Black Immigrant Daily News

Barbados has inched closer to making the Grantley Adams International Airport a regional aviation hub, and helping to make it a reality is interCaribbean Airways, with the introduction of flights from St. Kitts.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, welcomed a fully booked 48-seater interCaribbean Airways inaugural flight out of St. Kitts, on Sunday, March 12.

Minister Gooding-Edghill noted that intraregional travel has been impacted by the reduction of LIAT flights, and prior to interCaribbean entering the market in 2020, persons had to travel to Miami to visit their Caribbean neighbours.

“We are thankful for partners such as interCaribbean, who are working with us not just to return connectivity to the Caribbean, but to position Barbados as a hub for its operations. interCaribbean has been a strong partner for Barbados since its first flight…. This new service builds on our airline partnership with interCaribbean and will open up even more opportunities for travel, trade, and tourism between our two countries,” he stated.

The Tourism Minister disclosed that in analysing last year’s data, Barbados’ tourism industry recorded a 65 per cent recovery in arrivals in 2022 compared to 2018, and the Caribbean made up 12 per cent of those arrivals, with 54,285 visitors coming between January and December 2022.

Minister Gooding-Edghill thanked the Chairman and Founder of interCaribbean Airways, Lyndon Gardiner, for being on the inaugural flight and for continuing to have confidence in Barbados as a key destination for the airline’s business development.

Gardiner said it was both humbling and exciting for him to celebrate yet another inaugural flight, which seeks to continue and enhance the partnership with the Government and people of Barbados. “We’re no longer filling a temporary void; we are here providing a viable service; we’re here to stay,” he said.

The Chairman and Founder of interCaribbean Airways noted that the airline plans to optimise its services through its office located in Barbados. “We are also investing in upscaling our customer service management tools to provide faster and more efficient responses to our customers. We are making improvements on all fronts and today’s partnership is a symbol of and a commitment to that endeavour.

“Partnerships like these solidify one region, one community agenda that we have tried for so long to shape and adapt. We are excited for the future because collectively, we know that a more connected region is a safer, more prosperous region for us all,” Gardiner emphasised.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St Kitts Tourism Authority, Ellison Thompson, and the Authority’s Deputy CEO, Melnecia Marshall, were also on board the flight.

They said they are looking forward to working with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), to see how both tourism authorities can maximise the new airlift and build on the existing relationship between the two countries.

The flight, which was captained by Arian Blanchard, who has been flying for 17 years, and her First Officer Reco Colbourne, was also welcomed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Francine Blackman; BTMI’s CEO, Dr. Jens Thraenhart, and Chairman of the BTMI Board, Shelly Williams.

interCaribbean Airways will be operating the nonstop service between St. Kitts and Barbados three times a week – on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

At a meeting of the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) on 7-10 March, WTO members shared best practices on the regulation of plastics and discussed standards and technical regulations that could contribute to addressing climate change challenges.

Members also discussed a total of 74 trade concerns, 12 of which were raised for the first time, with respect to a variety of product areas. The Committee meeting coincided with International Women’s Day.

Two thematic sessions were held together with the Committee meeting. The first thematic session on regulatory cooperation between members on plastics regulation provided an opportunity for members to share experiences and good practices in plastics regulation and policy, which aim to minimize plastics waste leakage and plastics pollution, while encouraging trade and innovation.

While discussing national and regional perspectives, the session also addressed international developments to minimize plastics pollution and plastics waste in the environment and considered how these efforts may necessitate future international cooperation. The session also highlighted key TBT principles for efficient cooperation such as transparency, public consultation, the use of international standards, the use of data and technical information, technical assistance, development considerations, and the national quality infrastructure that underpins these systems.

The second thematic session on regulatory cooperation between members on climate change focused on the role of regulatory measures in contributing to members’ strategies for tackling climate change. The session highlighted the importance of increasing international cooperation and harmonization of regulations and ensuring effective participation of developing countries in international standard-setting processes in the area of trade and climate change. The session was an opportunity for members to share their experiences in designing and adopting regulatory measures related to trade and climate change as well as the challenges faced in their implementation.

Specific trade concerns

Members discussed 74 specific trade concerns at the Committee meeting, of which 12 were discussed for the first time. The full list of trade concerns raised can be found here.

Several of the new concerns were related to labelling requirements of products such as washing machines, hazardous substances, and alcoholic beverages, while others dealt with the regulation of medical, electrical, and charging equipment for quality and safety and energy efficiency purposes. The issue of packaging and shipment of waste for the purpose of facilitating environment friendly management of waste was also raised, among other topics.

Two Members took the floor to announce progress in their discussions of trade concerns. The UK announced progress with Saudi Arabia on its concerns with a Saudi technical regulation limiting hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment (STC ID 666), while the US announced progress with Qatar on the issue of Qatar’s health circular on shelf life for cheese (STC ID 602).

ePing

The WTO secretariat held a walk-in session on ePing for delegates to answer specific queries and receive feedback on the platform. In 2022, ePing became the central tool for managing notifications. The number of registered users continues to rise with around half from governments and the rest from companies, academia and civil society. By registering on the platform, users can benefit from features such as email alerts on notifications of interest. [photo of Room A]

Annual Review

The TBT Committee is mandated to carry out an annual review of activities relating to the implementation and operation of the TBT Agreement, including notifications, specific trade concerns, technical assistance activities, and TBT related disputes. At its March meeting, the Committee heard highlights form the twenty-eighth Annual Review, which is available in G/TBT/50.

Highlights from 2022 Annual Report:

3,896 notifications of new or modified TBT measures were submitted, a slight decline compared to 2021.
84 members (just over half of the WTO membership) submitted at least one notification during the year.
The vast majority of new notifications (83%) were submitted by developing and least developed country members.
There were five East African Community countries among the top ten notifying members: Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi.
241 STCs were reviewed by members during 2022. Many of the STCs raised in the TBT Committee relate to notified measures – between 1995-2002, 67% of all STCs raised cited at least one notification.

Transparency Working Group:

The Committee heard an update on proposals that were considered by the Working Group on Transparency. The first from Canada relates to modification of notification guidelines to improve the clarity and quality of notifications and a second put forward by the United States aims to provide more structure to certain notifications which can now be submitted through ePing.

New TBT Publication in Portuguese

Brazil announced the publication of a Portuguese-language version of the WTO TBT Handbook. Brazil stated that this will be an important tool for disseminating information about the TBT Agreement not only for Brazilians, but for the approximately 300 million Portuguese speakers in various countries around the globe. The official launch of the publication will take place on 30 March.

What’s next

The next formal TBT Committee meetings will take place on 21-23 June 2023. Digital products and cybersecurity will be the focus at the 20 June thematic sessions. The Committee will also hold an information exchange meeting for TBT enquiry point officials on 19 June.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Commonwealth Day will be celebrated on Monday with observances, speeches, exhibitions and cultural events across the 56 Commonwealth member countries.

With ‘Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future’ as its theme, the day aims to unite 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens in celebration of their shared values and principles, and in pursuit of a common future, centred on sustainability and peace.

This will be the first Commonwealth Day presided over by His Majesty King Charles III as King and Head of the Commonwealth. The day will also mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Commonwealth Charter, which outlines the values and principles that unify the 56 Commonwealth countries, representing one-third of humanity.

In her Commonwealth Day Message, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, paid tribute to Her late Majesty The Queen for her seven decades of service and welcomed His Majesty The King for his first Commonwealth Day as the new Head of the Commonwealth.

Speaking on the role of the Commonwealth in her message, she said:

“We stand together now to face the challenges of the moment and seize the opportunities of tomorrow. Where there is violence and conflict, we work for peace. Where there is insecurity, we protect the culture, process and institutions of democracy. Where there is poverty, we tackle it. Where there is injustice, we challenge it.

“Where our brothers and sisters have their lives threatened and disrupted by the impacts of climate change, we stand with them, working tirelessly for climate action and a more sustainable world. I believe profoundly that our family of 56 nations and 2.5 billion people is stronger, more vibrant, more connected and more purposeful than ever.”

Drawing attention to the growing co-operation within the Commonwealth at a time of polarisation, Secretary-General Scotland added: “Our unique qualities and advantages mean that the Commonwealth in 2023 is not simply a part of the international system, it is a beacon within it. These qualities shine in the fact that, with a multilateral system under strain, the Commonwealth is growing, precisely because of what we stand for and what we can deliver.”

She continued: “So, on this tenth anniversary of our [Commonwealth] Charter, as we renew our commitment to its values and to each other, let us resolve together to ensure that in the years to come, we make the peaceful and sustainable common future we all strive for a reality for the whole Commonwealth.”

Around the Commonwealth, cities will host inter-faith, multi-cultural observances to mark the day. One of the largest gatherings will be the traditional service at Westminster Abbey in London and will be attended by The King, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, senior government officials, other dignitaries and hundreds of young people.

At the service, the theme will be expressed through musical performances, testimonies and readings from individuals representing several Commonwealth countries, including ‘Amalgamation Choir’, an all-female choir from Cyprus.

Commonwealth Day has been celebrated on the second Monday in March every year since 1977. In recent years, there has been a shift away from a single-day observance towards a full-week celebration, with Commonwealth Day as its focal point.

This year, as part of the Commonwealth of Nations Flag for Peace initiative, each Commonwealth country and every UK city will receive a flag, which they can raise on Commonwealth Day in celebration of the values of the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy, human rights, sustainable development, equality and respect.

Parliamentarians, mayors and high commissioners in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe will also mark the day with various activities, including speeches and cultural events.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has also produced a special quiz for students to learn more about the modern Commonwealth and its diverse membership. Schools around the Commonwealth can download and use the quiz free of charge.

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