作者： admin

Suriname calls for UN reform, stronger international law and greater support for developing states

NEW YORK, MANHATTAN – Speaking during the annual United Nations General Assembly General Debate on September 24, 2026, Suriname President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons has issued a pressing call for sweeping reform of the United Nations, a renewed global commitment to upholding international law, and targeted, expanded support for vulnerable developing economies grappling with cascading global crises.

Against a backdrop of growing global instability marked by spreading armed conflicts, escalating geopolitical frictions, and spiraling food and energy insecurity, Geerlings-Simons framed UN reform as a critical step to rebuild global trust in the institution’s ability to advance lasting peace, inclusive growth, and equitable sustainable development. She emphasized that for small, vulnerable sovereign states like Suriname, a rules-based international order rooted in consistent enforcement of international law is not an abstract ideal – it is a foundational requirement for survival.

“As we depend on a rule based international order without which, like many other vulnerable nations, we simply cannot exist as sovereign countries,” Geerlings-Simons stated during her address. She added that strengthening international legal frameworks and their supporting institutions is indispensable to upholding global peace and security, protecting universal human rights, and delivering sustainable development that benefits all nations, regardless of size or economic power.

The Surinamese leader drew direct connections between rising geopolitical tensions and the everyday suffering of ordinary people across the Global South, noting that even conflicts thousands of miles from developing nation borders can trigger sudden, sharp spikes in food and energy costs that erode quality of life and reverse years of development progress. She pointed to ongoing volatility in the Strait of Hormuz as a clear example of how regional instability can quickly roil global energy markets, driving up costs and undermining social and economic progress in developing states. “Common people suffer when food and energy prices rise, so the quality of life of our people is directly threatened, even by wars in regions far from their homes,” she said, adding that mounting conflicts have already unleashed unprecedented humanitarian harm, including exposing children to unspeakable violence and driving mass global displacement.

In response to these interconnected challenges, Geerlings-Simons called for a global recommitment to the core principles of the UN Charter, chief among them the peaceful resolution of international disputes. “Dialogue is paramount for safeguarding a solid and proven UN system,” she argued.

Turning to pressing regional crises, the president called for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba, urging all involved parties to prioritize sustained dialogue and negotiation to de-escalate tensions and reach a resolution that prioritizes the well-being of the Cuban people. She also called for sustained, coordinated international support for Haiti as the Caribbean nation works to rebuild security, restore constitutional order, and advance democratic governance, noting that Suriname backs solutions that center the needs and leadership of the Haitian people.

Geerlings-Simons reaffirmed Suriname’s full backing for ongoing UN reform efforts, including the UN80 process focused on mandate rationalization, improving institutional coherence, and boosting overall organizational efficiency. She stressed that reform must strengthen the UN’s ability to deliver critical support to vulnerable nations, rather than reducing resources where they are most needed. She also reiterated Suriname’s longstanding support for UN Security Council reform, urging that the body be overhauled to become more representative, transparent, and accountable to the full UN membership, while also improving its capacity to respond rapidly to evolving global challenges. Specifically, Suriname supports Africa’s decades-long demand for permanent representation on the Security Council, and calls for enhanced representation for small island developing states and low-lying coastal developing nations, whose voices are often marginalized in global decision-making.

Looking ahead to Suriname’s assumption of the CARICOM chairmanship in 2027, Geerlings-Simons highlighted the central role that regional and international partnerships play in advancing the nation’s social and economic development. She noted Suriname’s active participation in key regional blocs and mechanisms including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), and the Brasilia Process. Moving forward, Suriname will prioritize deepening collaboration with partners across key priority areas: food and energy security, climate resilience, cross-border connectivity, skilled labor mobility, and streamlined trade in goods and services. “These are essential to economic integration and our ability to withstand external shocks,” she explained.

In closing, the president addressed the ongoing global push for reparations and restorative justice for the transatlantic slave trade and centuries of colonial exploitation. She noted that the adoption of a UN resolution on the issue earlier in 2026 has injected critical new momentum into global discussions, a topic of particular urgency for Suriname and Caribbean nations that continue to grapple with the intergenerational harms of slavery and colonialism. “The discussion is no longer about whether slavery and colonialism have caused lasting consequences, negative consequences. We know we are living them,” she said. Geerlings-Simons argued that global conversations have now shifted from acknowledging harm to identifying actionable solutions, stating that the core question facing the international community today is how nations that benefited from centuries of exploitation will provide reparations and address the ongoing harm that continues to shape development outcomes across the Global South. “That is the important issue now,” she emphasized.

24 9 月, 2026
Iran rejects US threats as Pezeshkian vows to defend country

Amid spiraling regional tensions that have put the global community on high alert, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a firm rejection of escalating threats from the United States during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan on September 23, pushing back hard against Washington’s designation of Iran as a terrorist state while vowing unwavering defense of his nation’s sovereignty and security.

Pezeshkian’s speech came just 24 hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump used his own UN platform to issue a harsh warning to Iranian leadership and repeat the controversial terrorist labeling, marking the latest escalation in a years-long standoff between the two countries. Speaking to assembled global delegates, the Iranian leader centered much of his address on the devastating human toll of sustained attacks targeting his country, laying out a litany of alleged unlawful actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iranian civilian infrastructure and innocent people.

“I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school. You see these children? These children perished under bombs, with weapons used by the United States and Israel. They were innocent, had committed no crimes,” Pezeshkian told the assembly. He went on to accuse U.S. and Israeli forces of striking a civilian sports hall full of children in the Iranian city of Lamerd using multi-warhead weapons, adding that countless unarmed Iranian civilians – including top scientists, women and children – have been targeted in unlawful assassinations and attacks.

“They martyred, assassinated, our scientists, our men, women, and children. Innocent children who, in truth, had committed no crimes, no sins,” he said.

Rejecting the U.S. characterization of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism outright, Pezeshkian argued that the label is a cynical projection by the actors that actually support and harbor violent groups. He emphasized that all of Tehran’s actions have been rooted in self-defense, not aggression. “Those who are terrorists and train and protect terrorists describe us as such. We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he added.

Pezeshhkian acknowledged that Iran has faced relentless cross-border attacks and targeted assaults in recent years, but stressed that his country has never surrendered to external pressure. “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee. We did not bow our head. We responded, but we did not hit civilian populations,” he said. He further accused the U.S. and Israel of intentionally targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure – including universities, hospitals, schools, and healthcare centers – actions that he said flagrantly violate core tenets of international law.

The Iranian leader also referenced the high-profile assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place on Iranian soil just as he was taking office as president, as a fresh example of external aggression against his nation. Turning to the broader Middle East conflict, Pezeshkian condemned what he called Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, noting that more than 80,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by the ongoing military campaign.

Pushing back against widespread international narratives that frame Iran as a primary source of regional instability, Pezeshkian clarified that Tehran only seeks full national independence and the inherent right to defend its territory. He explained that Iran’s pursuit of military strength is purely a deterrent measure designed to prevent future attacks, not a tool for expansion or aggression. “Iran must be powerful so as to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future being threatened,” he said. “We do not seek power in order to attack or commit aggression. We seek energy for progress, not to threaten societies with weapons.”

He stressed that Iran would never ask permission from foreign powers to exercise its right to self-defense, a direct rebuke to U.S. and European demands for limits on Iran’s military and nuclear activities. On the topic of Iran’s nuclear program, Pezeshkian defended Tehran’s sovereign right to develop peaceful nuclear technology for civilian energy and medical purposes, rejecting decades of international sanctions and diplomatic pressure as unlawful overreach.

Pezeshkian’s remarks come at a time of sustained heightened tension between Tehran and Washington, with the escalating regional confrontation drawing widespread global concern over its catastrophic humanitarian and cross-border security implications. In closing, the Iranian president reaffirmed that his country’s military capabilities are solely intended to ensure that any attack on Iranian civilians does not go unanswered, and emphasized that Iran does not build its own national security on the insecurity of other nations in the region.

24 9 月, 2026
Trump smeedt regionale coalitie tegen drugskartels; aanpak stuit op juridische en politieke weerstand

On the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States advanced a new push to coordinate regional action against transnational criminal networks and drug cartels on September 22, 2026. Speaking at a gathering of the Washington-led ‘Shield of the Americas’ coalition, U.S. President Donald Trump called on participating nations to collectively designate 24 violent criminal groups as shared threats to regional security.

Following Trump’s address, the 15 member countries of the coalition released a joint declaration announcing plans to implement coordinated countermeasures, asset freezes, visa restrictions, and criminal prosecutions targeting group members, financiers, and facilitators who knowingly provide material or logistical support to the designated organizations. While the agreement marks a tangible expansion of cross-border security cooperation, it does not mandate immediate uniform sanctions across all participating states, as most nations require domestic legislative or judicial adjustments to align national law with the new commitments.

The newly released designation list includes two groups already labeled as terrorist organizations by the U.S.: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Tren de Aragua. It also encompasses major Mexican drug cartels, Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla movement, Brazil’s two largest criminal syndicates Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho, and Peru’s Shining Path insurgency. Long framing these groups as more than traditional criminal enterprises, Trump compared the cartels to the Islamic State, referring to them as ‘narco-terrorists’ that demand a unified security response. He reaffirmed that the U.S. maintains ‘unprecedented military power’ to address threats across the Western Hemisphere, framing the war on drug trafficking as a core regional security issue rather than a narrow law enforcement matter.

The 15 signatory governments include the U.S., Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. Notably absent are Latin America’s two largest economies: Mexico and Brazil. Colombia’s participation marks a significant shift, as the country had declined to join previous similar coalition statements, though it still needs to pass new domestic legislation to implement the agreed sanctions. Al Jazeera correspondent Alessandro Rampietti noted that the declaration is, for now, primarily a symbolic political step, with operationalization dependent on national-level legal processes.

The new diplomatic agreement comes as the U.S. has already dramatically escalated its own unilateral military campaign against alleged drug smuggling operations. Since September 2025, the U.S. military has carried out dozens of airstrikes and raids on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, claiming all targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking. However, the campaign has drawn sharp international condemnation: United Nations special rapporteur Ben Saul has concluded the operations may violate international law and could amount to crimes against humanity. Saul’s analysis records at least 223 deaths across 68 attacks between September 2025 and August 2026, with a further four killed in a new strike carried out over the preceding weekend, pushing the total confirmed death toll above 230. Washington has defended the operations as part of an armed conflict against drug cartels, arguing they are necessary to stop illicit drug flows into the U.S. Critics counter that the Trump administration has released little public evidence confirming the identity or smuggling activities of those killed on the targeted vessels.

Beyond counter-narcotics cooperation, the Shield of the Americas initiative carries broader geopolitical meaning. The Trump administration has spent recent months aggressively pushing for a greater U.S. role in the Western Hemisphere, with officials discussing a renewed interpretation of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine – the principle that originally sought to block European interference in the Americas and later became associated with U.S. regional dominance. The current administration has tied security cooperation to trade, energy policy, border control, and access to strategic critical minerals. Bilateral talks between U.S. and Ecuadorian officials this week covered not only anti-cartel action but also oil, natural gas, and critical mineral access, though no formal agreement on resources has been made public. This expanded U.S. push has sparked widespread concerns across Latin America over national sovereignty and growing American interference in regional affairs.

Brazil, which remains outside the coalition, has openly pushed back against the initiative. In his address to the UN General Assembly, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a clear rebuke without naming the U.S. directly, warning against ‘renewed hegemonic temptations’ in Latin America and the Caribbean. ‘Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard,’ he stated. Lula emphasized that countering transnational organized crime requires global cooperation, but Brazil’s approach diverges sharply from Washington’s: it prioritizes national sovereignty, multilateral diplomacy, and inclusive regional cooperation, in contrast to the Trump administration’s reliance on U.S. military power and unilateral security tools. Mexico has also declined to join the coalition.

The joint sanctions declaration is both a concrete security measure and a high-stakes diplomatic signal. For participating countries, closer collaboration under the framework could streamline intelligence sharing and disrupt cross-border criminal networks that operate across multiple jurisdictions. Yet the actual scope of operational cooperation remains uncertain: the declaration does not legally bind the 15 nations to identical measures, and most proposed sanctions still face lengthy domestic legal hurdles. Over the coming months, the initiative will face a critical test: whether it evolves into a fully functional operational partnership or remains primarily a political signaling platform. The U.S.’s unilateral military campaign remains the most contentious sticking point, as Washington seeks regional backing for harder action against cartels while global debate grows over the legal limits of using lethal military force against suspected drug traffickers. The New York gathering has opened a new chapter in U.S. counter-narcotics strategy – one that brings deeper regional coordination, but also new, unresolved questions over sovereignty, evidence standards, and compliance with international law.

24 9 月, 2026
Justice Now to Stage Peaceful Picket at Police Headquarters Thursday

An Antigua and Barbuda-based justice advocacy organization, Justice Now, has issued a public call for community members to join a peaceful demonstration outside the national Police Headquarters this month, pushing law enforcement authorities to deliver long-awaited clarity on a backlog of unsettled criminal cases.

The planned picket is set to kick off at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, at the Police Headquarters located on American Road in St. John’s — an address officially confirmed as the force’s central command by the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda. Under the rallying slogan “Justice Now — The Wait Has Gone On Long Enough,” the event is designed to shine a sustained spotlight on a wide range of unresolved cases that have left families without closure. These include uninvestigated or unsolved murders, unresolved missing person reports, suspicious deaths in custody, and other unaddressed criminal matters where victims and their loved ones continue to wait for formal police support and answers.

In a public statement announcing the demonstration, representatives from Justice Now emphasized that far too many homicide cases remain closed without resolution across the country, while dozens of missing person cases have been left stagnant, leaving grieving families with no concrete information about their loved ones’ fates. The organization firmly holds that every family affected by these unresolved cases has a fundamental right to have their concerns heard by authorities, and no case should be pushed out of public consciousness and official priorities simply because months or years have passed since the incident.

“Every life matters, every family deserves to be heard, and no case should simply fade from public memory because time has passed,” the group reiterated in its statement.

The upcoming picket is the latest high-profile action from Justice Now, which has emerged as a prominent voice calling for reform in the country’s correctional system in recent weeks. The group has been openly critical of conditions inside His Majesty’s Prison, particularly around handling of inmate deaths in custody, and has repeatedly pushed for stronger institutional accountability and systemic changes to the treatment of incarcerated people living with mental health conditions. Organizers are urging all community members who support the call for justice for affected families to join the peaceful gathering next week.

24 9 月, 2026
Urgent action needed to protect sovereignty and survival of SIDS

As climate-driven sea level rise accelerates its destructive march across low-lying coastal regions, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens not just their daily livelihoods, but their core sovereignty and long-term national survival. Speaking at a high-profile UN meeting convened specifically to address this growing emergency, the acting prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis has issued a urgent call for the international community to turn rhetorical recognition of the crisis into tangible, actionable support for at-risk island nations.

24 9 月, 2026
ASPIRE Calls for Wider Contraceptive Access Ahead of World Contraception Day

Every September 26, global reproductive health advocates mark World Contraception Day (WCD), a coordinated campaign designed to shine a spotlight on the critical need for equitable access to reliable contraception, counter widespread misinformation, and ensure all people can make autonomous decisions about their reproductive futures. This year’s WCD theme, “No Barriers, Just Choices: Contraceptive Access Now,” amplifies a urgent demand to eliminate systemic and legal obstacles that leave millions without the resources they need to plan their families.

For the past four years, regional advocacy group ASPIRE has worked to challenge the constitutionality of existing abortion laws across the Caribbean, building on a recent successful legal victory in Dominica. The organization now awaits a key court ruling on the challenge with cautious, measured optimism, framing the outcome as a make-or-break moment for reproductive rights in the region.

At its core, WCD’s mission is straightforward: to educate the public on the full range of contraceptive options available today, breaking down misconceptions that often prevent people from accessing the method that best fits their needs. Options span five broad categories: barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms; hormonal methods including oral pills and injectable contraceptives; long-acting reversible contraceptives like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal implants; permanent sterilization methods such as vasectomy for men and tubal ligation for women; and emergency contraception, which can prevent unplanned pregnancy up to 72 to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse.

Advocates emphasize that expanding contraception access is not just a matter of individual autonomy—it is a proven strategy to reduce the number of unsafe abortions globally. The root of high abortion rates, they argue, is not demand for abortion itself, but unplanned pregnancy. By increasing access to reliable contraception and supporting consistent use, communities can cut rates of unintended pregnancy and, in turn, reduce the number of people seeking abortions.

New regional data collected across the Caribbean paints a stark picture of the current reproductive health crisis. Among women seeking care at public health clinics across the region, 80% reported that their most recent pregnancy was unplanned. Nearly 40% of these unplanned pregnancies end in abortion, and a shocking analysis of abortion patient data reveals that 81% of people who received an abortion were teenagers when they had their first procedure. Of that group, 59% were under the age of 16—statistics that point to widespread child sexual abuse and statutory rape, a problem long overlooked by regional policymakers.

These sobering numbers make clear that incremental changes to abortion law are not enough to address the region’s challenges, ASPIRE argues. Systemic change, including reform of outdated contraception access laws, is urgently needed. For example, nearly 40 years ago in 1984, the region amended the Age of Majority Act CAP 11, s.13 to legally allow 16-year-olds to access reproductive health care, including contraception, without parental consent. To this day, however, the law remains virtually unknown: adolescents, healthcare workers, health educators, and social workers are all largely unaware of the policy change, which has never been effectively disseminated to the public.

That 1984 reform only closed one critical legal gap: it aligned the age of contraceptive access with the age of consent, which is set at 16, eliminating the previous absurd requirement that people who could legally engage in sexual activity still needed parental permission to access contraception until age 18. But ASPIRE argues that further reform is needed to address the reality of early sexual debut across the region. To meaningfully tackle the crisis of teen pregnancy and child exposure to unprotected sex, there should be no arbitrary age restrictions on contraceptive access, the group says. Instead, policymakers should trust the professional judgment of frontline healthcare workers to provide confidential, appropriate care to young people regardless of their age.

The current reality across the Caribbean is dire: the region has the highest abortion rate in the world, and the second earliest average age of sexual debut globally. ASPIRE points to a glaring, unjust inconsistency in existing law to highlight the failures of current policy: the region holds children as young as 12 criminally responsible for their actions, yet denies them the ability to access confidential contraceptive care without parental consent until age 16. This four-year gap between criminal responsibility and reproductive autonomy makes no sense, advocates say, and puts countless young people at unnecessary risk of unintended pregnancy and abuse.

As the world marks World Contraception Day 2024, ASPIRE is calling on regional governments to act immediately to remove all barriers to contraceptive access, educate the public about existing reproductive rights, and address the root causes of the Caribbean’s ongoing reproductive health crisis.

24 9 月, 2026
Column: Nieuw elan Natio

Suriname’s men’s national football team is set to launch its new 2026–2027 CONCACAF Nations League campaign this Friday, September 25, with an away fixture against Honduras. This edition of the Nations League acts as the official qualification pathway for the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is scheduled to be hosted by Mexico this coming year.

Drawn into Group B of League A, the highest tier of the competition, Suriname will face three other group opponents in sequence: Honduras, Martinique, and a home-and-away series against Guatemala. The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will meet pre-seeded heavyweights Canada, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. Given the tight competition structure, every fixture carries high stakes; a single misstep could end Suriname’s bid for an early quarterfinal spot. Even if Suriname fails to claim a top-two finish, a third or fourth place placement in the group still opens a secondary path to direct qualification for the 2027 Gold Cup, keeping the team’s regional tournament hopes alive.

Past successes from earlier qualifying cycles are now in the rearview mirror, and the team is entering this campaign under a new leadership structure that includes a new head coach, an entirely new supporting technical staff, and a fresh team sponsor. These changes have laid the groundwork for a revitalized national squad, widely referred to locally as “Natio”. Despite recent off-field uncertainty and disruptions, a solid core of players has already traveled to Honduras for the opening match, a commitment that has drawn widespread praise for the courage and dedication the group has shown.

In additional positive developments, several players who had previously been uncertain about committing to the national side have ultimately chosen to join the Natio campaign. This choice signals that the Suriname national team’s new operating model remains appealing to talent and has not veered off course. These late-joining players also deserve recognition for their commitment, and the team is working to fully integrate them into the squad to reinforce a collective team culture, where the group’s shared goals take priority over individual stardom.

The willingness of these young talents to commit to the national program is particularly critical for long-term development. Their example is expected to make it easier to encourage other emerging young players to pursue an international career with Suriname in the future.

For the Surinaamse Voetbal Bond (SVB), the national football governing body, this campaign represents a new opportunity to put the right structures in place to reach the team’s ultimate qualifying goals. This includes key administrative adjustments, such as avoiding the common past practice of booking early return flights for the team before group stage play has concluded, a practice rooted in premature assumptions that the side would fail to advance out of the group. The SVB has also committed to scheduling more regular friendly warm-up matches ahead of competitive fixtures, to help players build on-pitch chemistry and cohesion before they enter high-stakes competition.

It is widely acknowledged that the road to qualification for the next men’s FIFA World Cup will be significantly more challenging than Suriname’s 2026 final cycle campaign. But organizers and team leadership stress that this increased difficulty should not dim the team’s ambition. In modern international football, there are no longer any easily beaten “weak teams”; a side’s performance ultimately depends on the belief and preparation it brings to every match. Many of Suriname’s top players currently compete at the professional club level in Europe, where they line up alongside and compete against top talent from the world’s biggest football nations on a weekly basis, and earn consistent success at that level. This context shows that international call-ups are not always selected purely on technical skill, and can sometimes be influenced by bias or external pressure. Suriname’s program is also emphasizing that there are multiple pathways to building a successful national side, and talent developed outside of Europe’s top leagues still has a major role to play in competing at the highest regional and international level.

24 9 月, 2026
IMF voorziet groeisprong Suriname bij start offshore olieproductie

International Monetary Fund analysts have projected a historic economic expansion for Suriname, with growth set to jump to roughly 30% in 2028 when the country’s new offshore oil fields begin commercial production, according to a dedicated country assessment published earlier this year. The forecast, which does not appear in the IMF’s 2026 Annual Report released this week, anticipates steady moderate growth of around 4% annually between now and the launch of oil output.

Suriname’s non-resource economic sector is projected to grow 4.7% in 2026 alone, the Article IV assessment notes. Combined with ongoing development of offshore oil infrastructure and stable gold production, overall annual economic growth will hold near 4% through both 2026 and 2027 before the 2028 spike, the Fund predicts.

While the incoming oil revenue represents a generational economic opportunity for Suriname, the IMF emphasizes that the country must strengthen its institutional frameworks before 2028 to turn resource wealth into broad-based improvements in living standards. To deliver long-term shared prosperity, the Fund says Suriname must shore up public financial management, deliver targeted infrastructure investments, and maintain consistent macroeconomic stability.

A separate technical IMF report from May 2026 acknowledges that Suriname has already taken key legislative steps to prepare for oil revenue, including tightening public finance rules and updating the national Savings and Stabilization Fund. However, practical implementation of these new regulatory frameworks remains incomplete, the Fund adds, citing constrained institutional capacity and delays in finalizing supporting legislation.

Alongside its country-specific guidance for Suriname, the IMF’s 2026 Annual Report highlights growing pressures on public finances across the globe. Global public debt is once again on the rise, and higher interest payments have eroded government budget space for critical priorities including education and infrastructure development. The report notes that global interest payments as a share of gross domestic product have climbed from roughly 2% to nearly 3% in just three years, forcing low-fiscal-space nations to make tough trade-offs on public spending.

The Fund also stresses the value of multi-year budgeting and rigorous cost-benefit analysis for large-scale infrastructure projects, measures that can improve the efficiency of public spending and support sustained long-term growth. This guidance carries extra weight for Suriname as it approaches 2028: the country not only needs to maintain disciplined management of current public finances, but also build durable institutions capable of overseeing the much larger revenue streams that will flow from the new oil sector.

The IMF’s latest assessment repeats a warning that policy missteps before production launches would pose significant risks to Suriname’s macroeconomic stability. Even with the prospect of massive new oil revenue, the Fund stresses, the country cannot afford to delay putting its public finances in order ahead of the sector’s launch.

24 9 月, 2026
NTUCB Blasts Government’s Dismissive Response to Demands

A bitter standoff between Belize’s national government and the country’s leading trade union coalition has entered a new, more heated phase, after cabinet officials rejected nearly all of the 11 core demands put forward by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB).

NTUCB President Ella Waight has publicly slammed Prime Minister for dismissing the coalition’s long-held concerns out of hand, with the future of state-linked telecommunications firm Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) emerging as the central point of contention. The NTUCB has pushed for two key changes at BTL: the immediate removal of Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga and a full restructuring of the company’s board of directors. Both proposals were flatly rejected by the Prime Minister, who defended Lizarraga’s tenure by pointing to consistent profitability BTL has delivered under his leadership.

But Waight pushed back against that justification in a recent press interview, arguing that strong financial results do not address the broader governance and workplace concerns the union coalition has raised. “Generating profit is the fundamental job of the BTL chairman, the entire board, and the company’s management team,” Waight explained. “That’s what they’re tasked to do — it’s not some extraordinary achievement that justifies brushing aside every other issue we’ve raised.”

Waight specifically cited Lizarraga’s dismissive attitude toward union concerns and his aggressive push to acquire rival telecommunications firm Smart as unresolved red flags. She also noted that rank-and-file BTL staff broadly lack confidence in Lizarraga’s leadership, a sentiment that has not eased despite the company’s positive bottom line. “Whether that trust can be repaired at this point is an open question,” Waight added, deferring to the Belize Communication Workers Union for updates on shifting staff sentiment in recent weeks.

Waight also pushed back on the Prime Minister’s claim that unions already have adequate representation on the BTL board via a proxy seat through the Belize Social Security Board. The NTUCB’s demand for board restructuring centers on implementing a formal tripartite governance structure that includes representation not only from the NTUCB, but also from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) as the official employer representative, and the government as the controlling stakeholder.

Waight emphasized that the existing informal union-linked seat is not a permanent, independent voice for the NTUCB. “The current representative appointed through the Social Security Board can be removed at any time, and she was never elected by the NTUCB to serve as our direct representative on the BTL board in the first place,” Waight clarified. “She was elected to represent our coalition on the Social Security Board, not the telecom firm’s governing body.”

As the deadlock holds, both sides remain firm in their positions, leaving the future of the dispute uncertain with the NTUCB indicating it will continue pushing for concrete action to address its demands.

24 9 月, 2026
NTUCB Demands Overhaul of Public Utilities Commission

A public political disagreement has erupted between the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) and the administration of Prime Minister John Briceño, centered on long-simmering questions about the autonomy and governance structure of the country’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

At the core of the conflict is the NTUCB’s formal demand for a comprehensive overhaul of the regulatory body, a proposal the prime minister has already rejected on legal grounds. Briceño has reiterated that the PUC is enshrined in law as an autonomous institution, meaning the sitting government has no authority to advance the union’s restructuring request. But union leadership has pushed back hard against that framing, arguing that the so-called independence of the commission is little more than a legal fiction under current rules.

NTUCB President Ella Waight outlined her organization’s position in comments to local media, acknowledging that the group understands the current legal framework cited by the prime minister. From the start of the campaign for reform, Waight noted, union leaders have been clear that only the sitting government holds the power to amend existing legislation to reshape the PUC’s governance structure. The union’s ultimate goal, she explained, is to rewrite the law to expand representation on the commission to include workers’ representatives and other key social partners, ultimately shifting majority control of the regulatory body to ordinary Belizean citizens rather than political appointees.

Waight emphasized that the push for reform aligns directly with the Briceño administration’s stated commitment to advancing good governance across Belize’s public institutions. “If this government says they are all about good governance, then we need to ensure that is the way we move forward,” she said, arguing that a legitimate independent PUC must be drawn from and accountable to the Belizean public, not the government. Under current rules, she pointed out, the prime minister retains the sole authority to appoint all commission members, turning the nominally autonomous body into an entity effectively controlled by the sitting government.

The NTUCB is calling for the PUC’s membership to be restructured around the country’s four recognized social partners, a change that would embed public and worker representation at the core of the utilities regulator. Waight added that the union had hoped to open formal negotiations with the government to launch the reform process, allowing leaders to lay out in detail their rationale for shifting majority control away from political appointees. So far, however, the government has declined to engage, sticking to its position that the PUC’s current autonomous legal structure rules out any restructuring.

The standoff is the latest public dispute between the Belizean government and the country’s largest trade union federation over institutional reform, with the NTUCB making clear it will not back down from its demand. Waight confirmed that the union will continue pressing its case for overhaul until the government agrees to enter talks on changing the PUC’s governing legislation.

This report is adapted from a transcript of a televised evening news broadcast.

24 9 月, 2026