Caribbean RoundUp

Caricom

The 50th anniversary of the founding CARICOM and the 45th conference of heads of governments will be celebrated in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad from July 3-5 with a prelude to the celebration on July 1-2.

Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr. Amery Browne made the announcement at a media conference recently.

On July 1, there will be a 5 km CARICOM street race followed by a 10 km race, which ends at Chaguaramas the next day. Chaguaramas is significant in the celebration because it is where the Treaty of Chaguaramas was signed establishing Caricom. It was signed on July 4, 1973.

Following that, the formal ceremonies will begin on the evening of July 3 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad with all 14 members of states confirming their attendances.

Opening ceremony remarks will be made by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley and then the incoming chair of CARICOM, Roosevelt Skerrit, prime minister of Dominica and Secretary General of CARICOM, Dr. Carla N. Barnett and others..

The next day, President Christine Kangaloo will host guests at a special reception at President’s House.

A formal flag-raising event will take place at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre on July 4.

After this, heads of government will begin the business session of the celebration at the Hyatt Regency Hotel then a gala and concert at the National Academy of Performing Arts(NAPA).

He said the stage will showcase Trinidad and Tobagoand other CARICOM cultures which he hopes is streamed live for all.

On July 6, the regional leaders will be returning to their countries.

Grenada

The Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) will approve or deny Grenada’s request to print commemorative EC$50 notes as part of activities to observe the island’s 50th Independence celebrations in February 2024.

“As part of our golden jubilee, I am happy to report that Cabinet has approved and made a request of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, or ECCB, to issue special celebratory, commemorative $50.00 EC note to mark Grenada’s 50th year of independence. We anticipate that the ECCB Council, which will be meeting in July, will agree and approve the request,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell disclosed during a national address to mark the first anniversary of his administration governing the affairs of the island.

He also announced that a special select committee of persons, led by Dr. Wendy Crawford, has been appointed to organize and manage Grenada’s 50th independence celebrations.

“The celebrations will commence in earnest in September 2023 and will span the entire year of 2024,” he said without naming the others of the Special Committee.

In his address, the prime minister also outlined the achievements of the Government that was elected to office one year ago.

Guyana

President Irfaan Ali has said his administration will not tolerate any acts of violence against “our girls and women in every community” amid allegations that a senior government official had been involved in the sexual assault of a teenager.

“As a government, we are committed to having any facts fully investigated as we hold dearly our girls and women in every community. And we will continue to do everything to ensure their safety and well-being,” President Ali said.

Adding, while he has not received a formal or official complaint about the incident that has been posted on social media, he reiterated that once a report was made “it will be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities.”

Ali said that there would be “no tolerance for such behavior and anyone found guilty of such allegations will be held accountable.”

The Ministry of Human Services’ Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) said it was carrying out a”full investigation” into the matter even as the 16-year-old school girl recanted her allegations.

“The Child Care and Protection Agency is carrying out a full investigation. All support will be provided to the young lady. Our women and girls must be safe and no one is above the law,” said the Minister of Human Services, Dr. Vindhya Persaud on a facebook post recently.

Haiti

A gang rampaged through the Cite Solely slum in Haiti killing and raping and setting fire to hundreds of wood-and-tin homes forcing families out of the neighborhood.

More than 165,000 Haitians have fled their homes amid a surge in gang violence with nowhere to turn in the capital of nearly three million people.

Some 79,000 are temporarily staying with friends or family but another 48,000 have crowded into dozens of makeshift shelters or sought refuge in parks, churches, schools and abandoned buildings in Port-au-Prince and beyond. The situation is overwhelming non-profits and non-governmental organizations.

There are several volunteers encharge of the abandoned government buildings in Port-au-Prince that houses tens of thousands of Haitians that have languished in these makeshift shelters for almost a year. They sleep on the hard floor or flattened cardboard boxes. Belongings are stuffed into big rice bags pushed up against the walls of packed rooms.

The gangs that chased them out of their homes controls 80 percent of the capital and are now recruiting young children from these shelters as young as eight years old.

Rapes are also common at these shelters and in the neighborhoods that the gangs are razing.

Jamaica

Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness has said that there is a need for urgent action to deal with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Haiti.

“Almost half of the country, 5.2 million persons, are facing acute hunger,a number that has regrettably grown since the start of the year. It is also deeply alarming that the children of Haiti, the future of the country, are being disproportionately affected, as they faced a high risk of malnutrition, underdevelopment, illness and death,” said Holness who was speaking virtually at a special meeting in support of Haiti.

According to Holness, the humanitarian crisis is compounded by increasing violence and insecurity, forcing many to flee their homes or leave the country, often under unsafe conditions.

The prime minister noted that the multifaceted Haitian crisis requires a multi-pronged, multi-national response “and we need to work on all fronts at the same time.”

He said that while the political changes require attention, much more urgent is addressing the immediate needs of the population.

The prime minister added that his administration recognizes the importance of collaboration between Haiti and the international community in addressing food insecurity.

He said that innovative approaches, including a humanitarian corridor supported by international partners, will assist in unblocking the supply chain and facilitating imports and distribution.

He noted, further, that capacity-building initiatives can focus on strengthening local institutions, farmers cooperatives and extension services to ensure the transfer of the knowledge and skills.

Launched in April 2023, the response plan calls for an unprecedented US$719 million, almost double from 2022. To date, the plan is only 20 percent funded.

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Kitts and Nevis has become the latest member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to launch the sub-regional grouping’s Opportunities to Advance and Support Youth for Success (OASYS) project.

The OASYS project aims to reduce crime and violence rates among young people across the Eastern Caribbean, with a focus on strengthening youth justice systems.

It supports strengthening existing programs and investing in new ones to provide skills development, psychosocial support, and family interventions for youth in conflict with that law through collaborations with government and non-government partners, civil society organizations and the private sector.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, who is now the chairman of the nine-member grouping, expressed “enthusiasm and optimism” of the transformative journey dedicated to empowering our youth.

He said the project’s objectives is to provide young people with the tools they need to overcome obstacles they face regularly, grasp opportunities and prosper in a constantly changing world.

He also outlined the challenges the twin-island Federation and the Caribbean region as a whole, encounter with the issue of crime and violence and the approach being taken to combat the scourge.

— Compiled by Devika Ragoonanan