Black Immigrant Daily News

A resolution submitted by pro-whaling countries including Antigua and Barbuda has sought to reopen a formal debate on commercial whaling.

The 40-year ban could be overturned after the proposal was submitted at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Portorož, Slovenia.

The 88 member countries are expected to take a vote on Tuesday on the said resolution.

This comes after the country has also co-sponsored a resolution with Cambodia, Guinea and the Gambia which argues how fishing practices could contribute to food security and address poverty, said a report by the Guardian.

The report also mentions wildlife protection organisations like OceanCare and HumaneSociety have said that these resolutions threaten the progress made by the IWC.

The OceanCare director of international relations, Nicolas Entrup, has dismissed the idea of “sustainable whaling” calling it “ridiculous”.

“Instead of losing precious time with decade-old debates about fabricated scenarios like ‘sustainable whaling’ and false solutions to food security, the IWC should urgently take up the real pressing issues: climate change and plastic pollution,” said Entrup. According to the media report, commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries had nearly brought the mammals to the brink of extinction.

“People assume the whaling ban, which has saved the lives of hundreds and thousands of cetaceans, is done and dusted. But the ban is in jeopardy as long as there are nations in the IWC who will vote to return to whaling,” said Wendy Higgins, director of international media at Humane Society International.

This comes four years after a similar proposal of lifting the ban on commercial whaling by Japan was rejected by the IWC. Tokyo at the time had also said how whaling could be done sustainably.

At the time, IWC reportedly reiterated its role as a conservation-focused organisation and said that the threats to whales are not just limited to hunting but also include ship strikes, climate crisis and fishing bycatch.

Subsequently, Japan left the IWC and started commercial whaling again since it was no longer bound to comply with its restrictions.

This comes amid the IWC facing financial difficulties following Japan’s exit, the Covid pandemic, and the Global economic crisis, said the report.

At least a quarter of the 88 member countries have not paid their annual dues.

On Monday, the commission also altered the rules that ban countries in arrears from voting acknowledging how the pandemic has disproportionately affected developing countries.

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by Herma Demacque

The ‘Say Yes to Saint Lucia’ Global Romance Summit organized by the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) brought together 150 travel advisors from the USA, UK, Canada, and the Caribbean this past weekend.

Professionals versed in transformation, design, and adventure presented on the best ways to sell Saint Lucia as the ideal destination for love and leisure.

The Romance Summit’s breakfast event provided participants with the tools required to effectively monetize their businesses. The featured speaker was Alan Berg who presented on current travelling trends.

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“I’m thrilled to be back here in such a beautiful place,” he said. “When you talk about a destination wedding what is it? We know what we think because here we are in Saint Lucia, but nearly one in four couples consider their wedding to be destination whether or not they’re going abroad because they’re not in their local area. Of those, 43 percent said they’re getting married in a different state not a different country. So when you talk to people about a destination wedding you have to understand what they mean.”

Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, Hon. Dr Ernest Hilaire, committed to improving Saint Lucia’s tourism product even as the country continues to receive accolades.

“We’ve received the title of World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination on 13 occasions and hopefully this year will be the 14th; however, it is not just about the awards that we get. It is about the experiences that we deliver so that we live up to the standard of being the best place to be married and the best place to have your honeymoon. As such, we will continue to work on improving our services and ensure we have a world class product that is unparalleled.”

The objective of the ‘Say Yes to Saint Lucia Global Romance Summit’ held from Oct. 13 to 17, was to ensure that industry professionals experienced firsthand the island’s allure.

SOURCE: Government Information Service

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Period poverty is a prevalent issue in Latin America and the Caribbean region, and Barbados is no exception. Women’s health advocate Katrina Alleyne is making sure to alleviate the issue one pad at a time.

The founder of Katrina Endometriosis Fund Association (KEFA) is committed to raising awareness of women’s health, specifically endometriosis which affects 1 in 10 women.

The pandemic stopped a lot of things but guess what? Periods did not stop

Alleyne started the Endo Drive which provides women with menstrual and hygiene products in 2018, following her hospitalisation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

“It was an initiative to donate to the Gynaecological Ward after having endometriosis and I was on the ward for most occasions, and I saw women come in on emergencies that I would have shared some of my stuff.”

“I thought it would be good to have puberty kits and care packages on the ward so women would have access to these items if they fall short, if there is an emergency and they are rushed to the hospital or if it was a case where the family members could not get there on time,” she explained.

Endo Drive by the Katrina Endometriosis Fund Association.

The Endo Drive kicked into full gear during the pandemic. Alleyne recalled that scores of women across the island reached out to the KEFA appealing for assistance.

“The pandemic stopped a lot of things but guess what? Periods did not stop,” Alleyne told Loop News.

She shared that purchasing menstrual products monthly was an expense that some families could not sustain, also mentioning that the bill could be higher if someone suffered from a gynaecological disorder.

“It is difficult for women because all of us are made up differently. For some, certain sanitary napkins give us allergic reactions so there are some persons who cannot use certain types of pads…You might have to use an Always pad or a Kotex pad which ranges between $15 to $20.

“If you are having that and then you, yourself as a mother are still having menstrual periods, imagine having to spend $100 to $150 monthly on sanitary napkins and God forbid any of your children experience a gynaecological condition where they have excess bleeding, you know then, that it is going to tap into $150, and $150 might look like $200 based on the length of time of bleeding or how heavy the bleeding is,” Alleyne explained.

The Endo Drive also distributes puberty packages to adolescents, explained the director of KEFA. She shared that the association launched a programme titled Body Talks aimed at educating preteens about menstruation.

“A lot of people don’t talk about menstruation and then when the kids get their periods they are at a loss, they feel ashamed and they have to hide because they didn’t have that talk. When you fully prepare their minds for that transition into menstruation then you can get a positive result,” she noted.

The drive runs year-round. Persons interested in donating can call 288-7987 or 844-4766 or email endowarrior246@gmail.com.

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door Audry Wajwakana PARAMARIBO — Het nationaal slavernijmonument komt volgend jaar mogelijk in de buurt van het Openluchtmuseum Fort Nieuw

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