Black Immigrant Daily News

Diplomatic relations between CARICOM and a Member State, as well as two third-state partners, were strengthened on Tuesday, March 14 when CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett accredited three new ambassadors.

The Secretary-General accepted the letters of credence of Larry Vaughan, Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis to CARICOM; Itai Bardov, Ambassador of Israel to CARICOM; and Rytis Paulauskas, Ambassador of Lithuania to CARICOM.

Secretary-General Barnett said the accreditation of Ambassador Vaughan presented an opportunity for a fresh perspective on various issues confronting the Community.

She said CARICOM has benefitted from St. Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to Regional Integration, particularly in Human Resource Development, and Health and Wellness, as lead Head of Government in the CARICOM Quasi cabinet for those areas.

“Given the multifaceted challenges presented by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and its severe impact on lives and livelihoods in the Region, this Quasi-Cabinet portfolio is essential to the Region’s post-pandemic recovery,” Secretary-General Barnett stated.

In his remarks, Ambassador Vaughan reflected on the tasks ahead to improve competitiveness in all sectors across the Member States, achieve more coordinated trade negotiation outcomes, and advocate for global appreciation for the multifaceted nature of our vulnerabilities. He committed to actively working with his colleagues in the Committee of Ambassadors for the shared benefit of the people of the Community.

The Israeli Ambassador to CARICOM told Secretary-General Barnett that his country was keen to enhance its relations with CARICOM on Climate Change, Agriculture, Irrigation Technology, and Training.

He signaled Israel’s willingness to provide humanitarian support in areas in which the country has developed expertise, including pediatric heart surgeries and optical treatments.

Secretary-General Barnet noted the timeliness of Israel’s offer to support agriculture in the Region where efforts have been targeted at reducing the importation of food by 25 percent by 2025.

Ambassador Paulauskas and the Secretary-General highlighted Climate Change as a key area for cooperation between CARICOM and Lithuania.

“As we prepare for COP 28, it is important that focus is placed on the significant loss that countries of our Region, which are comparatively low emitters, face,” she said.

She also underscored the need for equitable standards across international financial systems. “We want the international community to agree on a single set of regulations so that what is agreed in one jurisdiction is agreed everywhere, as otherwise, there is great dysfunction within our financial systems,” the Secretary-General emphasized.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell escaped “without major injury” after his official vehicle was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Tuesday morning, according to a statement issued by his office.

It said that Mitchell, who led the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to power in the 2022 general election, was traveling to the Parliament when his vehicle was involved in the accident “with oncoming traffic.

“The Prime Minister is unharmed, and all involved escaped without major injury,” the statement said, quoting Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell as expressing concern for the drivers, noting that not all injuries produce immediate pain.

“The Office of the Prime Minister is currently working to ensure that all parties receive a medical exam, following the incident, to rule out the risk of potential complications,” the statement added.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has conferred ‘Emeritus Professor’ titles on Professors Brian Copeland and John Agard, both of the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Both conferrals are with immediate effect.

The title of Emeritus Professor (or, Emerita Professor, for women) refers to retired professors who are recognised and honoured by their universities for notable contributions to academia. Aside from the special title, an Emeritus status gives distinguished professors extra privileges at the University.

Emeritus Professor Brian Copeland, Ph.D. served as the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of St. Augustine from 2016-2022, the last two years of which saw him navigating the campus through the COVID-19 global pandemic lockdown.

During his tenure at The UWI, he served as Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His focus areas have been in Digital Electronics and Microprocessor Systems Design and Control Systems.

As Coordinator of the Real Time Systems Group, a UWI unit for developing university/industry liaison through impactful R&D Projects, Professor Copeland was the project lead for design and construction of the Electronic Scoreboard at the Queen’s Park Oval. He co-ordinates the Steelpan Initiatives Project which saw the development and patenting of the G-Pan, a re-engineered form of the traditional steelpan, as well as the Percussive Harmonic instrument (P.H.I.), an electronic form of the traditional steelpan. Professor Copeland is Convener of the Steelpan Research Centre, UWI and is a former Member of the Board of Directors, CARIRI.

Professor Copeland is the holder of many prestigious awards. In 2008, he was the first recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and in 2007 he was joint recipient of the Chaconia Medal Gold as a member of the G-Pan development team. He received the Guardian Life Premium Teaching Award in 2002, the BP/AMOCO Fellowship Award for Senior Academic Staff at The UWI, 2001 and a LASPAU/Fulbright scholarship for his doctoral programme at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1987 among others.

Emeritus Professor John Agard, Ph.D. is Professor of Tropical Island Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the St. Augustine Campus. He also serves as the Executive Director of the University’s Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD).

His research interest is in the field of sustainability science especially as it relates to mainstreaming environmental considerations such as biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the development of blue and circular economy into the core of policy and decision making.

Internationally, he has served as an independent advisor on environment and sustainability policy to the Board of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington DC. He has also been on the Scientific Advisory Panel of UNEP for the Global Environmental

Outlook (GEO6) and was previously a Coordinating Lead Author for the Scenarios chapter in GEO4. He has also been a Coordinating Lead Author of the Intergovernmental (Science-Policy) Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), first global assessment chapter 5 ‘Pathways to a Sustainable Future’ as well as the Review Editor for Small Islands in the current 6th assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Professor Agard has previously served as a Lead Author in IPCC’s previous 4 and 5th Assessments.

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