Carib Scope

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  • KSAMC must use increased allocations to fix parish council roads, says Morgan

    KSAMC must use increased allocations to fix parish council roads, says Morgan

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — A sharp political clash has erupted over municipal road maintenance funding in Jamaica’s capital region, with a senior cabinet minister calling out the head of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) for longstanding hypocrisy in his complaints about resource shortages.

    Robert Morgan, Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Works, has publicly pushed back against KSAMC Chairman Andrew Swaby following the body’s recent announcement of a hike in annual divisional allocation funds. Under the new adjustment, urban divisions will see their allocations rise from the previous $10 million to $13 million, while rural divisions within the KSAMC’s jurisdiction will receive $13.5 million, a notable increase from prior levels.

    In an official statement released this week, Morgan argued that this very funding adjustment lays bare the contradiction at the heart of Swaby’s repeated public grievances. For months, the mayor has centered his public messaging on blaming insufficient funding for the poor state of parish-managed roads, but Morgan points out that the KSAMC has long held the legal authority to increase these allocations on its own.

    “The mayor cannot continue to lament the condition of roads while failing to fully use the resources and authority available to the KSAMC,” Morgan stated in his remarks. “This recent increase confirms that the corporation can do more for parish council roads, drains, mitigation works and emergency interventions. He has more money at his disposal than his predecessor ever did, yet he has failed to deliver on the key commitments he made to voters before taking office as Mayor.”

    Morgan also highlighted a longstanding imbalance in responsibility for road repairs, noting that the central government-run National Works Agency (NWA) has been forced to carry a disproportionate share of the workload fixing roads that officially fall under municipal oversight.

    While the Jamaican central government remains open to collaborative work with the KSAMC to improve infrastructure for local residents, Morgan emphasized that collaboration cannot require the national government to absorb all the cost while municipal resources go underutilized. “The KSAMC must use its increased allocations to repair and maintain the roads under its control,” he said. “That is core to their mandate.”

    Morgan further pointed to a key historical context that undercuts Swaby’s position: back in 2020, when Swaby served as a local councillor before becoming mayor, he seconded a formal resolution calling for exactly this kind of increase in divisional allocations from the Parochial Revenue Fund, to specifically fund road and drain upgrades.

    “He understood the importance of higher divisional allocations then. The question is why it has taken this long for the same urgency to be reflected in the Corporation’s own decisions,” Morgan added.

    To address growing public confusion, Morgan is also calling for full transparency from the KSAMC around how municipal road funds have been spent to date. Residents across Kingston and St Andrew have a right to clear information on which projects are prioritized, how allocations are distributed, and when scheduled repair works will be completed, he argued. “No one knows how these funds are spent right now. Jamaicans deserve to know,” Morgan said.

  • SERHA urges Jamaicans to give blood and save lives this World Blood Donor Day

    SERHA urges Jamaicans to give blood and save lives this World Blood Donor Day

    KINGSTON, Jamaica – As the global community prepares to mark World Blood Donor Day on June 14, 2026, Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has launched a public appeal urging local residents to become regular voluntary blood donors to replenish the country’s critically low national blood reserves. Hospitals across the region are facing steadily rising demand for blood products to support life-saving emergency care and routine medical interventions, prompting health officials to call on community members to step forward and contribute to this public health priority. Donations ensure that vulnerable patients can access the critical care they require at the moment they need it most, officials emphasized. As a core part of SERHA’s long-term strategy to strengthen national blood stockpiles, two large-scale public blood donation drives have been scheduled over the coming weeks to make participation accessible for community members across the region. The first drive will be hosted by Spanish Town Hospital on Saturday, June 20, 2026, running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the facility’s on-site Blood Collection Centre. The second drive is set to take place at Victoria Jubilee Hospital on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the hospital’s main parking lot. SERHA officials outlined the wide range of medical scenarios that rely on a steady supply of donated blood. It is an indispensable resource for patients undergoing complex surgical procedures, trauma patients injured in accidents, expectant mothers experiencing life-threatening complications during childbirth, people undergoing cancer treatment, and individuals managing chronic blood-related illnesses. Health leaders stress that just one single blood donation has the potential to save multiple lives, and consistent donations are the only way for hospitals to maintain an adequate supply to respond to unexpected surges in demand during public health emergencies or mass casualty events. Dr. Jacqueline Wright-James, Senior Medical Officer at Spanish Town Hospital, highlighted that maintaining a consistent, reliable pool of regular voluntary donors is foundational to a well-functioning public health system. “You never know when you or a member of your family may need an emergency blood transfusion, so there is no reason to wait to register as a donor,” Wright-James explained. “Regular donors fill an irreplaceable role that guarantees hospitals are fully prepared to handle emergencies and meet ongoing patient care needs.” Wright-James also used the campaign to address widespread misconceptions that have discouraged many potential donors from participating, reassuring the public that the entire donation process is strictly safe, minimally invasive, and even offers small health benefits to donors. “A common myth holds that donating blood leaves donors feeling weak long-term, but this is completely untrue,” she noted. “The human body rapidly replaces the volume of fluid and red blood cells that are donated, so donors can return to their normal daily activities with full strength and function almost immediately. Donation even comes with unexpected perks for donors: it includes a free pre-donation health screening, can help reduce excess iron buildup in the bloodstream, and even burns a small number of calories as the body works to regenerate the donated blood supply.” To help community members determine their eligibility before arriving at a drive, SERHA has published clear guidelines for potential donors. People qualify to give blood if they are between 16 and 60 years of age, weigh more than 110 pounds, have well-managed controlled high blood pressure, and are in generally good health and feeling well on the day of their scheduled donation.

  • WATCH: Body of missing Mandeville pharmacy technician found in St Elizabeth

    WATCH: Body of missing Mandeville pharmacy technician found in St Elizabeth

    In southwestern Jamaica, a weeks-long community search for a missing local woman has come to a grim close, as the body of 40-year-old Kedecia Mcleod was recovered early Thursday morning in the Pepper community of St Elizabeth. Mcleod, a practicing pharmacy technician who resided in Allison District, Bombay, Manchester, had been unaccounted for and officially listed as missing since Tuesday, June 9.

    According to initial law enforcement accounts, the discovery was made by ordinary passersby traveling through the rural St Elizabeth area, who stumbled upon the remains and alerted authorities shortly after. In the hours following the recovery, dozens of local residents from nearby communities gathered at the discovery site, many of whom had assisted in voluntary search efforts over the two days Mcleod was missing.

    Official missing person filings detail that Mcleod was last documented leaving her workplace at approximately 1:11 p.m. on the Tuesday she disappeared. At the time of her last sighting, she was wearing identifiable clothing: a white blouse, a light grey sweater, brown trousers, and a pair of white slip-on shoes. As of the initial reporting, law enforcement has not released further details regarding the cause or circumstances of Mcleod’s death, and investigations remain ongoing. On-the-ground video footage of the scene was captured by local journalist Kasey Williams.

  • El Nino is back, but its effects vary widely

    El Nino is back, but its effects vary widely

    PARIS, France – In a formal announcement Thursday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed the arrival of El Niño, the warm phase of the naturally occurring tropical Pacific climate cycle that is closely tied to rising global temperatures and widespread disruptive weather patterns across the planet.

    El Niño forms as part of a seesawing fluctuation in Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and trade wind patterns that originates across the tropical Pacific, but its ripple effects can alter weather patterns thousands of miles from its source, amplifying the risk of extreme events ranging from severe drought to catastrophic flooding.
    While climate scientists emphasize that no two El Niño events are identical, and a strong event – which current forecasts project for this cycle – does not guarantee specific extreme outcomes, it significantly shifts the probability of such impacts toward higher risk.

    To understand El Niño’s global reach, it is first necessary to break down how the pattern alters baseline atmospheric and oceanic conditions. During an El Niño cycle, trade winds that normally blow westward across the tropical Pacific weaken, allowing warm surface water that typically accumulates near Indonesia to shift eastward toward the coasts of South America. This eastward shift of warm water pulls patterns of evaporation, cloud formation and rainfall along with it, reshaping seasonal weather across every continent.

    ### Impacts Across the Asia Pacific
    For much of the Asia Pacific, this shift translates to drier-than-average conditions and elevated drought risk. El Niño is known to suppress the South Asian summer monsoon, a critical weather system that delivers the seasonal rainfall that sustains agricultural production and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people across India and the broader Indian subcontinent.

    Australia faces particularly elevated risks: the continent typically experiences above-average temperatures during El Niño, increasing the likelihood of severe drought, prolonged heatwaves and destructive wildfires. Eastern Australia most often sees the most significant rainfall deficits, while the northern Australian wet season tends to start later than normal. One small silver forecast for the continent is a reduced risk of tropical cyclone activity during the cycle. Some of the most severe droughts in Australia’s modern recorded history have been tied to past El Niño events, though researchers reiterate that even strong cycles do not always deliver below-average rainfall across the whole country.

    ### Effects on African Weather Patterns
    El Niño’s impact on Africa is split across regions. Parts of the Horn of Africa typically see above-average rainfall during El Niño cycles, but most of southern, western, central and eastern Africa faces a high risk of drier-than-normal conditions that escalate drought vulnerability.
    Last month, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned of a high probability of below-average rainfall during the critical June-to-September growing season rainy period across a swathe of East Africa, including South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, most of Eritrea, Sudan, and western and coastal Kenya. The most recent 2023-2024 El Niño cycle brought southern Africa its most severe drought in over 100 years, leaving an estimated 61 million people across the region in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

    ### Shifting Extremes Across the Americas
    Across the Americas, El Niño again brings divergent impacts depending on region. Parts of western South America, including coastal Peru and Ecuador, typically see well above average rainfall during strong El Niño events, raising the risk of catastrophic flooding and deadly landslides. The 2023-2024 El Niño cycle was already linked to severe deadly flooding in southern Brazil in 2024.
    By contrast, northern Brazil – including large swathes of the Amazon rainforest – faces drier-than-average conditions that increase the risk of severe drought and out-of-control wildfires.
    For the United States, El Niño shifts the North Pacific jet stream southward, leading to stormier, wetter and snowier conditions across the southern U.S. during the winter months. The U.S. West Coast also sees an elevated risk of high-tide coastal flooding during El Niño cycles.
    The pattern also alters hurricane activity across both major ocean basins. Stronger upper-level winds in the Atlantic inhibit tropical cyclone development, leading NOAA forecasters to already project a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season this cycle. However, the extra warm surface water from El Niño fuels more tropical cyclone activity across the central and eastern Pacific during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

    ### El Niño’s Role in Global Temperature Records
    El Niño events typically reach their peak strength around December, when the abnormally warm surface waters across the tropical Pacific reach their maximum geographic extent. However, the ocean releases this stored heat into the atmosphere gradually, meaning the biggest impact on global average temperatures often occurs in the year after El Niño first develops.
    Many of the hottest years on record – including 1998, 2010, 2016, 2023 and 2024 – have either occurred alongside major El Niño events or followed in their wake. Speaking to Agence France-Presse, multiple climate scientists projected that 2027 is likely to surpass 2024 as the hottest year ever recorded globally, driven in large part by the warming influence of this newly declared El Niño cycle.

  • Author uses Judas’s story to inspire personal transformation

    Author uses Judas’s story to inspire personal transformation

    For two millennia, Judas Iscariot has stood as history’s most reviled figure, his name a global byword for treachery and betrayal after he handed Jesus Christ over to authorities for just 30 pieces of silver. Now, a first-time Christian author is upending centuries of conventional wisdom with a provocative new take on the infamous disciple, framing his story as a mirror for the internal moral struggles that all people face.

    Paloma Price, a South Florida-based practitioner of Christianity originally raised in Portmore, St Catherine, spent three years crafting her debut book *Learning From Judas*, which hit shelves in April. Long passionate about writing but never having pursued it as a professional career, Price says the project was born from divine direction. According to Price, God prompted her with a probing question: “Who is a son of perdition?” That inquiry launched her into months of deep research focused on how people who are seen as righteous can lose their moral direction, eventually leading her to the figure that has puzzled biblical scholars for centuries.

    Unlike traditional interpretations that paint Judas as a one-note villain, Price’s work reframes him not as a distant, one-dimensional figure from ancient scripture, but as a reflection of the conflicting internal battles every person navigates. The book invites readers to confront the parts of themselves that long for God’s will but repeatedly resist the path God lays out. Drawing together spiritual revelation, psychological reflection, and actionable practical guidance, *Learning From Judas* guides readers toward deeper self-awareness, emotional healing, and alignment with the divine plan Price argues God has for each person’s life.

    Price explains that Judas emerged as the ideal subject to illustrate a critical lesson: when people refuse to let truth reshape their character and choices, the damage can become irreversible. The author emphasizes that her work is not a text focused on condemnation of Judas or any reader; instead, it is an open invitation to personal transformation. Her core hope for audiences is that after engaging with the book, they will leave with greater compassion for their own failures, clearer insight into their inner world, and the courage to confront the subtle internal forces that drive their choices. For Price, examining the story of Judas is ultimately a journey of self-discovery: confronting the betrayal and moral struggle embodied by the infamous disciple is how people come to better understand themselves and realign their lives with God’s purpose.

  • Police found dead after being wanted for girlfriend’s murder

    Police found dead after being wanted for girlfriend’s murder

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a shocking development that has rocked Jamaica’s law enforcement community, a serving officer with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) — identified as the prime suspect in an ongoing murder probe — has been discovered dead in Brown’s Town, St Ann. Investigators preliminary assessments point to a self-inflicted gunshot wound as the cause of death.

    The deceased officer has been named as 50-year-old Alphanso Fennel, who listed a Cambridge, St James, residential address. According to sources familiar with the case who spoke to Observer Online, Fennel had recently been reassigned to the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency, a specialized unit tasked with tackling serious organized crime and public corruption across the island.

    At the time of his death, Fennel was the subject of a murder investigation led by the JCF’s Manchester Division. The case centers on a missing woman who investigators confirm Fennel was romantically linked to.

    Witness accounts outline that Fennel arrived in Brown’s Town around 9:00 pm Wednesday, and was staying with local friends — a couple who he had visited on multiple previous occasions. In the hours before his body was found, Fennel sent a series of goodbye messages to his personal contacts and a church group he was part of, explicitly stating he intended to take his own life.

    When first responders reached the scene, they recovered Fennel’s issued Glock service pistol alongside his body. Unconfirmed reports emerging from the investigation Thursday morning also indicate that search teams have located the remains of the missing woman who was at the center of the murder probe.

    Law enforcement officials have not yet released an official statement confirming the discovery of the woman’s body, and additional details are expected to be made public as the investigation progresses.

  • USDA delegation visits Dominican Republic to strengthen African swine fever prevention

    USDA delegation visits Dominican Republic to strengthen African swine fever prevention

    In a high-level working meeting held in Santo Domingo, Francisco Oliverio Espaillat, the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Agriculture, hosted a delegation from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to advance technical collaboration on three core priorities: strengthening national animal health systems, safeguarding domestic food security, and rolling out more effective prevention measures against transboundary livestock diseases, most notably African Swine Fever (ASF).\n\nASF, a highly contagious viral disease that is fatal to domestic pigs and has no widely available vaccine, has spread across multiple regions globally in recent years, posing severe threats to livestock industries and food supply stability. The gathering offered Dominican and U.S. regulatory officials a platform to review the latest progress of the National Swine Biosecurity Program, an innovative effort launched by the Dominican Republic that stands as a pioneering model for disease control across the Americas.\n\nConversations between the two delegations centered on actionable next steps to upgrade key parts of the country’s ASF defense framework. Participants zeroed in on enhancing cross-regional disease surveillance networks, refining evidence-based prevention protocols, reinforcing rapid emergency response capabilities for potential outbreaks, and expanding the scope of bilateral partnership to better support the long-term growth and stability of the Dominican Republic’s entire livestock sector.\n\nAbel Madera, Director General of the Dominican Republic’s Livestock Division, outlined key milestones the program has already hit. To date, more than 630 pig farms have enrolled in the initiative, accounting for 82 percent of the country’s total technified pig production inventory. The program has also delivered on a major structural goal: the establishment of a nationwide, standardized biosecurity certification system. So far, 27 commercial pig operations have earned full certification, and none of these properties have ever recorded an ASF case.\n\nSenior authorities from both sides emphasized that the program has done more than just reduce immediate outbreak risk. It has also significantly bolstered the Dominican Republic’s in-country technical capacity and expanded its network of trusted international public health and agriculture partnerships. These gains, officials noted, have helped the country emerge as a critical regional bulwark stopping ASF from spreading further into the Caribbean and broader Latin American region.\n\nBoth delegations closed the meeting by reaffirming their shared commitment to sustained investment in targeted biosecurity measures. They agreed that ongoing investment is essential to mitigate risks linked to high-risk practices, including unregulated animal movement, inadequate transportation biosecurity protocols, and the ongoing challenges faced by small-scale, less technologically advanced farming operations across the country.

  • Google launches AI-driven search features for football fans worldwide

    Google launches AI-driven search features for football fans worldwide

    As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one of the most anticipated global sporting events, draws to a close, tech giant Google has rolled out a major overhaul to its search engine infrastructure, designed to deliver an elevated experience for football supporters across every continent. At the heart of this upgrade is Google’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence assistant, Gemini, which is primed to respond instantly to fan queries, deliver up-to-the-minute match statistics and generate in-depth analytical insights throughout the tournament.

    Reports from technology outlet Wired reveal that Gemini’s capabilities extend far beyond just data delivery. The AI tool has been equipped with creative functionality that lets fans craft custom content ranging from original football-themed songs and viral memes to personalized cartoons and custom visual graphics. This feature is built to fuel engagement across social media platforms, keeping fans interacting with the tournament long after the final whistle of each match blows.

    The integration of Gemini into the 2026 World Cup comes as part of a newly announced strategic partnership between Google and the tournament’s defending champions, Argentina, a collaboration that will put the AI tool on display both during on-pitch action and behind the scenes. Per Wired’s reporting, the Gemini logo will be prominently featured on Argentina’s official training kits throughout the tournament, making the AI’s presence visible to fans and media worldwide.

    Beyond fan-facing features, Gemini will also play a key operational role for the Argentine side. The AI will be tasked with analyzing the national team’s tactical plays, overall form, on-pitch performance and collective and individual player statistics. Both Argentine players and the coaching staff will be granted direct access to specialized Gemini AI models, enabling them to break down game footage in granular detail, dissect opposing team strategies, and draw actionable insights from opponent performance data to inform game plans.

  • Bangladesh clinch first-ever ODI series win over Australia

    Bangladesh clinch first-ever ODI series win over Australia

    DHAKA, Bangladesh – Cricket history was made in Dhaka on Thursday, as Bangladesh sealed a landmark five-wicket victory over Australia in the second One Day International, securing their first ever series win against the reigning world champions in the 50-over format.

    The match was disrupted by lengthy rain delays, forcing officials to adjust the target to 192 runs from 41 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Bangladesh’s chase never looked under serious threat late on, with the hosts crossing the finish line with 36 full deliveries remaining, building an unbeatable 2-0 lead heading into the final match of the three-game series.

    The day began with massive early momentum for Bangladesh, when Australia’s top order collapsed completely in their opening two overs. Australia became just the fourth team in ODI history to lose their first three wickets for no score, with opening bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman tearing through the visitors’ top order inside 12 balls. Taskin trapped opener Matthew Short lbw with a sharp inswinger, before Mustafizur claimed back-to-back wickets in the second over, drawing outside edges from Cooper Connolly and Matt Renshaw. By the 2-over mark, Australia was reeling at 0-3.

    A remarkable seventh-wicket partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett dragged Australia back into the match. Labuschagne finished unbeaten on 55, while Bartlett hit a quick 52, putting on a 103-run stand to lift Australia to 187-8 from 42 overs before rain cut their innings short. Taskin ended the partnership by dismissing Bartlett, and removed Adam Zampa on the very next delivery, only missing out on a hat-trick after Nathan Ellis survived the final delivery of the over. Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam claimed the wickets of Australian captain Josh Inglis and Cameron Green, finishing with two key scalps. Taskin and Mustafizur ended with three wickets apiece, laying the foundation for Bangladesh’s win.

    “Anytime you lose three wickets that early, it’s always tough to recover,” said Australian skipper Josh Inglis after the match. “I thought the partnership between Marnus and Xavier was outstanding. They got us to a total that was probably below par, but at least it gave us something to bowl at.”

    Play was held up for nearly three hours due to rain before Bangladesh began their chase. The hosts got off to a rocky start, losing opening batter Tanzid Hasan in the very first over. However, a solid 86-run second-wicket stand between Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar steadyed the innings, with both batters reaching 42 runs before falling in quick succession to Australian bowling. Wickets of Litton Das (18) and Mosaddek Hossain (15) followed, leaving Bangladesh’s chase in danger of collapsing with just over 50 runs still needed.

    An unbeaten 51-run partnership between Towhid Hridoy and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz held firm to seal the historic win. Towhid finished the match unbeaten on 40, with Miraz adding an unbeaten 22 to guide Bangladesh to 195-5, five wickets and 36 balls to spare.

    The historic win extends Bangladesh’s incredible home ODI form to five consecutive series victories, following earlier wins over Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand. Speaking after the match, Bangladesh vice-captain Shanto expressed his pride in the team’s achievement.

    “It’s an amazing feeling, and the way we played this series, we showed a lot of courage,” Shanto said. “We have been working really hard in the last few months and the way we played the last two matches, it’s outstanding. And I’m really proud to be a part of this team.”

    Australia, the reigning ODI World Cup champions, entered the series missing many of their top international players. Thursday’s loss marks their second consecutive ODI series defeat, following a 2-1 loss to Pakistan earlier this month.

  • Eddy Olivares defends proposed labor reform at ILO Conference

    Eddy Olivares defends proposed labor reform at ILO Conference

    At the 114th International Labour Conference hosted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Dominican Republic’s Labor Minister Eddy Olivares Ortega has laid out the sweeping goals of the country’s pending Labor Code reform, framing the proposal as a balanced update that will strengthen worker protections while boosting national economic competitiveness. The legislative proposal, which is currently advancing through the Dominican Congress, is designed to bring the nation’s decades-old labor framework into alignment with modern global and domestic market dynamics, Olivares explained, all while protecting hard-won progress in employment standards and collaborative labor relations.

    In his address to the global gathering of labor stakeholders, Olivares reaffirmed the core commitments of President Luis Abinader’s administration: centered on inclusive social dialogue, universal access to decent work, and unwavering pursuit of labor justice. These principles, he emphasized, have guided the government’s labor policy agenda since taking office, delivering measurable results that have elevated the Dominican Republic’s standing across the Latin American and Caribbean region.

    Olivares pointed to independent data to back up the nation’s progress, noting that the Dominican Republic earns strong favorable ratings in the International Trade Union Confederation’s annual Global Rights Index, placing it among the top regional performers for labor rights protection. Beyond international rankings, he highlighted a series of tangible domestic achievements: negotiated wage increases secured through collaborative tripartite agreements between government, employer groups, and labor unions, consistent year-over-year growth in formal sector employment, a national unemployment rate that has held steady below 5% in recent reports, and expanded access to collective bargaining for workers across multiple industries.

    Turning to efforts to eliminate exploitative child labor, Olivares highlighted the ongoing rollout of the Model for Identifying Places with Risk of Child Labor (MITRI), a targeted monitoring tool developed in partnership with the ILO to strengthen national prevention and enforcement efforts. The framework allows authorities to proactively identify high-risk regions and work sectors, enabling earlier intervention to remove children from dangerous working conditions and expand access to education and social support.

    Closing his address, Olivares reiterated the Dominican Republic’s longstanding commitment to the ILO’s signature tripartite governance model, which centers collaborative dialogue between government, labor, and employer representatives as the foundation for sustainable labor policy. He expressed confidence that this inclusive approach will remain a central catalyst for broad-based economic growth and improved social well-being for all Dominican citizens in the years ahead.