Black Immigrant Daily News

The Caribbean Country Director of the World Bank, Lilia Burunciuc, Tuesday warned that Caribbean countries were “lagging behind” regarding the development of the tourism industry.

Lilia Burunciuc told an online webinar that discussed “Global Economic Prospects for Small States” that even when an examination is made of the tourism sector in the region ” the Caribbean (countries) are lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of the growth of this sector.

“Actually, the growth of the tourist sector in the Caribbean is lower than average of the tourist sector in the world, which means that probably the current model has exhausted its potential and the region needs to think about doing significant restructuring of the way tourism is being done in the Caribbean so that the sector continues to grow and the sector brings more revenue and more jobs to the people in the Caribbean,” she added.

The statement by the World Bank officials follows the announcement last week by the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) predicting that visitor arrivals to the region this year will surpass the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic figures as the Caribbean recorded a significant increase in tourist arrivals last year.

CTO acting Secretary General, Neil Walters, told a news conference that nearly 90 per cent of the region’s travel demand for 2019 has already been recovered and some destinations have already passed their pandemic levels.

“When compared to 2022, it is expected that overall arrivals to the region will increase by between 10 and 15 per cent. This means that between 31.2 and 32.6 million tourist can be expected to visit the region this year (and) thus arrivals this year might surpass pre-pandemic levels,” he told reporters.

The World Bank said that the Caribbean’s diverse economic features share attributes that make them especially vulnerable to shocks, including dependence on imports of essential goods, highly concentrated economies, elevated levels of debt, reliance on external financing, and susceptibility to natural disasters and climate change.

The Washington-based financial institution said that given that the region is expected to see a slowdown in growth, with an estimated 5. 6 per cent growth in 2023 and 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 7.7 per cent last year, there is a need for policies to boost investment growth, tailored to country circumstances but also include comprehensive fiscal and structural reforms, including the repurposing of expenditure on inefficient subsidies.

Earlier, the senior economist at the World Bank’s Chief Economist Office, Dana Vorisek, told the webinar that small states like the Caribbean are highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, earthquakes, and even volcanic eruptions.

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The Antigua and Barbuda passport was strengthened internationally on Friday, March 10 when Ambassadors of Antigua and Barbuda and the Republic of Serbia signed an agreement in Washington, DC, on behalf of their governments, abolishing visa requirements for their citizens.

The Agreement was negotiated and signed between Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders, representing Antigua and Barbuda, and Ambassador Marko Djuric on behalf of the Republic of Serbia.

Ambassador Sanders remarked that, “with the signing of the Agreement with Serbia, citizens of Antigua and Barbuda now have visa-free access to more than 162 nations, making the Antigua and Barbuda passport one of the strongest in the world”. He added, that “both tourism to, and investment in, Antigua and Barbuda are enhanced by making access for visits easier for up to 90 days a year without a visa”.

Ambassador Djuric described the Agreement as “another step in further strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Serbia and Antigua and Barbuda”. Students from Antigua and Barbuda already benefit from scholarships to study in Serbia, and the two countries have pledged to examine ways in which they could be helpful to each other, including through co-operation in tacking global issues such as economic consequences of the Russian war on Ukraine.

The two Ambassadors agreed to meet regularly to explore deeper economic cooperation between the two states in the interests of their peoples.

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During the Western campaign to illegalise the trans-Atlantic Trade of Africans in the 19th century, traders and their allies argued that African commercial and political interests were their business partners.

According to Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI) and Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, “Since then, this perspective has gained global traction, becoming the dominant narrative, particularly in the Caribbean and the Americas. Though the evidence to debunk this narrative, and to contextualize its significance is considerable, it has not gained anywhere near the level of advocacy and academic representation.”

In acknowledgment of this gap, and as a signature event in its 75th Anniversary celebrations calendar, The UWI and its Centre for Reparation Research and PJ Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy, convened an all-day symposium themed “Reparations and Royalty, Africa and Europe: Exploding Myths and Empowering Truths,” held at The UWI Regional Headquarters on Thursday, March 2, and a Youth Forum titled “Wha Gwaan Africa?!” held at the Mona Campus on Friday, March 3.

Among the featured speakers at the events, was a high-level delegation of royal African traditional leaders hosted by the CARICOM Reparations Commission, who led conversations on the roles of African and European Royalties in the trans-Atlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles noted that The UWI was “honoured as a university community to take this responsibility for the reuniting of the Royal Highnesses with the African people of the Caribbean.” During the opening session on March 2, as he provided historical context on the relationship between Europeans and Africans, he emphasized that it is critical to examine the two sides of the equation, “While the royal families of Europe were organising their armies, building their corporations and establishing structures for the destruction of societies in Africa, so as to secure enchained and enslaved labour, the royal families of Africa were on the receiving end of that violence.” In his plenary presentation, Vice-Chancellor Beckles underscored, “No group of people have been more denigrated by the historians of Europe than the Kings and Queens and nobles of Africa within the context of colonization.”

Chair of the symposium, Professor Verene Shepherd, Director of the Centre for Reparation Research (CRR) at The UWI, who also serves as Vice-Chair of the CRC and Member, National Council on Reparation, Jamaica (NCR) asserted that the discussions are significant as knowledge exchange to fill a knowledge gap “…Because as Marcus Mosiah Garvey stated, a people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots, and we are looking to reconnect with those roots today” she said. “The reasons for the shortfall in academic and public awareness are many, but the time is now for the matter to be successfully re-addressed,” she added.

His Royal Highness Paul Jones Eganda, Global Chief and President, Ateker International Development Organization (AIDO) Network stated, “We are greatly honoured to be invited by Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.”

Addressing the various interest groups and members of the audience in-person and online he said, “We work as a team. We have approximately 657 kingdoms and cultural institutions that are affiliated with us. These groups constitute what we call the AIDO Royal Community.” Highlighting the purpose of the mission, he said, “this royal delegation here today has travelled to Jamaica with one objective, to demonstrate to you, our dear family of Africa in the Caribbean, that we are not a race created as slaves. The fact is that we have a rich, proud, living history of royalty in Africa that still exists today which we represent here.” He affirmed, “Reparations justice has to take place, and Africa has to join in.”

The March 3 Youth Forum saw not just UWI students attending, but other tertiary students along with associations and groups from across Jamaica in person, and others across the region who joined online. The forum examined the significance of royal traditional leaders and other royals in Africa, including their responsibilities and their roles, the importance of reconnecting Caribbean and Jamaica with African culture and traditions, the need for reparatory justice for people of African descent, and how young people could contribute to that process.

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Diplomatic relations between CARICOM and a Member State, as well as two third-state partners, were strengthened on Tuesday, March 14 when CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett accredited three new ambassadors.

The Secretary-General accepted the letters of credence of Larry Vaughan, Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis to CARICOM; Itai Bardov, Ambassador of Israel to CARICOM; and Rytis Paulauskas, Ambassador of Lithuania to CARICOM.

Secretary-General Barnett said the accreditation of Ambassador Vaughan presented an opportunity for a fresh perspective on various issues confronting the Community.

She said CARICOM has benefitted from St. Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to Regional Integration, particularly in Human Resource Development, and Health and Wellness, as lead Head of Government in the CARICOM Quasi cabinet for those areas.

“Given the multifaceted challenges presented by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and its severe impact on lives and livelihoods in the Region, this Quasi-Cabinet portfolio is essential to the Region’s post-pandemic recovery,” Secretary-General Barnett stated.

In his remarks, Ambassador Vaughan reflected on the tasks ahead to improve competitiveness in all sectors across the Member States, achieve more coordinated trade negotiation outcomes, and advocate for global appreciation for the multifaceted nature of our vulnerabilities. He committed to actively working with his colleagues in the Committee of Ambassadors for the shared benefit of the people of the Community.

The Israeli Ambassador to CARICOM told Secretary-General Barnett that his country was keen to enhance its relations with CARICOM on Climate Change, Agriculture, Irrigation Technology, and Training.

He signaled Israel’s willingness to provide humanitarian support in areas in which the country has developed expertise, including pediatric heart surgeries and optical treatments.

Secretary-General Barnet noted the timeliness of Israel’s offer to support agriculture in the Region where efforts have been targeted at reducing the importation of food by 25 percent by 2025.

Ambassador Paulauskas and the Secretary-General highlighted Climate Change as a key area for cooperation between CARICOM and Lithuania.

“As we prepare for COP 28, it is important that focus is placed on the significant loss that countries of our Region, which are comparatively low emitters, face,” she said.

She also underscored the need for equitable standards across international financial systems. “We want the international community to agree on a single set of regulations so that what is agreed in one jurisdiction is agreed everywhere, as otherwise, there is great dysfunction within our financial systems,” the Secretary-General emphasized.

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