Belize Advances National Eye Health With Launch of WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative

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News Americas, BELIZE CITY, Belize, March 11, 2026: Belize has taken a significant step toward ensuring that every person in the country has access to quality, affordable eye care, with the official launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) SPECS 2030 initiative.

The national launch and planning workshop brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI), the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Participants convened to assess the current state of eye health services in Belize, identify gaps, and chart a clear path forward.

“With the launch of the WHO SPECS 2030 initiative, Belize advances in its commitment to ensuring that every citizen can access quality eye care. Preventable vision impairment should not limit a child’s learning, a person’s ability to work, or an individual’s quality of life. Through its adoption, we are reinforcing our national vision for a stronger, more equitable health system that leaves no one behind,” said Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister for Health and Wellness.

WHO’s SPECS 2030 initiative provides countries with a structured approach to strengthening refractive error services across five areas:

Services — improving access to refractive services

Personnel — building the capacity of personnel to provide refractive services

Education — promoting public awareness about eye health

Cost — reducing the cost of eyeglasses and services

Surveillance — strengthening data collection and research

For Belize, the initiative translates into three clear priorities at the country level.

First, convening all relevant eye health stakeholders — across the public and private sectors — to agree on national priorities and key areas of action. Second, developing a SPECS 2030 integration plan with measurable targets that can be embedded within Belize’s broader health and eye care strategies. Third, establishing a monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress, review data regularly, and improve services over time.

“Belize is demonstrating how global frameworks like WHO SPECS 2030 can be translated into practical, country-led action. The Foundation’s role in this effort is to support technical implementation — from strengthening refractive services to building local capacity and improving service delivery models. We are proud to stand alongside Belize as it advances a more integrated and accessible eye care system,” said Daniele Cangemi, Head of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, Latin America.

Progress will be measured against a defined set of indicators, reported every three to five years through the WHO Global Status Report. These include the reach of school eye health programmes for early detection, the availability of refractive services within the public health system, the size and scope of the eye care workforce, and the degree to which costs are covered through health insurance or other financial protection mechanisms. At the impact level, Belize will track effective cataract surgical coverage and effective refractive error coverage through population-based surveys and health system data.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology welcomes the WHO SPECS 2030 initiative from the BCVI and MOHW in collaboration with PAHO and the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. We are committed to strengthening our partnership and collaboration with BCVI and the MOHW as we work together to prevent avoidable blindness and expand support services through existing Primary Care and Rehabilitation Programs for children who are blind. The Ministry congratulates and applauds BCVI for its ongoing dedication and commitment to Belize’s visually impaired community,” commented Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology.

BCVI, working alongside MOHW, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and the initiative’s national and international partners, will lead coordination and follow-up to ensure that commitments made at the workshop translate into meaningful progress on the ground.

The launch of SPECS 2030 reflects Belize’s commitment to universal health coverage and to a future where no Belizean loses the ability to learn, work, or thrive because of a vision condition that could have been corrected.

About the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is a registered charitable organization dedicated to eliminating uncorrected poor vision within a generation. As part of EssilorLuxottica’s commitment to universal vision care, the Foundation works to expand access for millions in underserved communities worldwide. It is also the Global Collaborating Partner of the World Health Organization’s SPECS 2030 initiative, which focuses on refractive error, myopia prevention, and improving access to vision care in low-resource settings.

Find out more at: onesight.essilorluxottica.com

About the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired
The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of blindness and the provision of comprehensive eye care services.

Established in 1981, BCVI works in partnership with the Ministry of Health & Wellness to deliver accessible, affordable, and high-quality eye care across the country.

Through a network of clinics and outreach programmes, BCVI provides services including eye examinations, refractive error services treatment of eye diseases and rehabilitation support for those who are irreversibly blind.

Special initiatives focus on children, persons with diabetes, and underserved communities, ensuring that no Belizean is left behind in accessing essential eye care and support for independent living.

BCVI collaborates with local and international partners to strengthen Belize’s eye health system and advance equitable access to services for all.

For more information, visit: www.bcvi.org

Global Praise, Quiet Ballots: The Barbados Leadership Paradox

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Mar. 11, 2026: In Barbados a striking democratic paradox has emerged. A government holds every seat in Parliament while most voters stayed home.

In the 2026 general election, PM Mia Mottley and the Barbados Labour Party secured all thirty seats in Parliament for the third consecutive time. It is an extraordinary consolidation of political authority. Yet the deeper democratic signal lies not in the scale of the victory but in the silence surrounding it. Voter turnout fell to roughly thirty seven percent of registered voters.

FLASHBACK – Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley looks on upon arrival at the Earthshot Prize 2025 awards ceremony at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Daniel RAMALHO / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP via Getty Images)

The result is simple and unsettling. Parliamentary power has expanded while civic participation has contracted.

Elections measure power. Turnout measures belief. When citizens withdraw from the ballot box in large numbers, the absence itself becomes a form of political expression.

Internationally, Mia Mottley commands considerable respect. Her advocacy on climate justice, economic fairness, and the vulnerabilities of small island states has earned global recognition from institutions such as TIME. She has become one of the Caribbean’s most visible and persuasive voices in global diplomacy.

Yet global prestige and domestic democratic energy do not always rise together.

Barbados may in fact illustrate a broader regional pattern. Across parts of the Caribbean, electoral victories have grown more decisive even as public participation becomes more fragile. When political outcomes appear predictable, citizens sometimes respond not with resistance but with withdrawal.

Silence is one of the least examined signals in modern politics. It rarely attracts headlines, yet it often reveals the health of democratic life more clearly than electoral margins.

For Caribbean leadership, the lesson is strategic as much as political. Authority can secure parliamentary seats, but legitimacy depends upon citizens who still believe their participation matters. Governments can command institutions, but democratic vitality requires engagement that cannot be legislated or assumed.

Barbados therefore offers more than a national political story. It offers a quiet warning about the evolving character of democracy in small states and beyond.

A government can fill every seat in Parliament. Only citizens can fill a democracy.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Isaac Newton is a globally experienced strategist trained at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, with more than three decades of work across governance, economic development, and public policy in the Caribbean. His leadership initiatives focus on strengthening institutions, generating employment, and advancing sustainable regional growth.

RELATED: Is Barbados PM Mia Mottley’s Clean Sweep Victory Bitter Sweet Or Honey Sweet?

The Caribbean’s Question For Washington: Where Is the Economic Offer?

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By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Mar. 11, 2026: As Washington rolled out its new hemispheric security doctrine on March 7th, a quiet but consequential question is emerging across the Caribbean: where is the economic offer?

At the March 7th “Shield of the Americas” summit in Doral, Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump gathered just three from the Caribbean – two from the 15 member CARICOM community – and a few other hand-picked leaders from Latin America – to launch what the White House described as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, part of a broader geo-political framework for the Americas that some officials have begun referring to as the Donroe Doctrine.

U.S. President Donald Trump waits to greet dignitaries as he hosts “The Shield of the Americas Summit ,“ a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026 in Doral, Florida. The White House describes the gathering as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

The initiative places heavy emphasis on security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and military coordination to combat drug cartels and transnational criminal networks operating across the hemisphere. The summit’s declaration focused on disrupting these networks and strengthening regional security partnerships.

Few Caribbean governments dispute the seriousness of organized crime or the need for coordinated responses to trafficking and violence. The region has long faced the spillover effects of narcotics routes, human trafficking networks, and arms flows that destabilize communities. But security alone rarely defines stability for small states.

For Caribbean economies, long-term stability depends not only on policing borders or confronting criminal organizations but also on functioning healthcare systems, reliable infrastructure, investment flows, and economic opportunity. And it is here that a gap in the emerging doctrine becomes visible.

For decades, the Caribbean has navigated relationships with multiple international partners that support different aspects of development. The United States remains the region’s largest tourism market and a vital source of remittances and foreign investment. China has emerged as a significant financier of infrastructure projects. Cuba has long provided medical cooperation that supports public health systems in several Caribbean states.

Recent geo-political pressure has encouraged some governments to distance themselves from both Beijing and Havana. Yet, replacing those relationships is not a simple exercise.

Chinese financing has played an increasingly visible role in Caribbean development. Between 2005 and 2024, Chinese investment supported major infrastructure projects across the region, including more than $6 billion in Jamaica, roughly $3 billion in Guyana, $2.28 billion in Trinidad and Tobago, and about $1 billion in Antigua and Barbuda. These investments, often tied to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, have funded highways, ports, energy infrastructure, stadiums, and telecommunications networks.

Such projects have helped address infrastructure gaps that Western lenders have often approached with extreme caution, with many viewing the Caribbean as a “wild west” and not a great place to invest.

Meanwhile, Cuban medical missions have for decades provided thousands of doctors and nurses across the Caribbean. In several smaller states, Cuban professionals staff hospitals, operate rural clinics, and deliver specialized services that local healthcare systems struggle to maintain on their own. Now the region is also being asked to terminate these missions or face Washington’s wrath as the administration tightens the economic noose on Cuba.

If regional governments are asked to reduce cooperation with these partners, the practical question becomes unavoidable: what replaces those contributions? Security partnerships can disrupt criminal networks. They cannot build and staff hospitals, finance highways, or train doctors.

If Washington seeks to counter China’s economic influence and reshape hemispheric alliances, where is the announcement of a large-scale development initiative for the Caribbean?

A dedicated U.S.-backed investment facility for infrastructure, energy transition, and climate resilience could provide a compelling economic alternative while strengthening long-term stability in the region. Small island states face mounting pressures from climate vulnerability, rising debt burdens, and limited domestic markets. Addressing these challenges requires sustained access to capital.

Without a credible development strategy, security initiatives alone may struggle to reshape the region’s economic partnerships. Ironically, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. posted a video mocking the security alliance ‘Shield of the Americas’ on social media on the 10th. 

The Caribbean’s diplomatic history has long been defined by pragmatic balance. Governments across the region have cultivated relationships with multiple global partners while seeking to preserve their sovereignty and development options.

That balancing act continues today.

Caribbean leaders understand the importance of working with Washington on security matters. The United States remains the hemisphere’s largest economic power and an indispensable partner in trade, tourism, and finance. But for the region’s small states, alliances cannot be built solely around military coordination or cartel suppression.

True stability in the Caribbean rests on broader foundations: resilient economies, functioning public institutions, and opportunities for the region’s young populations.

Great powers often compete through strategy. Small states respond through investment.

If the Donroe Doctrine is to shape a new era of hemispheric relations, Caribbean governments need to ask a simple question that extends beyond security partnerships: Where is the economic vision that accompanies the doctrine?

Because in the Caribbean, stability will ultimately be built not by missiles or patrol boats alone, but by hospitals that remain open, infrastructure that supports growth, and economies that offer people a future worth investing in and staying for.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Felicia J. Persaud is CEO of Invest Caribbean and AI Capital Exchange and founder of NewsAmericasNow.com.

Is Haiti Becoming The Caribbean’s First Drone War Zone?

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Mar. 10, 2026: Haiti’s escalating security crisis may be entering a troubling new phase: the growing use of explosive drones in densely populated neighborhoods. A new report from Human Rights Watch warns that armed quadcopter drones used in security operations have killed more than 1,200 people in Haiti since 2025, raising serious concerns about civilian casualties and potential extrajudicial killings.

FLASHBACK – Vanessa, 28, poses for a portrait with her son as they return to their home, destroyed by armed gangs in 2024, in the Solino neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2026. Haiti’s presidential transitional council, which has run the impoverished Caribbean nation for nearly two years, on February 7, 2026, handed power to US-backed Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, after failing to rein in rampant gang violence. Rubio said in February he was upbeat about progress in setting up a new UN-blessed force to suppress Haiti’s powerful gangs and voiced hope that the country will finally hold elections this year for the first time in a decade. (Photo by Clarens SIFFROY / AFP via Getty Images)

According to the report, Haitian security forces and private contractors working with them have conducted at least 141 drone strike operations between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 2026, killing 1,243 people and injuring 738 others. Among the dead are at least 43 adults who were reportedly not members of criminal groups and 17 children, highlighting the dangers of deploying explosive drones in densely populated urban areas.

“Dozens of ordinary people, including many children, have been killed and injured in these lethal drone operations,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Haitian authorities should urgently rein in the security forces and private contractors working for them before more children die.”

Human Rights Watch says the attacks have been carried out using quadcopter drones armed with explosives, capable of maneuvering between buildings while transmitting live video feeds to operators controlling the strikes remotely.

The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti attributes the drone operations to a specialized “Task Force” created by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, reportedly operating with support from Vectus Global, a private military company. The U.S. ambassador to Haiti has confirmed that the U.S. State Department issued a license allowing Vectus Global to export defense services to Haiti.

Neither the Haitian government, the Haitian National Police, nor Vectus Global responded to requests for comment from Human Rights Watch regarding the strikes.

The report notes that the number of drone attacks has surged in recent months, with 57 operations reported between November and January 21, nearly double the 29 reported from August through October. More than 40 percent of reported killings occurred between December 1 and January 21, suggesting a sharp escalation in the use of drone warfare-style tactics in the capital.

One of the deadliest incidents occurred on September 20, 2025, in the Simon Pelé neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, where a drone carrying an explosive detonated near the “Nan Pak” recreation complex during a gathering organized by a local criminal group.

Human Rights Watch found that 10 people who were not members of criminal groups — including nine children between the ages of 3 and 12 – were killed in the blast.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos as families rushed to help the wounded.

“I heard the sound of the explosion,” said a woman who lost both her husband and her three-year-old daughter in the strike. “My husband and daughter were together at the place where my husband makes his crafts.… There was panic, and I wanted to go and see what had happened.”

Another mother said her six-year-old daughter had been playing near the complex when the drone exploded.

“When I arrived near the vendor, I heard an explosion. It was chaos, people were mutilated, there were noises everywhere,” she said. “It was full of children. Many people were dead.”

Doctors who treated victims reported severe blast injuries, including traumatic amputations, complex fractures, and fragmentation wounds caused by the explosion.

Human Rights Watch researchers also reviewed videos circulating on social media showing drones striking vehicles, buildings, and individuals in Port-au-Prince neighborhoods including Martissant and Village de Dieu. In several cases, the footage did not appear to show targets engaged in violent acts at the time of the strike.

Residents say the drones have become a constant source of fear.

“I live with this fear, this anxiety, all the time,” said a shopkeeper living in Martissant, one of the neighborhoods affected by the strikes. “I pray that the drones will no longer be in our area.” The woman fled the explosion but returned to the scene a few minutes later, where she found her cousin dead. She said that she had been unable to recover the body because she would have had to pay criminal groups for the remains. 

She stated that she had not seen or heard any sign of a threat before the explosion. “I was on the phone with my cousin when the explosion happened, so I knew that her [truck] had been hit, but I don’t know why they hit that [truck],” she said.

While Haitian authorities have argued that the operations are necessary to combat heavily armed criminal groups controlling large parts of the capital, human rights advocates warn that explosive drones are difficult to use safely in crowded urban environments.

Human Rights Watch said the strikes may violate international human rights law, which requires that lethal force in law enforcement operations be used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life.

“Restoring security in Haiti is essential,” Goebertus said. “But unlawful attacks with armed drones are adding a new layer of abuses to the violence that has devastated communities for years.”

The organization is calling on Haitian authorities to halt the use of explosive drones in populated areas, investigate alleged unlawful killings, and ensure accountability for any violations of international law.

As Haiti struggles to contain gang violence and restore stability, the report raises a stark question: whether the country’s security strategy is turning parts of its capital into something resembling a drone battlefield – a development with profound implications for civilian safety and the future of law enforcement in the Caribbean.

Empowering Half The World: Why Women And Girls Must Lead The Future Of The Commonwealth

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Mar. 10, 2026: At the opening of the first interactive retreat session of the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM), Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Economic Development and Investment of Saint Kitts and Nevis, paid tribute, honor and recognition to the women and girls of the Federation and across the world. Addressing colleagues from across the Commonwealth of Nations, he reminded the gathering that the progress of nations is closely tied to how deliberately societies cultivate the potential of their women and girls. His remarks placed their contributions not at the margins of development but at the center of global progress.

At the opening of the first interactive retreat session of the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM), Dr. Denzil L. Douglas

Across the Caribbean and throughout the Commonwealth, women quietly sustain the reality of daily life. They guide families through uncertainty, shape the minds of future leaders in classrooms, build enterprises that energize local economies, and strengthen the social fabric of communities. In small island states such as Saint Kitts and Nevis, the steady influence of women is visible in every sector from education and healthcare to entrepreneurship and public service. Yet the pathways to leadership and opportunity remain narrower than they should be, leaving much of this talent underutilized.

It was within this context that Dr. Douglas offered a powerful reflection to the ministers gathered. “We must never sell our multilateral organisation short by failing to more greatly empower our women and girls of the Commonwealth.” His statement carried a simple but profound logic. When international institutions overlook the abilities, ideas, and leadership of women, they weaken the very cooperation they seek to strengthen. Multilateralism reaches its full purpose only when the voices shaping global decisions mirror the diversity of the people those decisions affect.

The Caribbean already offers compelling illustrations of what becomes possible when women are given room to lead. Women entrepreneurs are designing new economic possibilities in tourism, technology, and agriculture. Women educators are nurturing critical thinkers and innovators whose ideas will shape the next generation. Women in governance are bringing thoughtful perspectives to policy discussions that influence the direction of national development. Each advancement expands the horizon for young girls who are watching closely and learning what leadership can look like.

The message that emerges from the Commonwealth dialogue is not abstract. It is practical and immediate. Nations that invest in the education, confidence, and leadership opportunities of women and girls expand their own capacity to solve problems and imagine new futures. The recognition offered by Dr. Douglas at the CFAMM retreat signals a commitment that extends beyond words. When women and girls are equipped to participate fully in shaping their societies, the possibilities for the Commonwealth and for the world widen in ways that benefit everyone.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a globally experienced thought leader, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia-trained strategist, and advocate for social justice and leadership excellence. With over thirty years of experience bridging cultural, economic, and ideological divides, he translates strategy into measurable results. His work spans governance, economic development, and public policy, consistently delivering initiatives that create employment, strengthen institutions, and advance sustainable growth across the Caribbean.

RELATED: Governing Trust: The ECCB, Public Confidence, And The High Cost Of Silence

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty To Launch In Guyana

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News Americas, NY, NY, Tues. Mar. 10, 2026: When Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in 2017, she did more than introduce another celebrity cosmetics line – she reshaped the global beauty industry by putting diversity at the center of product design. Nearly a decade later, that same vision is now returning to the Caribbean in a deeply symbolic way.

FLASHBACK – Rihanna arriving at Selfridges for her Fenty Hair launch party on September 16, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/GC Images)

On March 28, 2026, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin will officially launch in another CARICOM country – this time Guyana, marking one of the most culturally meaningful expansions yet for Rihanna’s global beauty empire.

The brand will debut exclusively at Glamour Beauty in Movietowne Mall in Guyana, bringing the internationally celebrated cosmetics line to a country that holds personal significance for the billionaire entrepreneur.

Rihanna’s mother, Monica Braithwaite, is Guyanese, while her late father was Barbadian. The singer herself was born in Barbados – a blend of Caribbean identities that has shaped her global brand story.

“I am so excited to FINALLY bring Fenty Beauty, Skin and Fragrance brands to the Caribbean,” said Rihanna. “I know the community has been waiting a long time and we can’t wait for you to experience the brand and try the products in a place that’s near and dear to my heart.”

More Than A Beauty Launch

The arrival of Fenty Beauty in Guyana reflects a broader shift in how Caribbean heritage influences global industries. For decades, Caribbean consumers were primarily recipients of international brands rather than drivers of them. Rihanna changed that narrative.

With products designed for every skin tone and cultural background, Fenty Beauty quickly became one of the most disruptive forces in cosmetics history, forcing major brands worldwide to expand their shade ranges and rethink representation.

Now, bringing the brand deeper into the Caribbean represents a full-circle moment: a global product shaped by Caribbean identity returning to Caribbean consumers.

Among the products expected to debut in Guyana are Fenty’s signature items, including:

• Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, known for its 50 inclusive shades
• Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, a high-shine cult favorite
• Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer SPF 30, designed to blend seamlessly across skin tones
• Fenty Treatz Hydrating Lip Oils, infused with nourishing fruit oils

Caribbean Influence Meets Economic Growth

The timing of the expansion also intersects with Guyana’s rapidly growing economy, fueled by its emerging oil industry and expanding middle class.

As international brands increasingly recognize Guyana’s rising consumer market, Rihanna’s decision to launch there reinforces the country’s growing presence in the Caribbean retail landscape. For many Guyanese consumers, however, the moment is less about luxury cosmetics and more about cultural recognition.

Fenty Beauty’s philosophy – that beauty should reflect the diversity of the world – resonates strongly across Caribbean societies long overlooked by global beauty standards.

A Moment Of Pride For The Region

The launch also comes amid a tense moment for the singer after a Florida woman was arrested this week following gunfire outside Rihanna’s Los Angeles-area home. Authorities confirmed the singer was inside at the time but unharmed. Ivana Lisette Ortiz, of Florida, has now been booked for attempted murder. Bail has been set at more than $10 million. Ortiz’ criminal record from Florida shows several incidents of domestic violence dating back to 2023. The 35-year-old was arrested on Sunday, March 8, 2026, after shots rang out outside Rihanna’s Beverly Glen property.

Despite the unsettling incident, Rihanna’s brand expansion continues to move forward, reinforcing her role not only as a global pop icon but as one of the Caribbean diaspora’s most powerful entrepreneurs.

With Fenty Beauty now officially arriving in Guyana, the message is clear: Caribbean influence in global culture is no longer peripheral. It is leading.

Cuba Says It Regrets Jamaica’s Decision To End Medical Cooperation Amid U.S. Pressure

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By NAN NEWS EDITOR

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Mar. 9, 2026: Cuba has expressed deep regret over Jamaica’s decision to terminate decades-long medical cooperation between the two Caribbean nations, saying the move reflects pressure from the United States rather than the health needs of the region.

FLASHBACK – In 2010, 140 members of the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disasters and Serious Epidemics left for Jamaica to join this country’s fight against SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In a statement issued March 6, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Jamaica’s Foreign Ministry formally notified Cuban officials on March 4 of the unilateral decision to end the bilateral health cooperation agreement that has linked the two countries for decades.

“With this action, the government of Jamaica yields to the pressures of the government of the United States,” the Cuban statement said, adding that Washington “is not concerned about the health needs of the Caribbean brothers.”

The decision will lead to the withdrawal of Cuba’s medical brigade from Jamaica, which currently includes 277 healthcare professionals working across the island.

A Longstanding Caribbean Partnership

Cuba noted that over the past 30 years more than 4,700 Cuban medical collaborators have served in Jamaica, providing healthcare support in hospitals, clinics, and rural communities.

According to Cuban officials, the program has produced significant outcomes:

• More than 8.1 million patients treated
• 74,302 surgeries performed
• 7,170 births attended
• Over 90,000 lives saved

Through the Operation Miracle program, launched in Jamaica in 2010, Cuban doctors also helped restore or improve the vision of nearly 25,000 Jamaicans.

The Cuban government said its medical professionals have also supported disease prevention programs, malaria control, and COVID-19 response efforts across the island.

Regional Ripple Effects

Jamaica’s decision comes as several Caribbean and Latin American governments face mounting U.S. pressure to end or modify medical cooperation agreements with Cuba. In a statement, Jamaica said it has taken the decision after the two sides were unable to “agree on the terms and conditions of a new technical cooperation arrangement, following the expiration of the previous agreement in February 2023.”

Cuban medical professionals have been serving in various public health facilities across the island, and Jamaicans have benefited notably from the eye care programme as well as the general care by nurses and doctors. 

The Government of Jamaica has expressed its sincere appreciation to the Government of Cuba for its significant contribution to the health sector in Jamaica. 

In recent months, countries including Guyana, The Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Honduras, and Guatemala have either ended or phased out similar arrangements.

U.S. officials have argued that Cuba’s medical missions exploit healthcare workers by taking a portion of their salaries and restricting their freedom of movement.

However, many Caribbean governments have long viewed the programs as essential to maintaining healthcare services in small island states where shortages of doctors and specialists are common.

Cuba’s Response

Cuba said its doctors will leave Jamaica “with the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled” but reaffirmed its commitment to solidarity with Caribbean nations.

“The Jamaican people will always be able to count on the selfless cooperation of Cuba,” the statement said.

The departure of the Cuban Medical Brigade could create new pressure on Jamaica’s healthcare system, particularly in rural areas where foreign medical support has historically filled staffing gaps.

For the wider Caribbean, the move highlights the growing geopolitical tension shaping health cooperation across the region. Jamaican American actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph joined the conversation surrounding the discontinuation of the Cuban Medical Brigade program by asking on social media: “Will America now send the doctors so badly needed in Jamaica?.”

RELATED: The Long Siege Of Cuba & Caribbean Geopolitics: The Prequel To King Kong And The Island

The Long Siege Of Cuba & Caribbean Geopolitics: The Prequel To King Kong And The Island

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By Ron Cheong

News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Mon. Mar. 9, 2026: In a previous piece titled King Kong and The Island, it was argued that the long-running embargo and now naval “oil blockade” was cruel and unusual punishment against an island and its people. These actions have inflicted severe hardship and brought the nation to the brink of collapse, all in pursuit of self-determination.  Furthermore, the suffering has been inflicted by a superpower that is now demonstrating much less moral character than the people it directs its fury against, in the name of high-minded objectives. Whatever the flaws in the Cuban system, Cuba has demonstrated resilience, cohesion, and a people-centered ethic, which the US itself increasingly lacks.

People with portable lights during a blackout in Havana on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Adalberto ROQUE / AFP via Getty Images)

In addition to the above aggression, there has been a military strike on Venezuela without follow-through to support democracy there. There is also the war against Iran, which is driving up fuel prices, increasing inflationary strain, and disrupting tourism-dependent economies in the region.  And on top of that, a chaotic, whimsical regime of punitive tariffs against US friend and foe alike.

Let’s look back and place some context on what is currently amounting to the harshest ever punishment imposed on Cuba.

More than six decades after the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on Cuba, the policy has hardened into one of the longest-running economic sieges in modern history. What began as a Cold War strategy to counter Soviet influence has evolved into a dense web of financial restrictions, diplomatic pressure, and extraterritorial penalties that shape the economic life of a small Caribbean nation of eleven million people.

Today, as Cuba struggles through one of the most severe economic crises since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the question confronting Washington and the wider world is increasingly stark: has the embargo and current naval blockade become a show of strength whose humanitarian consequences now outweigh any possible strategic purpose?  Is the suffering of the people something to gloat over?

Cold War Origins

The origins of conflict traces back to the Cuban Revolution, when Fidel Castro overthrew the U.S. backed government of Fulgencio Batista, an authoritarian dictatorship, and nationalized major industries, including American-owned businesses.

Washington responded with escalating sanctions, culminating in the full trade embargo imposed by John F. Kennedy in 1962. At the height of the Cold War, the justification seemed straightforward: Cuba had aligned with the Soviet Union and hosted nuclear missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.

But the Soviet Union disappeared more than thirty years ago. The embargo did not.

Instead, it became institutionalized through laws, making it extremely difficult to lift sanctions without congressional approval.

A Sanctions System With Global Reach

The modern embargo extends far beyond a simple prohibition on U.S.-Cuba trade. Because the United States dominates global finance, sanctions often carry extraterritorial consequences.

Foreign banks risk penalties if they process transactions with Cuba. Shipping companies can face restrictions if they dock at Cuban ports and later attempt to enter the United States. Businesses trading with Cuba may lose access to American markets.

For a small island economy dependent on imports for food, fuel, and industrial inputs, these restrictions have profound effects.

Shortages of fuel, spare parts, and medical equipment have become chronic. Electrical grids struggle to obtain replacement components. Hospitals report difficulty acquiring certain medicines or specialized devices. The result is a fragile economic system increasingly strained by shortages and infrastructure failures.

Today, with the “targeted” naval oil blockade, blackouts across the island have underscored the severity of the crisis – inability to store perishable food, disabling sensitive equipment and emergency hospital care, and decimated its absolutely critical tourism lifeblood.  Sanctions have also magnified structural weaknesses by limiting access to credit, technology, and global markets.

Cuba On The Brink

Cuba now faces its most serious economic emergency since the early 1990s when the collapse of Soviet aid plunged the island into deep recession.

Inflation has surged. Migration has reached historic levels, with hundreds of thousands of Cubans leaving the island. Food shortages, power outages, and crumbling infrastructure have become daily realities.

The Cuban government attributes much of the crisis to the tightening of U.S. sanctions in recent years, particularly measures that target shipping, remittances, and access to international banking systems.

Adversaries of Havana say that the government’s own centralized economic system bears responsibility for many inefficiencies. Whatever the case, it has to be acknowledged sanctions restrict the country’s capacity to recover.

The Caribbean: A Region Caught In The Middle

The consequences of U.S.-Cuba tensions extend beyond the island itself. Across the Caribbean, governments navigate a delicate geopolitical balance between security and economic dependence on the United States and practical cooperation with Cuba.

CARICOM has historically long defended engagement with Cuba, viewing the island as an important partner in regional development.

Countries like Jamaica, Barbados, and Guyana maintained longstanding medical and educational cooperation agreements with Havana. Cuban doctors and nurses work in hospitals across the Caribbean, often filling gaps created by shortages of medical professionals.

For many small island states, these programs are not ideological statements but practical necessities. Recruiting doctors to remote or under-resourced regions is difficult, and Cuban medical missions have often provided critical support during crises – from hurricane recovery to public health emergencies.

Yet Washington has increasingly criticized these programs. Officials, including Marco Rubio, argue that the Cuban government exploits medical workers by taking a significant portion of their salaries and restricting their freedom of movement.

And the United States has imposed visa restrictions and other pressures to discourage Caribbean governments from participating in these missions.

For small states navigating economic vulnerability and climate risks, the situation presents a difficult choice: comply with the demands of the region’s largest power or risk losing access to essential healthcare personnel.  The immense pressure from the US has had consequences.  Jamaica is ending its medical cooperation with Cuba.  And Guyana is now hiring Cuban Doctors and Nurses directly.  In addition, the Guyana government, which depended on the Cuban medical program for decades and had deep fraternal and ideological kinship with Cuba in the past, has said the Cuban “Status quo cannot remain unchanged.”

The Venezuela Factor

The geopolitical web surrounding Cuba also includes Venezuela. For years, the government of Hugo Chávez – and later Nicolás Maduro – supplied Cuba with subsidized oil in exchange for Cuban doctors, teachers, and technical advisers.

When Washington imposed severe sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector, the ripple effects reached Havana. With little oil reaching the country, blackouts now sweep across the island.

The sanctions regimes that targeted Venezuela and Cuba reinforced one another, tightening economic pressure across parts of the Caribbean basin.

The Paradox Of Russian Influence

The historical irony of the embargo is difficult to ignore.

The original policy originated from fears that Cuba had become a Soviet outpost in the Western Hemisphere. Yet in today’s political climate, some of the same voices advocating the toughest measures against Havana express far more conciliatory attitudes toward Vladimir Putin.

This contradiction raises uncomfortable questions about whether the embargo remains rooted in coherent strategic logic – or whether it has simply become a permanent fixture of domestic politics that has now taken on an even more erratic and punitive nature.

A Policy At A Crossroads

After more than sixty years, the embargo has, at least so far, failed to achieve its central objective: the transformation or collapse of Cuba’s political system, although Cuba may now be nearing exhaustion.

What it has definitely done is prolong an economic standoff that shapes the lives of millions of people and influences the geopolitical dynamics of the Caribbean.

Supporters argue that sanctions remain a legitimate tool for pressuring an authoritarian government. Others counter that the policy punishes ordinary citizens while entrenching political divisions.

As Cuba faces mounting economic strain and the Caribbean navigates competing pressures from larger powers, the question confronting Washington is increasingly unavoidable.

Is the embargo still a strategy – or has it become a tyrannical whim using a long-gone Cold War as a front, and whose human costs now exceed any political or strategic gains?

For Cuba and its Caribbean neighbors, an equitable and humanitarian resolution of this situation may determine whether the region moves toward greater cooperation or has the current incarnation of a conflict that began more than half a century ago hang over their heads as a collective shadow of a regrettable episode in Caribbean history.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Cheong is a frequent political commentator and columnist whose recent work focuses on international relations, economic resilience, and Caribbean-American affairs. He is a community activist and dedicated volunteer with extensive international banking experience. Now residing in Toronto, Canada, he is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto.

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The Caribbean Region – Geography Or Will

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Mar. 9, 2026: A Caribbean region may speak confidently about peace. The deeper question is whether it has decided what it is willing to protect and what it is prepared to lose.

This quiet dilemma now moves across the Caribbean.

When regional leaders gathered recently in Basseterre, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness offered a reminder about the Caribbean that is both obvious and often overlooked. Diversity in the region is a form of strategic intelligence. Different languages, colonial histories, and cultural traditions allow Caribbean societies to read global power from several perspectives at once.

Yet perspective does not automatically produce direction.

The environment surrounding small states is changing quickly. Assumptions that once appeared settled now feel provisional. The hemispheric outlook shaped by the Monroe Doctrine still influences how the United States interprets developments in the region. At the same time, China’s commercial and diplomatic presence continues to deepen throughout Caribbean economies.

These realities lead to a question that the region can no longer postpone.

Will Caribbean interests be defined within the region or largely outside of it?

For many years the Caribbean cultivated a political culture that valued restraint. Governments preferred dialogue to confrontation. Borders were not militarized against neighbors. Disputes were managed through diplomacy. These choices underscored intentional values practiced by small societies that understood the destructive potential of rivalry.

However, principles endure only when institutions sustain them.

Sovereignty rarely disappears through a single dramatic decision. It more often fades through a pattern in which choices affecting a region are shaped elsewhere while local governments gradually adjust to decisions they did not help design.

The consequences of this pattern reach into ordinary life. When a country depends heavily on imported food, a diplomatic disagreement can quietly affect what appears on supermarket shelves. When highly trained professionals build their careers abroad, the hospitals, laboratories, and engineering firms that remain at home operate with fewer hands and fewer ideas. Geopolitics eventually finds its way into the routines of daily survival.

This is why the strategic choices now facing the Caribbean are practical and ethical.

How should governments cooperate with partners to address security threats such as narcotics trafficking while preserving the freedom to determine domestic priorities? How can states welcome foreign investment while retaining cultural values and authority over long term development decisions? At what point does cooperation begin to narrow independence?

Three broad responses are visible.

Some governments adapt individually to the expectations of larger powers. Others emphasize national autonomy while acting largely alone. A third possibility requires more discipline. It asks Caribbean states to coordinate policy where shared leverage strengthens them.

Evidence that such cooperation is possible already exists.

When hurricanes strike countries such as Dominica or Grenada, emergency aircraft, engineers, and medical personnel from neighboring states often arrive before assistance from distant capitals. When storms threaten Jamaica, regional disaster systems mobilize meteorologists and logistics specialists whose expertise reflects decades of confronting the same weather patterns.

A similar pattern appears in the long partnership between Caribbean states and Cuba. Cuban physicians support clinics that might otherwise struggle to remain open. Trainers have helped develop Caribbean athletes who later compete successfully on the global stage. Engineers and technical specialists have assisted governments working to expand infrastructure and technical capacity.

These examples show that regional cooperation is not an aspiration. It is already part of the region’s experience.

What remains incomplete is the economic foundation capable of sustaining similar collaboration.

The Caribbean imports most of the food consumed by its population. A significant share of its scientific and professional talent builds careers abroad. Universities often conduct research without strong links to regional industries capable of translating knowledge into production.

These patterns limit strategic freedom.

A region dependent on external food supply cannot easily insulate itself from geopolitical pressure. A region that consistently exports its expertise weakens its own capacity to design complex solutions.

Future cooperation therefore requires attention to systems rather than declarations.

Agricultural production in Guyana, Suriname, and Belize could anchor supply networks that provide island populations with more reliable access to food. Caribbean universities could collaborate in applied research focused on energy resilience, climate adaptation, and regional manufacturing. Health partnerships could expand so that specialized treatment becomes more accessible within the region itself.

Diplomacy must also grow more deliberate. Caribbean governments will continue to engage major powers in trade, security, and investment. The challenge lies in approaching those relationships with clearly defined priorities that are understood throughout the region.

Small states preserve autonomy not by withdrawing from the world but by recognizing precisely where cooperation strengthens them and where it quietly limits their choices.

The Caribbean Sea connects societies that share storms, migration histories, music, and economic vulnerability. Geography created this proximity. Geography explains why the region exists.

Geography alone does not explain whether it will matter.

The future of the Caribbean depends on a different force. It depends on whether neighboring states develop the institutional discipline to think together when their long term interests are at stake.

Geography determined where the Caribbean sits in the world.

Only collective will can determine how it stands within it.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Isaac Newton is a strategist and leadership advisor focused on governance, institutional development, and small state strategy. Educated at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, he has spent more than three decades working across government, finance, academia, and civil society in the Caribbean and internationally. His work examines leadership, policy design, and regional cooperation in an era of shifting global power.

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Wyndham Grand Barbados Highlights How Caribbean Travelers Can Earn Free Stays Through Wyndham Rewards

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News Americas, SAINT PHILIP, Barbados, March 06, 2026: As loyalty programs increasingly influence how travelers choose where to stay, Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort & Spa is encouraging Caribbean travellers to take advantage of a benefit many may not realize is available to them; earning free hotel stays around the world through Wyndham Rewards, one of the largest hotel loyalty programmes globally.

The program allows guests to earn points for qualifying stays and redeem them at more than 9,000 Wyndham hotels across over 95 countries, meaning a getaway in Barbados can also help travelers build rewards for future trips to destinations across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and beyond.

For many travelers in the region, however, the ability to earn global rewards from regional travel remains relatively underutilized. The resort is therefore encouraging Barbadians and visitors from across the Caribbean to sign up for Wyndham Rewards and begin building points through their stays.

To help travellers get started, the resort is offering double Wyndham Rewards points on eligible CARICOM and local bookings made through the end of April, allowing guests to accelerate their points while enjoying a luxury all-inclusive experience in Barbados.

General Manager Leroy Browne says the initiative is designed to raise awareness among Caribbean travellers who may not yet realize they can earn global travel rewards through regional stays.

“Many travelers in the Caribbean don’t realize that when they stay with us, they can earn points that can be redeemed at thousands of hotels around the world,” Browne said. “Wyndham Rewards allows our regional guests to enjoy a luxury all-inclusive experience here in Barbados while building points they can use for future travel. The double-points offer simply helps them reach those rewards faster.”

Situated on approximately 29 acres of oceanfront property along Barbados’ southeastern coast, Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort & Spa blends the heritage of the historic Sam Lord’s site with a modern all-inclusive resort experience.

The 422-room resort features sweeping Atlantic views, six swimming pools, multiple dining venues, curated entertainment experiences and the island’s only ESPA-branded spa, offering both leisure and regional travellers a luxury escape within easy reach of major Caribbean gateways.

Year-round local and regional offers also make the property accessible to Barbadians and Caribbean nationals seeking a premium staycation experience while participating in Wyndham’s global loyalty ecosystem.

For travelers across the Caribbean, the message is simple, a Barbados getaway today can help unlock free hotel stays around the world tomorrow.

Website: https://www.wyndhamgrandbarbados.com/