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  • CARICOM to Examine Issues Affecting Rastafarians Across the Region

    CARICOM to Examine Issues Affecting Rastafarians Across the Region

    In a landmark move advancing social equity across the Caribbean, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has formalized plans to confront decades of systemic discrimination and social exclusion faced by Rastafarian communities across the region. The initiative was greenlit by regional heads of government during their 42nd Inter-Sessional Conference of Heads of Government, held in May this year, marking a historic step toward redressing historical and ongoing harms against the religious and cultural group.

    Per CARICOM’s official announcement, Rastafarians continue to encounter disproportionate barriers to equal participation across core areas of public life, spanning access to education, employment opportunities, and routine social interaction — challenges that persist both within Caribbean borders and in global spaces where community members reside and work. Regional leaders have reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to securing full legal and social recognition of Rastafarians’ rights, framing equal inclusion as a core pillar of just governance across the bloc.

    To turn this commitment into coordinated action, CARICOM will convene a cross-regional gathering bringing together official representatives from all member states alongside key community stakeholders to map out the most pressing unaddressed issues impacting Rastafarian populations. Following these consultations, a permanent special committee will be established to advance advocacy and policy work at both regional and international levels. The committee will draw representation from five key Caribbean nations: Barbados, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

    CARICOM also highlighted that several member states have already taken unilateral action to redress historical injustices against Rastafarians, offering a foundation for coordinated regional action. These existing steps include formal government apologies for past discriminatory policies, targeted land grants to Rastafarian communities, and updated anti-discrimination legislation that explicitly protects workers from bias based on Rastafarian identity. The regional bloc notes that these local, successful measures can serve as a blueprint for a unified regional strategy to embed equality and inclusive governance across all CARICOM member states.

  • Regional leaders urge reform of global climate finance system at CDB annual meeting

    Regional leaders urge reform of global climate finance system at CDB annual meeting

    When top climate finance and development stakeholders gathered for a high-stakes dialogue at the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) 56th Annual Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas this June, a clear, uncompromising message took center stage: the existing international financial framework is failing Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and transformative systemic reform is non-negotiable to help these climate-vulnerable nations adapt to worsening climate impacts. Held alongside the bank’s week-long gathering of regional and global development leaders from June 1 to 5, 2026, the invite-only discussion titled *“The Breakfast Exchange: A Climate Talk on the Global Economy”* convened a panel of seasoned experts to unpack systemic barriers to equitable climate resourcing and outline actionable pathways forward for at-risk regions across the globe. Moderated by CDB President Daniel M. Best, the conversation centered on the unique and disproportionate threats facing Caribbean SIDS, which rank among the world’s most climate-exposed nations despite contributing almost nothing to historical greenhouse gas emissions. Joining Best on the panel were four key figures shaping global climate action: Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of the UN-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD); Ambassador Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and UN Assistant Secretary-General; and Racquel Moses, CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) and Chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Caribbean. Opening with a stark assessment of global climate investment inequity, Ambassador Hart laid bare the deep imbalance that has defined climate finance flows since the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed. He revealed that 80 percent of all global clean energy investment has flowed to high-income advanced economies, leaving just 20 percent to serve the two-thirds of the global population that calls developing nations home. “The biggest failure in the current global financial architecture is that the system continues to reward the drivers of the climate crisis while penalising those that are vulnerable and contributed the least,” Hart told attendees. Diong expanded on this critique, framing accessible climate finance as a three-pronged challenge that hinges on three non-negotiable pillars: consistent availability, streamlined accessibility, and fair affordability. Too often, he noted, headline-grabbing international funding pledges fail to translate to tangible support on the ground for vulnerable nations, because bureaucratic barriers and unfavorable terms lock countries out of the resources they need in a timely, affordable way. Diong explained that the FRLD, which has secured $820 million in voluntary contributions to date, is designed to upend this broken model. The fund’s first financing facility will offer 100 percent grant-based funding, with a minimum of 50 percent of all resources reserved exclusively for SIDS and Least Developed Countries — a policy designed to ensure recipient nations do not accumulate unsustainable new debt to address climate harms. “The keyword is delivery, delivery, delivery,” Diong emphasized. “We are talking about people’s lives here.” CDB President Best echoed this urgency, warning that Caribbean nations are facing rapidly escalating climate threats while navigating an increasingly volatile global economic landscape that squeezes their ability to invest in resilience. “Development financing delayed is development financing denied,” Best stressed, underscoring the need to speed up the flow of resources to the region. Hart went on to call for a structural shift in how the Caribbean approaches climate finance, arguing that the current model of expecting individual small nations to navigate fragmented accreditation processes for dozens of separate global funding bodies is inefficient and unfair. Instead, he proposed that the CDB take on an expanded, centralized role as the region’s dedicated climate finance coordinator. “CDB should be the region’s climate bank,” Hart said. He also pushed back against the longstanding global practice of using per capita national income as the primary eligibility threshold for grants and low-interest concessional climate financing. Hart pointed out that Caribbean nations including The Bahamas, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda are locked out of most concessional funding opportunities despite facing some of the highest climate vulnerability on Earth. Instead of relying on income metrics, Hart argued, climate vulnerability itself should be the core determinant of eligibility for international climate support. Looking ahead to emerging economic opportunities for the region, Moses urged Caribbean governments to proactively capitalize on two fast-growing global trends: the global transition to renewable energy and the exponential expansion of artificial intelligence, which has spurred skyrocketing demand for low-carbon energy to power data centers. “Right now, the biggest thing that’s happening is AI, and they are looking everywhere to find energy for data centres,” Moses noted. “If we explore our true renewable energy potential, we will have excess energy that we can provide.” She warned that the window to seize this economic opportunity is limited, noting, “These things happen in waves, and when this wave is gone, it’s gone.” Echoing Hart’s call for collective action, Moses emphasized that Caribbean nations will achieve far more by collaborating through shared regional institutions than by pursuing fragmented, independent strategies to secure climate finance and economic development. Closing the discussion, Hart offered a note of cautious optimism, tying progress directly to sustained regional cohesion. “Despite this climate crisis, our best days are yet ahead of us — but it requires us as a region to work as a region,” he said. The CDB’s 56th Annual Meeting, which ran from June 1 to 5 in Nassau, featured a full slate of knowledge-sharing sessions focused on addressing the Caribbean’s most pressing development challenges, from climate resilience to economic inequality. A full recording of *“The Breakfast Exchange: A Climate Talk on the Global Economy”* is now available for public viewing on the CDB’s official website and YouTube channel.

  • LCB Statement: Van bewustwording naar voorbereiding

    LCB Statement: Van bewustwording naar voorbereiding

    Time is running out for Suriname to turn local content policy from a theoretical concept into tangible, on-the-ground action. As the country prepares for a new wave of economic development, the pressing question now is whether Surinamese businesses, workers and national institutions can get ready in time to meaningfully participate in the coming growth opportunities.

    The Local Content Board, the body overseeing this transition, has laid out its mandate: to guide stakeholders, foster cross-party collaboration, and speed up the implementation of local content frameworks. Instead of raising unachievable expectations among local groups, the board is focused on building a more realistic, transparent and well-structured local content process that delivers tangible benefits for the national economy.

    In a public statement released by board chair Lucille Drielinger-Fernandes, three core priorities have been flagged as urgent to address in the near term.

    First, the board is calling for equal access to information for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Local business owners must receive timely, practical updates about upcoming opportunities, project requirements, industry standards, required certifications and all necessary preparation steps. The board emphasizes that access to critical market information cannot remain an advantage reserved for only a small, well-connected group of market players; all local enterprises deserve a clear view of what is coming to prepare accordingly.

    Second, the board highlights the need for realistic expectation management across all sectors. Local content policies do not guarantee automatic contracts for every local business, the statement clarifies. Instead, what these policies do deliver is a fair chance for local enterprises to compete, provided they meet established requirements for quality, workplace safety, regulatory compliance, financial discipline, transparent administrative practices and reliable delivery.

    Third, the board stresses that preparation must translate into concrete, visible action immediately. Key priorities include advancing supplier readiness programs, rolling out targeted skills training, improving coordination between government agencies and private enterprises, streamlining slow approval procedures, expanding public access to information, and ensuring measurable, effective knowledge transfer to build local capacity long-term.

    Moving forward, the Local Content Board reaffirms its commitment to connecting different public and private stakeholders, highlighting systemic bottlenecks that slow progress, and building a practical policy framework that supports sustainable, homegrown value creation across Suriname’s economy. For all parties involved, business as usual is no longer an option as the timeline for new economic development draws near.

  • New mental health chatline to support youth

    New mental health chatline to support youth

    Across the Eastern Caribbean, young people facing mental health struggles will soon gain a confidential, youth-centered lifeline, as regional and international partners have rolled out a groundbreaking new support service tailored to the needs of local children and adolescents. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has partnered with UNICEF, the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Zenith Centre to launch the Young Caribbean Minds (YCM) Chatline – a free, text-based platform that delivers both mental health support and child protection assistance with full anonymity for users.

    Unlike many existing support services, the YCM Chatline was not designed in a top-down manner. Its development grew directly out of the largest youth consultation on mental health legislation ever conducted in the Eastern Caribbean, which gathered input from more than 1,000 young people across the region about the daily mental health challenges they face and the types of support they actually want to access. Every piece of feedback from this consultation shaped the final structure of the chatline, and has also informed ongoing policy discussions about the future of regional mental health care frameworks.

    Released alongside the official launch of the platform, the *Youth Voices: Mental Health Care Bill Survey Report* lays out the key barriers young people identified to accessing mental health support. Stigma around mental illness emerged as the single largest obstacle: 34.2% of survey respondents shared that they feared being judged by others if they sought out mental health assistance. More than half of participants called for stronger legal protections for people accessing mental health care, while nearly 90% expressed clear support for rights-centered approaches to mental health service delivery.

    The report also confirmed that privacy is a non-negotiable factor for young people to trust mental health support services, with anonymous online chat ranking among the most highly preferred methods of accessing help. In response, the YCM Chatline allows users to connect with support without sharing any personal identifiable information, preserving full anonymity throughout every interaction.

    Support on the platform is delivered in real time by UWI-trained volunteers, who work under the close supervision of licensed, qualified psychologists. For young people who face acute child protection risks, an integrated referral system connects users directly to appropriate local services that can provide ongoing, specialized support.

    The full regional rollout follows a successful five-month pilot programme that delivered more than 1,000 one-on-one support sessions. Pilot data collected by organisers shows that 88% of users who accessed the service during the trial period reported they would use it again in the future, reflecting high levels of satisfaction with the confidential, youth-focused model.

    The initiative has already earned international acclaim for its innovative approach: it was highlighted as a global best practice at the Global Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and was selected as one of the Top Three finalists for the UNICEF Global INSPIRE Awards. Following the official launch, the project team will complete additional volunteer training and system upgrades before rolling the service out to all nine OECS Member States, including Saint Lucia, where the initiative was first announced.

  • Emancipation walk organisers expect up to 10 000 participants

    Emancipation walk organisers expect up to 10 000 participants

    As Barbados marks two landmark national milestones – six decades of independence and five years as a sovereign republic – organizers of the island’s annual Emancipation Walk and Concert are gearing up to host a historic turnout of attendees, projecting a crowd that could reach 10,000 people this year. Local officials frame the 2024 gathering as a critical turning point for collective national reflection on the island’s journey from enslavement to self-governance.

  • ACTIF2026 Trade and Investment Forum postponed over public health concerns

    ACTIF2026 Trade and Investment Forum postponed over public health concerns

    The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the federal government of Saint Kitts and Nevis have made a joint announcement delaying the upcoming Fifth Annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2026), a key cross-regional economic gathering, in response to shifting public health risks across multiple regions of Africa.

    Originally scheduled to take place from July 29 to 31, 2026, at the host destination of Basseterre, the capital city of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the high-profile trade and investment event will not proceed on its originally planned timeline, per an official statement published on the forum’s public website.

    Organizers confirmed that the postponement decision was shaped by the most recent guidance issued by regional, continental, and global public health bodies, which have been monitoring the rapidly evolving public health situation in several African nations. Both Afreximbank and the Saint Kitts and Nevis government emphasized that delaying the forum was the most ethically and pragmatically responsible choice to protect the physical health, personal safety, and overall well-being of hundreds of expected attendees, including delegates, keynote speakers, corporate sponsors, institutional partners, and supporting staff.

    In the official release, event leadership recognized the extensive time, resources, and advance planning that attendees and key stakeholders have already invested in preparation for the forum, noting that the difficult call to postpone came only after exhaustive deliberation across all organizing bodies. Organizers also extended their gratitude to delegates, sponsors, partner organizations, and other stakeholders for the high level of interest and commitment demonstrated in the months leading up to the planned event, while offering a formal apology for any disruption, scheduling conflicts, or logistical inconvenience the postponement may cause.

    Going forward, Afreximbank and the Saint Kitts and Nevis government have committed to publishing updated details, including a new confirmed event date and revised logistical information, through their official communication channels as soon as a revised plan is finalized. All registered participants and interested industry stakeholders are advised to regularly check the official ACTIF2026 website for the latest announcements and updates.

  • Minister Joseph Highlights Food, Soil and Environment as Pillars of Preventive Healthcare

    Minister Joseph Highlights Food, Soil and Environment as Pillars of Preventive Healthcare

    At the official opening of a groundbreaking public health workshop titled “Food as Medicine, Soil as Health: Cultivating Health from the Ground Up,” Honorable Michael Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, has highlighted the deeply interconnected relationship between food systems, environmental health and proactive disease prevention, calling for a cross-sector, integrated framework to advance national public health outcomes.

    Hosted by the American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, in strategic partnership with the University of Illinois and the University of Birmingham, the workshop gathers a diverse cohort of stakeholders spanning academic researchers, frontline healthcare providers, public policy makers, education specialists and community organizers. Together, attendees are exploring the underrecognized causal links between soil health, dietary nutrition and long-term human well-being, a topic that has gained growing global attention amid rising rates of chronic disease and climate-driven environmental disruption.

    In his opening address to participants, Minister Joseph praised the three collaborating academic institutions for bringing together experts across multiple disconnected disciplines to tackle a core public health challenge that is often overlooked in traditional healthcare policy. Drawing on his decades of professional experience as a practicing pharmacist, the minister emphasized that while pharmaceutical interventions remain critical for treating existing illness, preventive care must always serve as the foundational cornerstone of a effective, sustainable national healthcare system.

    “Our health does not start when we walk through a doctor’s office door or check into a hospital,” Minister Joseph told attendees. “It starts long before that, in the quality of the soil where our food grows, the clean water that nourishes our crops, and the healthy environment that sustains every part of our food system.”

    Expanding on this framing, he noted that one of the most enduring lessons from global public health practice is that prevention is always far more effective and equitable than treatment. “While medicines are irreplaceable for managing illness, they can never take the place of consistent healthy living, balanced nutrient-dense diets, and proactive measures to stop disease before it develops,” he explained. “In fact, the most powerful health prescription we can offer is rooted in the daily choices each of us makes about the food we put on our plates.”

    Minister Joseph also pointed out the natural synergy between his overlapping ministerial portfolios for public health and environmental management, noting that healthy human populations can only thrive when supported by healthy, resilient natural ecosystems. “Nutritious food crops can only grow from healthy soil. Clean water is the backbone of sustainable agriculture. Biodiversity creates food systems that can withstand shocks like drought and pest outbreaks. Responsible environmental stewardship protects the very natural resources that our collective health depends on,” he said. “When we invest in protecting our environment, we are directly investing in the long-term health of both current generations and those who will come after us.”

    The minister further noted that pressing global challenges—including accelerating climate change, widespread food insecurity, and the rapidly growing global burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease—make clear that health outcomes are shaped by far more than just the healthcare sector. Agriculture, education, environmental policy, and community development all play critical roles in determining how healthy a population is, he argued.

    Minister Joseph reaffirmed the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s unwavering commitment to advancing four core priorities: strengthening preventive public health infrastructure, promoting accessible healthy lifestyle choices for all citizens, supporting sustainable environmental management practices, and nurturing cross-sector partnerships that develop evidence-based solutions to improve national health. He encouraged attending experts to bring their full expertise to the workshop’s discussions, collaborate to explore innovative new frameworks that shift the national focus from reactive treatment of illness to proactive cultivation of long-term wellness.

    “The path to building a healthier nation does not run only through our hospitals and clinics,” he said. “It runs through our family farms, our community gardens, our classrooms, our local neighborhoods, and the natural environment that surrounds every one of us.”

    After delivering his address, Minister Joseph officially declared the workshop open, expressing strong confidence that the ongoing collaboration between academic institutions, frontline healthcare providers, environmental science experts, and government agencies will deliver meaningful, actionable insights that help build healthier, more sustainable communities across Antigua and Barbuda for years to come.

  • Dominica Council on Ageing celebrates nation’s centenarians as living national treasures

    Dominica Council on Ageing celebrates nation’s centenarians as living national treasures

    The Caribbean island nation of Dominica is marking a quiet but meaningful milestone, as the Dominica Council on Ageing Inc. (DCOA) has stepped forward to honor the country’s growing community of centenarians, framing these long-living residents as irreplaceable national treasures whose lives carry invaluable lessons for generations of younger Dominicans.

    In an official statement released to mark the occasion, the non-profit organization specifically highlighted two local residents who joined the exclusive ranks of centenarians in June 2026: Matthew St. Rose, a resident of the Kings Hill community, and Lucille Pascal, who calls Grand Fond home. Both recently celebrated their 100th birthdays, drawing attention to the island’s cohort of people who have reached the rare 100-year life milestone.

    With the addition of St. Rose and Pascal, Dominica now counts 15 centenarians across the country. The demographic breakdown of the group shows a notable gender gap, with 11 women and just four men making up the island’s community of people aged 100 and older.

    For the DCOA, these centenarians are far more than statistical curiosities. They perfectly embody the organization’s core mission, summed up in its official motto: “Empowering older persons to live life to the fullest.” DCOA officials noted that the centenarians stand as powerful, inspiring examples of three critical traits: lifelong resilience in the face of challenge, accumulated wisdom passed down through communities, and healthy longevity that reflects well on Dominica’s social fabric.

    Beyond honoring the centenarians themselves, the DCOA also used the statement to recognize the unsung work of the networks that support older Dominicans. The organization extended sincere gratitude to all those who help senior citizens maintain high quality of life, including paid professional caregivers, immediate family members, friends, residential care facilities, and other community and institutional partners that provide ongoing support to the island’s older population.

    To close out the announcement, the DCOA offered formal congratulations to all 15 of Dominica’s centenarians. The organization extended warm wishes for their continued good health and overall well-being, concluding with a prayer that they would continue to receive divine blessing in the years ahead.

  • Execs target ‘invincibility’ mindset in push to tackle chronic disease

    Execs target ‘invincibility’ mindset in push to tackle chronic disease

    Barbados is grappling with a worsening chronic disease crisis that healthcare and insurance leaders say is rooted not in a lack of medical infrastructure, but in deep-seated cultural attitudes that keep younger generations from seeking routine preventive care. In a joint call to action, industry executives are pushing for early public health intervention and expanded community-based screening to reverse the island nation’s alarming public health trajectory.

    Addressing the pervasive reluctance to prioritize routine check-ups directly, Dr. Bandele Majeks, co-founder and managing director of Urgent Care Barbados, explained that ingrained fear and cultural norms keep many people from seeking medical attention until symptoms become severe and disabling. Highlighting that men demonstrate this avoidance more than any other group, Majeks traced the pattern to a long-held cultural mantra: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “We know that that’s not true, but certainly, all of us are always afraid of getting bad news, so we sort of cower away,” he told reporters, noting that even asymptomatic young people put off screenings out of a misplaced belief that ignoring potential health issues will keep them from developing into serious problems.

    To break this cycle of delayed care, Urgent Care has launched an innovative outreach strategy that moves medical teams out of traditional clinic settings and directly into workplaces and community spaces. By offering on-site screenings, the initiative aims to leverage peer camaraderie among colleagues to normalize preventive exams and reduce the anxiety that keeps many people away from clinical settings. Officials from the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP), which has recently expanded its preventive health advocacy to include working adults aged 40 and older, emphasize that building habits for lifelong health needs to start much earlier than many young Barbadians assume.

    BARP President Marilyn Rice-Bowen warned that waiting until retirement to adopt healthy habits is a dangerous gamble with long-term health outcomes. “When you’re young, you feel that absolutely nothing can go wrong in your life. You just don’t wake up at 64 or 65 and say, ‘I’m going to start to walk; I’m going to start to watch what I eat,” she explained. “It has to start from as early as your 40s. We need healthy young persons to support the aging society.” This push for targeted intervention among younger populations is backed by alarming on-the-ground clinical data: Majeks confirmed that severe chronic conditions and even sudden deaths are increasingly being recorded in adults under the age of 40, a significant shift from decades of clinical patterns in the country. “Health is something that we cannot just consider at 40 or 50 or 60; we have to start thinking about healthy living from very young,” he added.

    Beyond the public health consequences, insurance executives warn that widespread avoidance of early care is creating an unsustainable economic burden that strains both household budgets and Barbados’ national healthcare system. Current public health data paints a stark picture of the crisis: more than 66% of adult Barbadians are overweight, 1 in 6 lives with type 2 diabetes, and 40% live with hypertension. These three conditions are the top drivers of life-threatening, high-cost complications including stroke, heart attack, and end-stage kidney failure.

    Christopher Woodhams, chief executive of Beacon Insurance, explained that when people skip preventive screenings, minor, easily managed conditions often escalate into complex, expensive medical emergencies that overwhelm hospital capacity and drive up insurance costs across the board. “The outcome of that is the premiums to sustain that model are going to continue to increase over time and unfortunately continue to be unaffordable for many people,” Woodhams said. “The idea of getting the preventative screening done early is ultimately going to reduce the cost for the treatment, which in the long term will reduce or at least flatten the premium increases.”

    Woodhams also reminded younger Barbadians of the long-term financial benefits of enrolling in health insurance while they are still young and healthy. Getting coverage early guarantees lifelong access to financial protection, he explained, while waiting until a chronic condition develops often leads to policy exclusions that leave patients without coverage when they need it most. Reinforcing this message, Rice-Bowen framed early health insurance as a practical financial choice that is far more reliable than last-minute crowdfunding. “Insurance is a financial decision that families have to make. It is cheaper than waiting for GoFundMe,” she said. “Because with GoFundMe, you have to wait for time. If you have an insurance policy, that policy can start to work for you as soon as you need it.”