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Caribbean ministers to address fisheries crimes at Blue Justice Conference 2023

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

High-level delegations from several Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) will participate this week in the Blue Justice Conference 2023, billed by organizers as the largest global high-level event on transnational organised crime in the global fishing industry. The Blue Justice Caribbean Hub–to be housed in Jamaica–will also be launched at the high-level event.

Officials from twelve CRFM Member States–Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Turks and Caicos Islands–will be among the participants from approximately 80 countries and territories expected to attend the hybrid event, slated for 23-24 March 2023, in UN City, Copenhagen, Denmark.

The CRFM–the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) institution which leads the region’s efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and transnational organized crime in fishing industry–is among the partners joining the Government of Norway and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in convening the international conference.

Mr. Milton Haughton, CRFM Executive Director, will deliver official remarks at the Opening Ceremony on Thursday, 23 March, and will subsequently speak with Conference attendees about regional cooperation mechanisms in the Caribbean.

Haughton said: “The Blue Justice Initiative offers our countries significant opportunities to obtain intelligence, improve maritime domain awareness, access technical assistance, and strengthen national and regional capacities to better monitor and protect our marine resources and combat fisheries crimes, including illegal fishing. We are very grateful for the support being provided by the Blue Justice Initiative and the Government of Norway and other Nordic countries to support our countries in turning the tide against fisheries crime in the region and globally.”

During the conference’s high-level session, delegates from several participating CRFM Member States will present their “Country insights”. This segment of the conference will conclude with a discussion on governance and space technology in support of SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions).

Conference side events will be held on the Blue Enforcement Project (UNODC) – “Understanding gender roles in tackling crimes in the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka and Maldives”, and the Blue Fairness Project (ILO/UNODC/IOM) – “Using data to inform policies to combat trafficking for forced labour in fishing”.

The second day of the Blue Justice Conference, Friday, 24 March, is dedicated to the Blue Justice Action Forum. During that event, CRFM Member States will participate in a tabletop exercise.

The CRFM solidified its partnership with Norway and the Blue Justice Initiative in 2022, when 12 Member States signed the International Declaration on Transnational Organized Crime in the Global Fishing Industry (the Copenhagen Declaration) en bloc and pledged their support for the Blue Justice Initiative.

To date, fifty-one countries have signed the Copenhagen Declaration, and other countries have been invited to likewise sign the agreement at the upcoming conference and to join the Blue Justice Initiative. Dominica, a CRFM Member State, intends to sign the declaration at the event and join the global effort against transnational crime in the fishing industry.

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Climate Change, Disaster Displacement and Environmental Migration High on OECS-IOM Workshop Agenda

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

A two-day workshop kicked off this morning in Saint Lucia to discuss policy recommendations built on the human security framework, one day after the IPCC released an alarming report regarding the state of climate change.

The workshop brought together technical officers in the fields of disaster management, immigration, regional integration, environment, climate change, and more, as well as representatives of national Red Cross Societies, to identify best-practices, and work towards improving and coordinating the responses of member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to disaster displacement and environmental migration.

In the face of climate change and recent experiences (2017 hurricane season and 2021 volcanic eruptions), that threaten the human security of people in the region, governments in the OECS have seen the need to assess policies to better manage the complex effects of displacement and migration due to environmental factors and climate impacts, including to ensure regional coordination in the event of cross-border evacuations. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting this coordinated effort with resources from the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS).

The human security approach recognizes that when people are displaced because of climate impacts, or disasters that affect their environment, they can become exposed to a complex combination of risks and increased insecurities. Comprehensive, people-centred and prevention-oriented policies that consider the specific contexts of displacement can help OECS Member States to protect and empower their populations.

The workshop will focus on discussing the draft best practices in the eastern Caribbean on the protection of persons crossing borders in the context of disasters, environmental degradation and climate change, and importantly the protocols on cross-border evacuation in the OECS region that will be tested by a tabletop exercise. It is expected that the guiding documents will be finalized and ready for application by relevant sectors of government in the OECS and other regions, as this project seeks to deepen the collaboration and sharing of knowledge between SIDS in the Caribbean and other regions including the Pacific.

The 21-22 March 2023 workshop will be hosted by the IOM in partnership with the donor – UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS). Other contributing stakeholders include the OECS Commission, the UN Resident Coordinator Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Platform for Disaster Displacement (PDD).

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Commonwealth Secretary-General launches redesigned website for Commonwealth Youth Networks

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, has launched a new website, YourCommonwealth.org, for young leaders to collaborate, promote their innovations and initiatives, and advocate for action on youth development.

In addition to a more modern look, the website continues to provide a dedicated space for Young Commonwealth Correspondents and now has dedicated microsites for the Commonwealth’s 13 youth networks.

Unveiling the new website at the Commonwealth Youth Network Summit in London, the Secretary-General said: “This initiative is yet another example of our commitment to our young leaders and the 1.5 billion young people they represent. This website will provide them with more tools to share their ideas and solutions to some of the most challenging development issues. In addition, they can achieve their goals by combining their talent, innovation and initiatives.”

She added: “This launch is part of our celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. The website will also play a critical role in amplifying our Year of Youth, a landmark declaration by our 56 Heads of Government at their summit last year. At its heart, it recognises the power of our youth and acknowledges that we will certainly fail to achieve our sustainable development goals if we do not empower and engage our young people and prioritise them in all aspects of our development work.”

The new site is an upgrade of the long-running YourCommonwealth.org website – a dedicated platform for more than 70 Young Commonwealth correspondents, made up of commentators as well as practising and aspiring journalists. To bolster its talent pool, the Commonwealth Secretariat is inviting young people, aged 15-29, to apply to become a Commonwealth Young Correspondent.

In 2012, the website was named ‘Communicator of the Year’ in the Nexus Commonwealth Awards. Head of Social Policy, Layne Robinson, coordinated the website in collaboration with young people from across the Commonwealth and staff members from the communications and youth divisions.

“The vision was to give young people from all over the Commonwealth the opportunity to air their views on events and challenges in their country and globally. This gives us a unique insight into issues and experiences on the ground and the opportunity to respond with targeted initiatives and programmes,” said Mr Robinson.

Commonwealth Senior Communications and Engagement Officer Natricia Duncan, who worked with the youth leaders across the networks to manage the upgrade, said the aim was to create a multimedia collaboration space.

She said: “Though our thirteen networks are each dedicated to a different issue, such as health, education, disability and climate change, collaboration among them is critical to the success of their campaigns and initiatives. Therefore, we focussed the upgrade on creating the architecture to accommodate more multimedia and creative content and providing a platform where the networks can synergise and co-create.”

Coordinator of the Commonwealth Correspondents, Chimaobi Omeye, said the upgrade would boost an already powerful platform.

He added: “We already engage thousands of young people through thought-provoking articles, and the tools available from this website will enable us to multiply this number and extend our reach. This is also an opportunity for youth networks across the Commonwealth to further collaborate with the correspondents to share their voices, ideas stories, and hopes.”

Clare Keizer, the new editor of the website, added: “We are really excited about this new platform because it is an important part of our strategy to hone the skills of our correspondents, raise the profile of our networks and increase their membership. We will work to ensure that every young person in the Commonwealth is aware of this amazing resource and the opportunities it provides.”

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Statement by PM Browne On the matter of compassionate assistance to the former employees of LIAT (1974) Ltd

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

This statement is issued in an effort, once again, to explain and clarify the position of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, regarding the former employees of LIAT (1974) Ltd.

First, the Antigua and Barbuda Government opposed the decision by the other principal shareholders in LIAT (1974) Ltd to collapse the airline, with no obligation to its employees and creditors. Our preference was to maintain the airline, recognising that it had a crucial role in providing necessary transportation to people of the region and that, without it, regional air transportation for both goods and services would decline to the detriment of tourism, commercial activity and the socialization of the Caribbean people.

Indeed, our fear in this regard, has turned out to be true as the traveling public can now attest.

Second, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, although it had no corporate or legal responsibility to any of the creditors or former employees of LIAT 1974 Ltd, decided to assume a “moral obligation” to provide compassionate assistance to the former employees of LIAT.

Our compassionate severance was offered system wide, on a non-discriminatory basis, affording national treatment to all LIAT workers, irrespective of their nationality, in keeping with the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

Third, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda made this decision even though it owned only 32 percent of the shares in LIAT (1974) Ltd, and, therefore, should only have a “moral obligation” up to 32 percent to the former workers, who, indeed were employed by all the governments that comprised 100 per cent of the airline’s ownership.

Fourth, despite the dire economic and financial circumstance that resulted from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the scarcity of financial resources, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda decided to offer 50 per cent of what the LIAT employees reasonably might have expected as compensation, if the company had not been declared insolvent.

In other words, the Government decided to use monies and other resources that should have been spent on the needs of the entire population, such as improvement of roads and water supply, to provide compassionate assistance to the former LIAT employees. By any stretch of the imagination, this is a generous offer, recognizing always that no legal obligation of any kind falls to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and certainly not for 100 percent of assistance to employees of a company, 68 per cent of which was owned by other Caricom members states.

Fifth, in reality if the principal shareholder governments had taken the view that all of them had a moral obligation to provide assistance to all the former LIAT employees, an offer could have been made, formulated to provide such assistance, according to the ownership shareholding in the company.

This cooperative approach which would have resulted in full settlement of staff severance payments was not pursued by the other shareholding governments, instead a domesticated option was employed ostensibly to limit their liabilities to the staff of LIAT.

LIAT (1974) Ltd was forcefully collapsed as insolvent, in spite of the dissenting view by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the recommendation for the establishment of a LIAT 2020 Ltd.

The Government of Barbados severance payment was raised by the Antigua Workers Union, and therefore, I am obliged to address it.

The Barbados government has decided to offer assistance to Barbadian employees only, in a sum it has solely determined in light of its own circumstances. In this regard, neither the Government of Barbados, nor any other shareholder government in LIAT (1974) Ltd, has acknowledged any obligation to the former workers, including those here in Antigua and Barbuda.

Consequently, the position of the Antigua Workers Union that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda should use taxpayers’ money to pay 100 percent of monies to LIAT (1974) Ltd employees and former employees to which they have no legal claim, and for which the Government of Antigua and Barbuda could only reasonably be responsible for 32 per cent, is both reckless, misleading and unhelpful.

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda, as an act of compassion and eminent reasonableness, continues to be committed to settling this matter directly with for the existing and former employees of LIAT (1974) Ltd, in their interest.

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The UWI Fondly Remembers Former Cave Hill Campus Registrar, Andrew Gordon Lewis

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The regional UWI community is saddened by the news of the passing of retired Campus Registrar of its Cave Hill Campus, Andrew Gordon Lewis, one of the Campus’s foundation students who went on to become a leading and much revered administrator at the institution.

The Cave Hill stalwart whose career at The University of the West Indies spanned over 25 years, is fondly remembered for his dedication to the institution, masterful planning, avid mentorship, gentle manner, infectious laughter, and as a campus “icon” and “a true giant in the Cave Hill pantheon.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles remembered the late registrar as “a very special specimen of a citizen” and “strategic planner extraordinaire” while Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, Professor R. Clive Landis noted that the high qualities Mr. Lewis pursued are now interwoven into the fabric of the campus.

Lewis was a member of the Campus’s first student cohort in 1963 and later joined the Cave Hill staff in 1980 after spending some time in the public service. After his formal retirement from Cave Hill in 2003, he remained to serve as Director of Planning and Special Projects enabling the campus’s expansion to benefit from the richness of his knowledge and his devotion to the institution. He was largely responsible for charting much of the strategies for development, and for guiding the projects for Cave Hill’s physical expansion, felt by many to be an enduring contribution to the Campus.

He truly mastered the “operations and complexities” of The UWI. From funding proposals and negotiations to design and coordination, he was instrumental in the transformative development of 33 acres of land at Black Rock which now boast the Usain Bolt Sporting Complex, the School for Graduate Studies and Research and the Keith Hunte Hall.

Responsibility for the expansion of Cave Hill’s built environment extended beyond the Black Rock or Lazaretto Lands, however, to include the Faculty of Medical Sciences, the Clico Centre for Teaching Excellence and the Sagicor Centre for Lifelong Learning, among numerous other notable initiatives.

In 2006, Lewis was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Special Award for Outstanding and Distinguished Service to the University, at that time the second recipient of such an honour in the history of The UWI.

Colleagues who served with him, including academics and administrators, remember his warm and keen mentorship, his guidance towards appreciating the values and phenomenal contribution of The UWI and his example, which helped to shape a culture adherence to standards of the highest quality.

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Barbadians told to be prepared for long drought and hot season

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Director of the Barbados Meteorological Service (BMS), Sabu Best, is warning Barbadians that they should be prepared for a long drought period given that “there is not going to be any rainfall that is going to be coming in anytime soon”.

Best said that over the past couple of weeks, there has been a “significant reduction in rainfall across the island” and that the dry conditions, dry air, and abundance of sunshine “is actually leading to a lot of drying out of the top soils across the island, and a lot of areas are actually turning brown in fields and cane fields…”

“So, I know a lot of residents have noticed a lot of cane fires or grass fires that have been going on in the past few days,” he said, and that some of those fires actually last for a “good few hours” and even days.

“We expect that these kind of conditions are going to continue into March and into April with the dry conditions,” he said, warning the population that “there is not going to be any rainfall that is going to be coming in anytime soon.

“And so I just want all Barbadians to be aware that you can expect to see the possibility of more fires in the days to come and just be ready and be prepared. This is not an uncommon thing to actually happen during the dry season,” he said, adding that “the number of fires is probably unprecedented and also the duration of the fires.

“So, our best advice to all the public out there is just to be aware that these things are going to happen in the next few weeks, and the possibility, and just be ready. For those who have respiratory challenges, just walk with the necessary medications and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself over the next few weeks,” Best added.

He said the forecast for the future “is basically, like I said, March is going to be really dry.

“We are going to see a slight increase in April, in terms of precipitation, and more so in May, especially going into the ending part of May, and we should have a lot more relief in the early part of June as well,” the BMS director said.

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Large mass of seaweed threatens Caribbean tourism

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

A massive collection of seaweed that is said to have grown in the Atlantic Ocean is making its way toward Florida’s shores and other Gulf of Mexico coastlines, potentially depositing deadly masses over beaches and significantly affecting the summer travel season.

It is said that the seaweed, a variety called sargassum, has long generated substantial blooms in the Atlantic.

According to reports, scientists have been monitoring significant accumulations since 2011, but this year’s sargassum mass spans more than 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.

Reports say it could be the largest on record.

According to Dr. Brian Lapointe, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, the blob is currently pushing west and will pass through the Caribbean and up into the Gulf of Mexico during the summer.

He said that the seaweed is expected to become prevalent on beaches in Florida around July.

He further mentioned that in Barbados, locals were clearing the beaches of seaweed using 1,600 dump trucks per day to make them suitable for tourists and recreation on the beaches.

He also noted that this new phenomenon of the ocean is harming tourism in the Caribbean where it accumulates on beaches up to 5 or 6 feet deep.

Lapointe said that the sargassum bloom this year started to emerge early and doubled in size between December and January, adding that it was greater in January than it has ever been since this new zone of sargassum development began in 2011.

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UN: Fresh gang violence in Haiti leaves 187 dead in 11 days

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

New clashes between gangs in Haiti’s capital and beyond have killed at least 187 people in less than two weeks and injured more than 150 others, the UN said Tuesday.

The fresh wave of violence recorded between February 27 and March 9 in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the central region of Artibonite also has displaced hundreds of people and forced farmers to abandon fields as starvation worsens, officials said.

“The situation is all the more alarming for children, who are often subjected to all forms of armed violence, including forced recruitment and sexual violence,” the UN in Haiti said.

The surge of violence in central Haiti has been largely blamed on a gang called “Baz Gran Grif,” which roughly translates to “Big Claw Crew.”

In addition, nearly 260 kidnappings have been reported since the start of the year, with people abducted from their homes or public places, officials said.

Gangs have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Mo?se, and already control an estimated 60 per cent of Port-au-Prince. They also have been clashing in the central towns of Petite Riviere de l’Artibonite, Verrettes, Estere and Liancourt.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry last week signalled that he is seeking to mobilise Haiti’s military to help an under-resourced and understaffed police department fight the unrelenting gang violence, which has forced an increasing number of schools and businesses to shutter.

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The UWI named among winners of the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards for partnership with UNDP and Frankfurt School

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

A collaborative project undertaken by The University of the West Indies (The UWI) together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (FS) to support MSMEs through upskilling and digitalization, was announced as a winner of the 2022 Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards.

Since 2000, the region’s tourism development agency, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), has organised the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards to highlight the impactful, sustainable tourism actions by its member countries. The Business Adaptation Programme, developed to assist tourism MSMEs in the Eastern Caribbean received the 2022 Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards in the category of Tourism Education and Training, and was honoured at a virtual awards ceremony held on Wednesday February 15, 2023.

In 2021, The UWI and FS were invited by the UNDP’s office for Barbados & the Eastern Caribbean to partner to assist more than 300 Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) increase their digital skills resilience to external shocks and access new markets within the tourism value chain. The UNDP Future Tourism Project was formulated as a response to the effects of COVID-19 on the tourism sector and its subsequent impact on MSMEs.

On receiving the award, Miguel Guirao, Project Coordinator from UNDP shared, “For UNDP, receiving this award was both an honour and a major milestone. We are committed to supporting the resilience of the region and MSMEs are key players in this sphere. Through our Future-Tourism Project, UNDP was able to not only provide funding to help MSMEs digitally transform their businesses, but we also expanded the technical capacity of the region’s entrepreneurs. We are grateful for the support of our partners to achieve this honour that serves as a testament that we are achieving our goal of supporting Caribbean Communities towards the achievement of the SDGs”.

Dr. Michelle McLeod, a Tourism Expert on The UWI COVID-19 Task Force, with over 30 years of tourism experience led the project’s implementation on behalf of The UWI. Through a series of online sessions hosted by the University’s Open Campus, the MSMEs were equipped with tailored training, coaching and mentorship, informed of steps to digitalization and provided with information surrounding digital technologies, marketing and financial planning.

Reacting to the award, Dr. McLeod said, “I am so proud to have been the UWI Open Campus Consultant on this project. It was great working with partners Frankfurt School and UNDP. Many congratulations to all the MSME beneficiaries in the Eastern Caribbean.” She continued, “The Business Adaptation Programme has to be made sustainable to contribute to the overall development of MSMEs in the broader Caribbean. Tourism is the mainstay of several Caribbean economies and tourism MSMEs account for more than 90% of the businesses in those economies. Training and development of tourism MSMEs will contribute to sustainable growth and innovation of the tourism sector in the Caribbean.”

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Public Health Stakeholders discuss health security issues including decline in routine immunization ahead of 29th COHSOD

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Regional Public Health Stakeholders met virtually on Friday for a preparatory meeting facilitated by the CARICOM Secretariat ahead of the Twenty-Ninth Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) – Health scheduled for 26 April 2023.

The meeting was an important platform for stakeholders in health to provide updates on the implementation of health projects and programmes; share experiences on health responses, identify recommendations for the improvement of policy, strategies and programmes and endorse policy recommendations for actions undertaken under the broad-based health strategy of the Region (Caribbean Cooperation in Health – CCH).

The meeting was chaired by Dr Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Health and Wellness, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Belize, with the support of the Directorate of Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat.

In her opening remarks, Helen Royer, Director, Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat, acknowledged the contributions of technical experts in public health, including state actors, non-state actors such as the various non-governmental organization (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and our international development partners, who have supported the implementation of a coordinated multi-sectoral response for COVID-19 and the development of several public health goods.

“Your technical expertise, leadership and management in public health have undoubtedly contributed to improved coordination, resource mobilization, policy advocacy and improved public health outcomes,” stated Royer, “The Secretariat again takes this opportunity to thank the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for working collaboratively with us and our CARICOM Member States to address the emerging health priorities and currently the efforts towards addressing the low immunization rates experienced in our routine immunization programmes”.

The Director emphasized that despite the best efforts of Public Health stakeholders and the gains achieved to date, the Region continues to experience existing and emerging public health challenges which have the potential to undermine the Region’s ability to achieve sustainable development. She underscored that the regression in vaccine uptake would continue to affect Member States if drastic steps are not implemented immediately. Ms Royer also noted that the challenges with health security should not be ignored.

“While these challenges are noted, I have no doubt that the updates and policy recommendations proposed by the various partners will result in the endorsement and implementation of innovative strategies that are guided by science, evidence and shared experiences,” stated the Director.

In a brief opening statement, Chair Dr Melissa Diaz-Musa urged stakeholders to note, in particular, the low immunization rates experienced in routine immunization programmes region-wide. She stressed that the trend could reverse the gains made in public health and highlighted the potential impact on the Region’s public health systems.

The meeting received a detailed technical update from CARPHA on health security issues in the Region and opportunities for funding through the Pandemic Fund, while PAHO led a discussion on the status of the Expanded Programme on Immunizations in CARICOM Member States. PAHO also shared an update on the Elimination of Communicable and Tropical Diseases in the Caribbean, among other issues.

In addition, participants discussed matters pertaining to the Port-of-Spain Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDS), which included an update on the “Caribbean Moves Initiative” by CARPHA and a presentation on the status of Regional Mental Health Legislation with country experiences from The Bahamas and Guyana.

The outcomes of the meeting will inform the discussions for the upcoming COHSOD in Nassau, The Bahamas and ultimately lead to decisions to improve health outcomes for the people of the Caribbean Community.

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