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  • Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and the UN strengthen their collaboration

    Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and the UN strengthen their collaboration

    On July 28, 2026, high-level talks between Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) and senior United Nations officials opened a new chapter of coordinated action to address the country’s deepening humanitarian and security challenges. At the MAST headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Marc-Elie Nelson, Haiti’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, welcomed Nicole Kouassi, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti, to align priorities across core areas of mutual work: social protection, humanitarian response, and long-term peacebuilding.

    During the closed-door discussions, Minister Nelson laid out the Haitian government’s core strategic vision: to shore up social protection frameworks for the country’s most marginalized communities while creating conditions for the safe, sustainable return of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their home communities. He outlined tangible progress the administration has already made, including strengthening national social welfare systems, expanding targeted assistance programs, and scaling up direct cash transfer initiatives that reach thousands of vulnerable households monthly. Nelson also emphasized the urgent need to break down silos between short-term emergency humanitarian aid and long-term national development policies, arguing that integrated planning is critical to breaking cycles of instability in the country.

    A central focus of the meeting was the urgent crisis facing children caught in Haiti’s rising tide of armed violence. Minister Nelson detailed the work of the Institute for Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), which operates dedicated rehabilitation centers and community-based reintegration programs for at-risk youth. He stressed that child-centered interventions remain a top priority within the country’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration, Arms Control, and Violence Reduction (DDR) framework, noting that targeted support for affected children is foundational to long-term violence reduction.

    Talks also covered two other pressing priorities: preventing gender-based violence (GBV) and expanding protection for children associated with armed groups. Both parties acknowledged the critical on-the-ground support already provided by UN partners including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for these initiatives, and agreed to expand coordinated efforts in these areas moving forward.

    By the end of the meeting, the two sides reached a formal agreement to strengthen institutional partnership between MAST and the UN system, improve cross-sector coordination between humanitarian and national social policies, and scale up initiatives that support the safe return of IDPs to their communities. To keep momentum going, attendees confirmed that the joint steering committee overseeing UN Peacebuilding Fund-supported initiatives will hold its next working session on July 30, 2026, at Haiti’s Ministry of Planning to advance ongoing projects.

    Closing the meeting, Nelson reaffirmed the Haitian government’s unwavering commitment to close collaboration with the UN to build a unified, integrated response that connects emergency relief, long-term social protection, and sustainable peacebuilding. In response, Kouassi reiterated the UN system’s pledge to continue standing alongside Haitian authorities to develop locally led, sustainable solutions that deliver tangible benefits to the country’s most vulnerable populations.

  • Can Belize’s Power Grid Handle the Electric Vehicle Push?

    Can Belize’s Power Grid Handle the Electric Vehicle Push?

    As a small Caribbean nation pushes for faster adoption of electric vehicles to cut carbon emissions and align with global sustainable mobility goals, a critical infrastructure question has moved to the forefront of national policy debates: can Belize’s existing electricity network support a rapid, widespread shift away from gas-powered cars?

    With local residents already voicing persistent concerns about inconsistent power delivery and limited generation capacity across parts of the country, energy sector leaders have opened up about the planned upgrades and investments needed to make mass EV adoption a reality. Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Public Utilities and Energy, recently outlined the government’s approach to bridging the infrastructure gap in a televised address, confirming that large-scale clean energy and grid modernization projects are already moving forward.

    Almendarez emphasized that adding EV charging demand to residential and commercial power loads requires deliberate, data-driven infrastructure planning, pushing back against overly optimistic narratives that frame solar energy potential as a quick, no-fuss solution. “I keep hearing people saying ‘the sun is shining,’ but you can’t just take the sun and put it in your vehicle,” he noted, explaining that tangible generation, storage and distribution infrastructure must be put in place before EV adoption can scale safely.

    Thankfully, major projects to boost clean energy capacity are already in the works. The country is currently in the request for proposal stage for an 80-megawatt utility-scale solar farm, which is scheduled to come online in the first quarter of 2028. Complementing this new solar generation will be a 40-megawatt utility-scale battery energy storage system, both of which add zero-emission power capacity to the national grid. An additional 15 megawatts of generation from the Belize Aguacata Power Company Limited (BABCOL) is expected to come online by November 2026.

    Even with new generation capacity in the pipeline, Almendarez stressed that upgrades to the country’s transmission and distribution grid are equally critical to ensure the new power can reach consumers and EV chargers without reliability issues. Uncoordinated development that creates competing power demands, he warned, could lead to serious service disruptions across vulnerable regions. Data collected from recent grid assessments identifies southern Belize as the area currently facing the most significant capacity challenges, a longstanding issue that local residents have repeatedly highlighted to policymakers.

    The ongoing planning process reflects a broader balancing act for small developing economies pursuing climate action: advancing the transition to zero-emission transportation while avoiding strains on critical public infrastructure that would disrupt daily life for current residents.

  • When Will Fire Service Get a Permanent Headquarters?

    When Will Fire Service Get a Permanent Headquarters?

    Months of uncertainty over a permanent base for Belize’s National Fire Service have led to a partial relocation to a privately rented temporary facility, sparking new public debate over taxpayer costs and long-term planning for the critical emergency service.

    For years, the fire service has operated out of the Marion Jones Sports Complex, a space never intended to house a national emergency response headquarters. Now, key components of the service—including the central administrative branch and the north side fire station—have moved to the new temporary site on Calle al Mar, while other divisions such as the mechanical yard have been relocated to Ladyville and scattered additional locations across the area, due to persistent space shortages at existing facilities.

    Disaster Risk Management Minister Henry Charles Usher explained that the fragmented current setup traces back to a decision by the previous UDP administration, which sold the fire service’s original permanent headquarters without developing a replacement plan. “When the UDP sold the old headquarters, they had no backup strategy, nowhere for the service to relocate,” Usher said in comments confirming the temporary arrangement. “Fire service personnel have been operating out of the unsuitable Marion Jones Stadium compound for far too long, after begging for a new space following the sale.”

    Usher confirmed that the current government has advanced plans to construct a purpose-built permanent headquarters on a already-designated plot of land adjacent to the Eleanor Hall Building. However, the project remains in the funding procurement stage, with no timeline for construction completion announced. Until adequate financing is secured and the new facility is built, the fire service will continue to operate across its fragmented, temporary leased sites.

    The partial relocation has renewed public questions about how much the long-term rental arrangement will cost public coffers, as taxpayers foot the bill for an interim solution while the permanent project moves forward. Once completed, the new headquarters will consolidate all divisions of the National Fire Service in one location, including administrative offices, the mechanical yard, and dedicated training facilities that the service has lacked for years, a change Usher described as a long-overdue improvement for the emergency response agency.

  • International Recognition for Belize City’s Tsunami Readiness

    International Recognition for Belize City’s Tsunami Readiness

    July 27, 2026 — For coastal communities across the globe, the threat of a tsunami looms as a silent, fast-moving disaster that can level shorelines in minutes, leaving little to no time for residents to evacuate to safety. While modern history has not recorded a catastrophic tsunami strike on Belize’s shores, three tsunami warnings issued since 2009 have forced the country’s coastal leadership to confront a critical question: are we prepared for when the threat becomes reality? This week, Belize City — Belize’s largest urban municipality — answered that question by becoming the first community in the nation to earn the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Tsunami Ready designation, an international certification that confirms the city has met rigorous global standards for disaster preparedness, early warning systems, emergency evacuation planning, and public risk education.

    The path to this recognition was not a linear one, stretching back nearly eight years of intermittent progress and renewed commitment. According to Christa Von Hillebrandt-Andrade, manager of the International Tsunami Information Center, initial efforts to launch the Tsunami Ready certification process in Belize began in 2018 and 2019, with an introductory on-site workshop, the first round of flood modeling, and the completion of an initial evacuation route map. But the project stalled short of meeting all requirements: the map was never finalized and approved, emergency evacuation signage was never installed, widespread public education campaigns never launched, and formal national and local preparedness protocols were never adopted. With U.S. funding for the initiative set to expire, international partners shifted their focus to another country, where a community successfully earned the certification.

    It was not until 2024 that the Belizean government reached back out to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service, reaffirming its commitment to completing the certification process and acknowledging the urgent need for comprehensive tsunami preparedness. That renewed commitment kicked off months of intensive cross-sector collaboration, bringing together Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), international technical partners, local government agencies, and community stakeholders to check off every remaining requirement.

    For Henry Charles Usher, Belize’s Minister of Disaster Risk Management with oversight over NEMO, the UNESCO designation serves as a critical reminder that disaster preparation cannot be put off until a catastrophe unfolds. He noted that Belize has already faced two tsunami warnings in recent years — one in 2018 and another most recently in 2025 — neither of which resulted in a damaging tsunami. While tsunami events are far more common in the Pacific Ocean, Usher emphasized that the Caribbean is not immune to the threat, and public awareness of tsunami and earthquake risk lags far behind the deep knowledge the country has built for more frequent hurricane disasters. “It’s something that is good that we get this type of education,” Usher said of the certification process, which has helped fill that gap in public awareness.

    The United States, through NOAA, played a central technical and financial role in supporting Belize City to reach the milestone. U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Rhonda Slusher noted that the certification is far more than a symbolic honor: it represents hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes work that will save lives when minutes matter. Just this year, NOAA specialists worked alongside NEMO teams to stress-test evacuation plans, refine coastal flood inundation maps that show which areas will be flooded by a tsunami, and complete dozens of unpublicized required tasks to meet international standards. “We can bring resources and expertise, but effective partnership requires a mutual investment, and you brought it,” Slusher said, crediting local leaders and community members for the genuine commitment that made the achievement possible.

    While tsunamis are often perceived as distant disasters that only impact other regions, historical records tell a more urgent story: the Caribbean basin has documented more than 75 confirmed tsunami events over its history, making the threat rare but not zero. For Belize, a low-lying coastal nation heavily dependent on its shorelines for population centers and economic activity, Belize City’s new certification marks a major step forward in protecting residents and visitors from a potentially catastrophic disaster. Reporting for News Five, Shane Williams.

  • CXC Details Reformed SBA Framework for CSEC and CAPE Subjects

    CXC Details Reformed SBA Framework for CSEC and CAPE Subjects

    The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the regional governing body that oversees secondary and post-secondary credentialing across the Caribbean, has released comprehensive new details outlining a major overhaul of its School-Based Assessment (SBA) framework for two of its core certification programs: the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

    Under the newly restructured assessment system, all CSEC and CAPE subjects have been sorted into three distinct classification groups based on how internal school-based evaluation will be structured moving forward. The first group consists of subjects that will keep their existing SBA model unchanged, preserving the current balance of in-school assessment and external examinations. For the second group, the SBA component will be expanded significantly, and the separate Alternative Paper 032 — a previous alternative assessment option for private candidates and institutions unable to complete full SBA requirements — will be phased out entirely. The third and final group will eliminate traditional SBA altogether, relying exclusively on the Alternative Paper 032 to measure student competency.

    To bring full transparency to these changes, CXC has published public classification tables that clearly label which subjects fall into each of the three categories. The council has also urged students, classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, and other education stakeholders to review the organization’s updated frequently asked questions (FAQ) resource, which offers a granular breakdown of how the reforms will affect different stakeholders, implementation timelines, and answers to common concerns.

    In a statement accompanying the release of the new framework details, CXC emphasized that these sweeping reforms are not arbitrary changes, but a deliberate step aligned with the organization’s long-standing core mission. The reforms are designed to ensure that CXC-issued qualifications truly capture the full scope of a student’s knowledge, practical skills, and authentic academic achievement, all while upholding the strict standards of integrity and educational excellence that the regional examining body has built its reputation on over decades of operation.

  • Belize Shines on the International Stage

    Belize Shines on the International Stage

    As the July 2026 edition of Sports Monday, produced by Belize’s National Sports Council, gets underway, host Shane Williams turns a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of Belizean athletes competing across international tournaments worldwide. This week’s coverage highlights the grit, preparation and team chemistry that have helped put Belize on the global sports map, from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom and Central America.

    The lead story comes from the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games hosted in the Dominican Republic, where Belize is fielding delegations across four disciplines: sailing, beach volleyball, cycling and men’s basketball. For the Belize U-19 men’s national basketball team, Saturday’s opening matchup against Nicaragua was far more than a preliminary round game—it was an opportunity to avenge a 2025 gold medal defeat, where a depleted Belizean roster missing four key starters fell short of the top prize.

    Over the past four years, the Belize Basketball Federation has intentionally built this roster from the ground up, with a long-term development strategy focused on nurturing young local talent rather than relying on last-minute roster picks. Jacob Leslie, president of the federation, explained the vision behind the program: the federation set out to identify a promising young age group, develop them into the future senior national team, and build a sustainable pipeline that continuously cultivates new generations of homegrown athletes. Beyond on-court wins, the program’s core mission is to create exposure opportunities for young players, who draw attention from college and high school scouts every time they compete on the international stage, opening doors for growth both in basketball and in their personal lives.

    What sets this team apart beyond its structured development is the genuine camaraderie built between players over four years. Since 2022, the group has maintained an active shared chat, staying updated on each other’s lives, academic pursuits and training progress, creating a tight bond that translates to on-court success. That chemistry was on full display Saturday: Belize took control of the game early, ultimately cruising to a comfortable 19-point opening win over the defending Central American champions. Now, the team turns its attention to Tuesday’s high-stakes matchup against host nation the Dominican Republic, the biggest test of the preliminary round. After four years of competing at the international level, Leslie says the squad has built the confidence to go toe-to-toe with teams from much larger countries, and the program’s long-term strategy is finally beginning to deliver results. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 PM Belize time.

    Beyond basketball, other Belizean teams have had mixed results in CAC Games beach volleyball competition. The pairing of Nelissa Ramirez and Clara Sabal split their first two group stage matches, picking up a win against the U.S. Virgin Islands before falling to the host Dominican Republic. On the men’s side, Ernest Broaster and Francis Hauze dropped their opening two matches against Cuba and El Salvador.

    In CAC Games cycling, young rider Derrick Chavarria was forced to withdraw from the individual time trial after struggling with a pre-race illness. Fans and coaches are optimistic he will recover in time to compete alongside Jyven Gonzalez in the upcoming road race this Sunday.

    Across the Atlantic in Glasgow, Scotland, Belizean swimmers are turning heads at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where Belize is competing in athletics, swimming and cycling. Swimmer Davia Richardson delivered two standout performances in her opening heats, claiming second place in the 100-meter freestyle and notching a new personal best to take second in the 50-meter butterfly. Compatriot Nyasha Harris finished fifth in her 100-meter heat, just missing her personal best time.

    In other international action, 10-year-old Armaan Sugnani and 9-year-old John Habet are representing Belize at the Central America Tennis Confederation U-10 Championships being held in Costa Rica, carrying the country’s flag into regional youth competition.

    Closing out the broadcast, congratulations went to the Wolfpack, who claimed the title of Belize District Marconi Leal Men’s Softball Champions after a dramatic comeback victory over the Guardian Bombers Sunday in Crooked Tree Village. The Bombers will get a chance to earn revenge this weekend, when both teams compete in the National Championships hosted at the new softball field in Camalote Village.

    This edition of Sports Monday is presented by the National Sports Council of Belize. Signing off, host Shane Williams noted that friendly competition brings communities together, and encouraged Belizeans to keep pursuing their love of sport. This article is a transcript of a televised evening newscast.

  • We have the tools to eliminate HIV, but gaps in access and coverage remain, says PAHO

    We have the tools to eliminate HIV, but gaps in access and coverage remain, says PAHO

    At the opening session of the 2026 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Jarbas Barbosa delivered a landmark address that balanced celebration of past progress against HIV with a urgent call to address persistent gaps in access to life-saving care across the Region of the Americas.

    Barbosa opened by noting a historic turning point in the global fight against HIV: the Americas now holds more advanced tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment than at any other point in history. These innovations range from oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-acting injectable PrEP to rapid diagnostic tests and at-home HIV self-testing. To move closer to eliminating HIV as a public health crisis, Barbosa emphasized that expanding broad, equitable access to these tools—paired with investments in early detection and timely treatment initiation—will be non-negotiable.

    The PAHO chief pointed to the region’s long track record of delivering on ambitious public health goals as a foundation for this next chapter of work. Through cross-border collaboration, reliance on scientific evidence, and investment in resilient primary health systems, the Americas has already eliminated polio and rubella, and multiple nations have successfully ended mother-to-child transmission of HIV. These achievements, he argued, prove that coordinated action can deliver transformative results.

    Notably, Barbosa highlighted that Latin America and the Caribbean currently funds 92% of all HIV response investments through domestic resources—one of the highest shares of domestic financing for HIV programs anywhere in the world. This statistic, he emphasized, reflects the region’s unwavering long-term commitment to confronting the HIV epidemic.

    “The question before us is no longer whether we have the tools to end HIV as a public health threat. We do,” Barbosa stated. “The question is whether we can ensure that those tools reach everyone who needs them, regardless of where they live, who they are, or the circumstances they face. Innovation only changes lives when people can access it.”

    Recent public health data underscores how far the region has already come: between 2010 and 2025, AIDS-related deaths across Latin America and the Caribbean dropped by 46%. In 2024 alone, widespread access to antiretroviral treatment prevented an estimated 117,000 fatalities linked to AIDS. Access to PrEP has also grown exponentially, surging from just 35,000 people accessing the prevention tool in 2020 to more than 326,000 in 2025.

    Despite these impressive gains, critical gaps in access and coverage continue to undermine progress. Roughly one in three new HIV diagnoses are still made at a late stage of infection, and nearly 900,000 people living with HIV across Latin America and the Caribbean are not receiving ongoing life-saving treatment. Late diagnosis, delayed treatment initiation, and challenges retaining patients in care all contribute to preventable deaths, and fuel the burden of co-infections such as tuberculosis— which remains the leading cause of death for people living with advanced HIV disease. Reducing HIV-related mortality and addressing advanced HIV disease are core priorities for PAHO at AIDS 2026.

    Against this backdrop, PAHO used the conference’s opening to unveil two new regional initiatives designed to accelerate progress toward HIV elimination by 2030. The first is the Alliance for HIV Elimination in the Americas, a new cross-sector regional platform that will bring together governments, local community groups, international organizations, academic institutions, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to strengthen coordinated action. The Alliance is integrated into PAHO’s broader Disease Elimination Initiative, with core goals of boosting political leadership for HIV response, expanding equitable access to life-saving innovations, and promoting sustainable long-term investment to speed elimination across the region.

    The second new initiative is the Path to HIV Elimination in the Americas, an evidence-based strategic framework that will support individual countries to track their progress toward elimination targets, identify unaddressed gaps in access and care, and document achievements along the way.

    “If we maintain political commitment, protect the investments already made, and place equity at the center of every decision, ending HIV as a public health threat will be within our reach,” Barbosa said. “No country will achieve this goal alone.”

    Barbosa also warned that ongoing risks threaten to reverse decades of hard-won progress, including growing financial pressures, shifting global political priorities, and deep-rooted systemic inequalities that leave marginalized communities behind. He reiterated that achieving elimination will require sustained investment in people-centered health systems, expanded access to PrEP and other new prevention and treatment tools, integrated service delivery that combines HIV care with treatment for tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections, coordinated community-led action to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and continued support for the domestic investments that have driven steady progress to date.

    Over the course of AIDS 2026, PAHO will advance these priorities through a full schedule of high-level events focused on HIV elimination, advancing care for advanced HIV disease, and expanding equitable access to innovative prevention, diagnostic, and treatment tools across the region.

  • Eerste onderzoeksresultaten wijzen op chemische oorzaak vissterfte Saramaccarivier

    Eerste onderzoeksresultaten wijzen op chemische oorzaak vissterfte Saramaccarivier

    A widespread mass fish die-off in Suriname’s Saramacca River has been linked to suspected chemical pollution in early investigative findings, according to Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment Patrick Brunings. The minister announced that the leading working hypothesis attributes the environmental disaster to heavy rainfall overflowing a chemical storage facility or containment pond, with toxic contaminants flowing through the Moeroekreek tributary before entering the main Saramacca River. Suriname’s government expects to identify the likely source of the pollution within two weeks, as final analysis of collected samples is still pending. Minister Brunings emphasized that no definitive conclusions can be drawn at this stage, with full test results from examined fish samples scheduled to be released on August 10.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Advances Next Phase of Mental Health Reform with PAHO/WHO Technical Mission

    Antigua and Barbuda Advances Next Phase of Mental Health Reform with PAHO/WHO Technical Mission

    Against a growing global recognition of mental health as a core component of public well-being, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has kicked off a critical five-day technical collaboration mission with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), marking a key milestone in the island nation’s ongoing effort to overhaul and strengthen its national mental health services.

    Running from July 27 to 31, the mission brings together a cross-functional group of stakeholders: senior officials from Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, practicing mental health clinicians, community health outreach representatives, and three seasoned PAHO/WHO technical experts—Dr. Soumitra Pathare, Dr. Claudina Cayetano, and Ms. Sonali Kumar. Over the course of the week, the group will conduct a comprehensive review of progress made across the past 12 months of reform work, and map out targeted, actionable next steps to build a more modern, person-first, community-rooted mental health system.

    This mission is not an isolated initiative: it sits at the center of the Ministry of Health’s broader Mental Health Service Reorganization Plan, a long-term strategy designed to expand access to high-quality mental healthcare while ensuring people can receive timely, appropriate support close to their homes. A core pillar of this reorganization is a systemic shift away from institution-centric care toward expanded community-based services. The plan aims to boost continuity of care for people living with mental health conditions, improve the speed and effectiveness of crisis response, and strengthen integrated connections between acute hospital care, primary care providers, and local community support networks.

    Over the past year of partnership between the Ministry and PAHO/WHO, the reform effort has already delivered tangible, foundational progress. Key achievements to date include better aligned coordination between hospital and community mental health services, expanded mental health consultation capacity at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, refined referral and discharge planning protocols, upgraded clinical documentation systems, and ongoing work to update and modernize Antigua and Barbuda’s outdated national mental health legislation. These cumulative gains have laid a solid baseline to build on for the next, more ambitious phase of system transformation.

    Throughout the five-day mission, participants will take part in a structured program of strategic leadership meetings, hands-on technical workshops, and on-site visits to existing mental health facilities. The agenda focuses on identifying unaddressed gaps in current service delivery, co-developing practical, context-appropriate solutions to persistent challenges, and drafting a clear roadmap of actionable steps to further strengthen care. Additional discussion topics include expanding and upskilling the national mental health workforce, building sustainable community partnerships, refining crisis intervention protocols, advancing social inclusion for people living with mental health conditions, and fostering cross-sector collaboration between health, education, and social services agencies to deliver more coordinated, holistic care.

    Hon. Michael Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, emphasized that the technical mission underscores the current administration’s unwavering commitment to advancing long-term, systemic mental health reform. “Mental health is an essential part of overall health and well-being, and strengthening mental health services remains a top priority for this Government,” Joseph stated. “We recognize that building a modern mental health system requires more than incremental improvements to existing services. It requires a coordinated, people-centred approach and a fundamental shift in how we understand, respond to and support people living with mental health conditions.”

    Joseph added that the long-running partnership with PAHO/WHO has been instrumental in turning the government’s vision for reform into actionable progress: “Through our continued partnership with PAHO/WHO, we are advancing this vision while working to ensure that every individual has access to compassionate, high-quality care. The discussions and technical collaboration taking place this week will help shape the next phase of that transformation as we continue building a stronger, more integrated and responsive mental health system for the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”

    At the conclusion of the mission, the PAHO/WHO team will deliver a set of targeted, evidence-based recommendations to guide the next phase of reform. The Ministry of Health has already expressed its gratitude to PAHO/WHO for its ongoing technical support, and reaffirmed its commitment to working collaboratively with clinicians, community partners, and all relevant stakeholders to implement the mission’s outcomes. These recommendations are expected to shape policy and service delivery changes that will improve mental health outcomes for communities across Antigua and Barbuda for years to come.

  • In augustus voor het eerst nationale Heritage Month

    In augustus voor het eerst nationale Heritage Month

    This August, Suriname will make national history with its first ever month-long celebration of the country’s shared cultural and historical heritage. Running from August 1 to 31, the debut edition of Heritage Month centers on the unifying theme: “However we came here together, this is how we move forward together.” Organized by a presidential working group, the initiative is designed to grow into an annual national tradition that gives space to every population group and their unique ancestral stories.

    The full event program was officially unveiled to media during a press conference held earlier this week. All activities scheduled throughout the month are framed around three core goals: preserving Suriname’s diverse cultural heritage, fostering public appreciation for the country’s pluralistic history, and passing this shared legacy on to future generations. For organizers, the 2025 launch is not just a one-off celebration — it marks the starting point of a long-term process intended to deepen public knowledge, strengthen cross-community understanding, and build greater connection between Suriname’s many distinct population groups.

    Rachel Pinas, chair of the presidential working group, emphasized that Heritage Month will create space for both the uplifting and painful chapters of Suriname’s collective past. “Moving forward together does not mean we forget our history,” Pinas explained during the press conference. “It means we learn about our past, acknowledge it, and use that understanding to build greater empathy and respect for one another.” Pinas stressed that the initiative is not limited to a single community, organization, or government ministry: “This is a national journey where every community that helped shape Suriname deserves to be seen. The stories of smaller, less widely recognized groups also deserve full, equal attention.”

    The debut edition of Heritage Month is structured around four core pillars: knowledge and awareness, education and intergenerational transfer, participation and connection, and policy and long-term sustainability. These themes will be brought to life through a diverse lineup of events, including heritage storytelling days at primary and secondary schools across the country, a mini academic conference hosted by Anton de Kom University of Suriname, youth-focused activities, the One Heritage Policy Symposium, an interactive Heritage Village experience, and multi-platform public media and awareness campaigns.

    Organizers acknowledge that a single 31-day month is not enough to fully capture the depth and breadth of Suriname’s full history and cultural richness. That is why the working group has laid out plans for the event to become an annual, evolving celebration that grows in scope and community support each year. The first two weeks of this year’s inaugural event will focus primarily on knowledge sharing and academic exploration, before shifting to inclusive public programming. The third weekend of August will feature a large-scale cultural gathering in Suriname’s historic inner city, paired with a national culinary festival highlighting food traditions from across the country’s diverse communities.

    International partners have also been invited to contribute to the program. Embassies from nations including India, China, and Indonesia have collaborated with organizers on programming for the month, and will participate with their own cultural presentations and performances, highlighting the global roots of Suriname’s modern national identity.