Black Immigrant Daily News

Prosecutors on Friday withdrew a charge against a 40-year-old Jamaican woman accused of illegally living in Bermuda after it was confirmed an order had been signed for her deportation.

Gabrielle Gangadhar pleaded not guilty in Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to a charge of staying on the island without permission between November 2022 and March 2023.

Director of Public Prosecutions Cindy Clarke told the court on Friday that the Crown would offer no evidence in the case.

“There has been a signed deportation order from the Governor [Rena Lalgie] so there’s no reason to proceed with the criminal offence,” she said.

Clarke said Gangadhar would be held in custody until next week, when she is set to be sent home.

The court heard that a flight has been scheduled for March 15.

After Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo discharged Gangadhar from the case, she urged the court to allow her to remain on the island so that she could continue to pursue a case with the Human Rights Commission.

But Tokunbo said he was not able to help as it was outside of his powers.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

March 4, 2023 marked a historic moment for the world’s ocean. After a marathon of intense, sometimes overnight negotiations, Member States of the United Nations agreed on the provisions of a treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (the ocean biodiversity treaty).

With this treaty, a new chapter for equity in the world’s ocean has begun. Almost two decades ago, small island developing states drew the international community’s attention to the governance gap for the ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction and the lack of any comprehensive regime to adequately regulate human activities in those areas. That gap posed a direct or indirect threat to the health of the marine environment including marine biodiversity with knock on impacts for coastal nations and the planet. They also pointed to the inequitable use of these areas which SIDS consider to be the common heritage of humankind. From 2004 to 2015, together with other developing countries and the support of non governmental organizations, the SIDS led efforts to make the case for a new treaty. By 2018, that case was filed and an intergovernmental conference convened with a view to adopt a first ever ocean biodiversity treaty.

From the outset, CARICOM demonstrated its leadership in the process with the region’s representatives serving in different roles from the phases of the Preparatory Committee that determined the elements of the treaty, through to the five sessions of the Intergovernmental Conference that finalized the treaty itself. More importantly, its political leaders demonstrated the highest level of support for the conclusion of an ambitious framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, with a view to enabling equity and effectiveness. In a final statement ahead of the fifth intergovernmental conference, CARICOM Leaders declared their support for:

(a) a fair and equitable benefit sharing regime, including monetary and non-monetary benefits, for marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction and digital sequence information on marine genetic resources that ensures all humanity for generations to come will benefit from utilisation of those resources and information;

(b) an inclusive transparent consultative process guided by science for the establishment of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas;

(c) a robust threshold and transparent process for the conduct of environmental impact assessments, with global oversight for activities that may be allowed and an agreed decision-making standard for activities that should not be allowed;

(d) adequate, accessible, sustainable and predictable financing to support implementation of the BBNJ Agreement while delivering capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology to developing countries, in particular for SIDS and be responsive to their needs and priorities;

(e) additional funding arrangements for a liability mechanism;

(f) an effective framework of institutional arrangements that will support the provisions of the Agreement and ensure decision making based on the best available scientific information and incorporate the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities, facilitate effective capacity building and transfer or marine technology, and ensure the required generation of, access to, and use of funding towards the aims of the BBNJ Agreement; and finally;

(g) due recognition of the special circumstances of SIDS as an operational principle of the Agreement.

CARICOM welcomes the conclusion of the intergovernmental conference and the adoption of the ocean biodiversity treaty. It takes note with appreciation that the provisions of the treaty have met the region’s core objectives. Importantly, CARICOM recognizes that this new treaty lays a formidable foundation for the fair, equitable and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. CARICOM will begin consideration of the next steps to become a party to the treaty and looks forward to the continued support of the international community in bringing the treaty into force and effect, and promoting its universality.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Dr. Didacus Jules, director general of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Charles Trottmann, Head of the Three Oceans department of the Agence Fran?aise de D?veloppement (AFD), and ?tienne Francis, ambassador of France to the Eastern Caribbean states, Barbados and the OECS, met in Gosier, Guadeloupe on Wednesday, to sign a historic memorandum of understanding between the OECS and the AFD.

The OECS is dedicated to economic harmonization, regional integration and cooperation by contributing to the sustainable development of its 11 members, and by facilitating the integration of member states into the global economy and maximizing the benefits of their cooperation and collective action.

The OECS coordinates and harmonizes policies and programs in the region. Priority issues in the region are addressed through cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners, such as the AFD, a public financial institution that helps implement French international cooperation policy.

After a first collaboration in the framework of the Recycle OECS Project, financed with 2.5 million euros by AFD on ?uropean delegated funds since the beginning of the year, the two partners agreed to expand their relations in order to implement joint projects and programs where their strategic priorities are aligned.

The objective of this Memorandum is to establish the framework of this cooperation as well as the specific sectors to be prioritized. The selected themes are human development (health and social protection, education, gender equality), preservation of natural capital (climate change, biodiversity or circular economy), and strengthening the role of private actors in regional economic development.

To achieve this goal, the OECS and AFD plan to pool their resources and expertise and share their knowledge and innovative ideas for a more integrated and interconnected Caribbean basin.

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