional travel.
“And recognizing our investment, LIAT was most helpful to Dominica, especially after disasters,” he stated. “And I do not believe that there is any other entity that can reasonably be expected to replace the functions of LIAT in the region.”
Skerrit argued that in everything he does there will be people who will oppose him.
“Even if they are thirsty and I give them a glass of water they will have a problem with that,” he remarked. “We have to elevate the content of our discussion in this country.”
He went on to state that, “we cannot do without LIAT for one day, far more for its eternal departure.”
“We just cannot travel,” the Prime Minister stressed. “We can no longer book a flight this afternoon for tonight. You have to book a flight months in advance.”
The Prime Minister explained that to travel from Dominica to Grenada, “you have to go through Miami. And how many of us have a US Visa?”
He said this is a “regional emergency.”
He thanked Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Brown for his heroic effort in at least having a couple of the planes flying and providing the service.
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Latin America and the Caribbean must urgently make progress on the energy transition, with greater production of renewable energy, universalizing access to energy and increasing energy efficiency, among other measures, according to the authorities and experts gathered yesterday at ECLAC’s headquarters in Santiago, Chile.
The “High-level Expert Workshop for the Special Report on Latin America of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2023” is taking place on March 16-17 to gather information on the region’s energy-related needs and opportunities in order to prepare a special report, the WEO-2023 Latin America Energy Outlook, which will be included in the next edition of the annual report prepared by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The event’s participants include high-level officials from the IEA, ministerial authorities from various countries of the region and experts from international, regional and multilateral organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The workshop was inaugurated by ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Jos? Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, as the gathering’s host, who indicated that the energy transition not only constitutes an alternative for supporting access, energy security and environmental sustainability, but also serves as a driver of productive transformation and of the development pattern in the region.
“The current situation of cascading crises and their effects on Latin America – including increased poverty, a new lost decade in terms of economic growth, high inflation and fiscal restrictions – have exposed the fragility and vulnerability of countries’ energy systems, with negative impacts on energy security, equality and sustainability. These crises have especially affected households in the most vulnerable quintiles, worsening the poverty and inequality situation,” the senior United Nations official underscored.
He recalled that despite progress on electricity coverage in the region (which reaches 97% of the population), there are still 16 million people without access to this vital service and 77 million who do not have access to clean cooking systems. This is compounded by the fragility of countries that depend on imports of fossil fuels (natural gas and oil), which reveals the low level of diversification and renewability in their energy matrix. All of this keeps us far from fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal 7 (“Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”), with progress that is insufficient or very slow for achieving the targets on the share of renewable sources and energy efficiency in the region as a whole, he indicated.
“We must redouble work and efforts for accelerating national energy transition processes based on renewables. Even more so when raw materials and human capabilities are widely available in the region and can be harnessed in a sustained way. I am referring to wind, water, the sun, critical minerals, as well as the engineering capabilities and work that add value along the entire production chain,” Salazar-Xirinachs emphasized.
ECLAC refers to the energy transition as a process of sustainable transformation of the energy system that requires a new ecosystem of governance, targeted investment and modern regulatory frameworks, along with the adaptation of institutions and public policies.
The United Nations regional organization proposes five pillars of simultaneous action: 1) Increase renewable energy in the energy matrix; 2) Universalize access to electricity based on renewables and reduce energy poverty; 3) Increase energy efficiency in all sectors; 4) Strengthen regional complementarity, integration and interconnection; and 5) Boost energy security and resilience in the face of external shocks.
“In this very complex energy context for the region, resulting from the war in Ukraine, it is vital to carry out an exhaustive and detailed analysis that would enable exploring energy-related opportunities and challenges in each country, along with the progress made and actions taken in Latin American and Caribbean countries in terms of energy efficiency, clean transportation, sustainable cities and renewable energy, aimed at achieving a fair, sustainable and inclusive energy transition that would truly contribute to the goals of decarbonizing the economy, in line with Paris 2015,” ECLAC’s Executive Secretary concluded.
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The U.S. government plans to pledge more than $171 million Friday for humanitarian and development projects to assist Venezuelans experiencing a variety of urgent needs at home and abroad.
Some of the money will go for food, water and sanitation efforts within the crisis-wracked country, while other funds are designated for emergency shelter, health care and other services for Venezuelans who have migrated to other South American nations, the U.S. Department of State told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, is expected to announce the pledged funding during a conference in Brussels. The event is designed to raise awareness of Venezuela’s protracted economic and political crisis, which has pushed millions into poverty and driven more than 7 million others to migrate, mostly within Latin America.
The pledge comes almost four months after the government of President Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela’s opposition, including the faction backed by the U.S., reached an agreement to fund social programs with money drawn from the country’s assets frozen abroad. But the fund, expected to be managed by the United Nations and to progressively receive about $3 billion, has yet to materialize.
About three-quarters of Venezuelans live on less than $1.90 a day — the international benchmark of extreme poverty. The minimum wage paid in Venezuelan bolivars is the equivalent of $5 a month, down from $30 in April.
Neither of those wages is enough to feed one person, let alone a family. The cost of a basic basket of goods for a family of four was estimated at $372 in December.
A U.N. report published last year estimated humanitarian needs at $795 million to help about 5.2 million people in Venezuela through health, education, water and sanitation, food and other projects.
The State Department said the funding being announced Friday includes more than $84 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development for health care, food, water and other services to people living in Venezuela and for emergency food assistance for Venezuelan migrants. The money will go to U.N. agencies and nongovernmental groups already operating in Venezuela.
USAID will also provide $31 million for development efforts, including socio-economic integration help for Venezuelans in Colombia, where the largest share of migrants has resettled during the crisis, and in Ecuador. Some of that amount will go to support human rights organizations, independent media outlets and other groups.
More than $56 million from the State Department will be directed to humanitarian programs for Venezuelans and their host countries, including emergency shelter, mental health services, and protection for women, Indigenous people and other vulnerable groups.
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On March 2, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) met with the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, at the OECS Commission to discuss the Caribbean-EU partnerships for 2021-2027, with a focus on its EUROCLIMA programme.
EUROCLIMA is the flagship EU programme on environmental sustainability and climate change with Latin America and the Caribbean Region – a major contribution to the Caribbean-EU Partnership for a Green Deal. Its objective is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects by promoting mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience and investment.
The Delegation also promoted two additional interrelated strategic partnerships, namely: A Partnership for economic resilience and trade; and Partnership for governance, security, and human development.
The Partnership for a green deal will focus on these thematic areas:
Energy
Biodiversity
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
Circular economy
Disaster Risk Reduction
The EU recognises that the Caribbean is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and prone to severe hurricanes and natural hazards. Consequently, there is a need to build climate resilience, but many islands are limited by resource constraints. The Green Deal partnership will help Caribbean countries to scale up their inclusive green transition, while building resilience in various economic sectors.
The Partnership for economic resilience and trade will seek to enhance trade and investment between the Caribbean and the EU through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and sustainable growth of the Caribbean private sector. It will ensure that common challenges in the Caribbean are progressively addressed at the regional level.
The Partnership for governance, security, and human development will seek to ensure that Caribbean societies are safer, more inclusive, and resilient.
The EU delegation affirmed the strong EU-OECS partnership and their commitment to continuing to work with the Commission in areas of alignment between the aforementioned partnerships and the pillars of the OECS Commission’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2027 [1. Accelerating Regional Integration 2. Reinventing the Economy 3. Valuing the Environment 4. Building Resilience 5. Ensuring Equity and Inclusion].
The European Union is currently funding three flagship projects in the area of the Green Deal through the OECS Commission: The BioSPACE Project, the Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) Project – which are aimed at conserving marine and terrestrial biodiversity in the region; and the Recycle OECS Project (through the French Development Agency (AFD), which focuses on the development and implementation of a recyclable plastic waste collection and treatment programme in the OECS.
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