Carib Scope

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  • Security : Dominican customs strengthen controls on containers in transit to Haiti

    Security : Dominican customs strengthen controls on containers in transit to Haiti

    The escalating security breakdown in neighboring Haiti has pushed the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Customs (DGA) to roll out a series of strict new regulations for containers in transit bound for Haiti, addressing widespread industry complaints of systemic tax fraud and unregulated goods movement. DGA Director General Nelson Arroyo outlined the sweeping changes in a recent announcement, tying the policy shift directly to the chaos unfolding across the shared border.

    For months, worsening insecurity controlled by armed gangs across much of Haitian territory has upended normal regional trade routes. Major shipping companies have increasingly refused to enter Haitian ports, leaving massive volumes of cargo stranded at Dominican terminal facilities. With public port storage already stretched beyond capacity, many companies have turned to unregulated private warehouses to house their delayed shipments, creating major gaps in customs oversight.

    Compounding this trade disruption, Arroyo noted that Haiti’s current political and institutional collapse has left the Dominican Republic without a reliable counterpart to coordinate cross-border customs procedures, further eroding regulatory control over transit goods. In response, the DGA is targeting these vulnerabilities with a multi-layered set of new rules designed to restore visibility and accountability.

    One of the core new requirements mandates that all companies conducting international transit operations submit service requests at least 24 hours in advance of any movement. This advance notice allows DGA logistics teams to prepare proper monitoring resources for each shipment, eliminating the unplanned movements that have enabled fraud. The agency has also imposed a hard 1:00 PM daily cutoff for all container departures from ports and logistics centers; all departures must be scheduled between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM, with any container not processed within this window forced to wait until the next business day. This curtailment of after-hours movement reduces opportunities for unsupervised diversion of goods.

    To prevent overwhelming inspection capacity, the DGA has also put in place a daily cap on the number of containers any single company can ship to the Haitian border. Arroyo explained that sudden massive influxes of containers, such as a recent case where one firm logged 40 transit containers in a single day, outpace the agency’s ability to track shipments properly. The cap ensures inspections remain thorough without creating unnecessary backlogs for smaller operators, Arroyo noted, adding that the rule targets only the few companies that move large volumes.

    Additional measures include specialized monitoring protocols for shipments classified as high-risk, as well as stepped-up patrols and surveillance at the Dominican Republic’s primary border crossings to stop illegal diversion of goods into Dominican territory. Arroyo emphasized that the new protocols will ensure high-risk shipments follow strict accountability frameworks from origin to final destination, guaranteeing compliance with all established customs regulations.

    Arroyo stressed that the reforms align with the Dominican Republic’s obligations under international transit agreements and global customs standards. Like all reputable customs authorities worldwide, the DGA requires full origin declarations and clear destination labeling for all goods moving through its territory, and the new controls will strengthen enforcement of these longstanding rules. Ultimately, the reforms are designed to protect the competitiveness of Dominican domestic production sectors and rebuild public and industry confidence in the country’s customs operations, addressing gaps that emerged from Haiti’s ongoing institutional and security collapse.

  • ‘Boost confidence, shrink classes’ to lift maths scores

    ‘Boost confidence, shrink classes’ to lift maths scores

    Across the Caribbean, regional math exam pass rates remain stubbornly below 50 percent even after marginal annual improvements, prompting two experienced Barbadian mathematics tutors to lay out actionable, student-centered changes they say can reverse ongoing underperformance, with a focus on addressing unrecognized barriers that hold learners back.

    Dominique Yorke, one of the two tutors speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY, pinpointed low student confidence as the single most impactful barrier to strong math performance. She explained that for many learners, encountering an unfamiliar problem on an exam or class assignment triggers immediate self-doubt, leading many to disengage and avoid attempting the question at all before they even begin to work through it.

    Beyond psychological barriers, Yorke highlighted systemic gaps in traditional classroom structures that exacerbate learning loss. She noted that missed school days leave students with critical gaps in foundational knowledge, and overcrowded lesson schedules leave full-time classroom teachers with too little time to revisit missed material for individual learners. Many shy students also hesitate to ask questions or admit when they do not understand a concept, leading teachers to move forward with the curriculum under the assumption the whole class is following along.

    Because math education is inherently cumulative, with every new concept building on all previously taught material, these small early gaps quickly snowball into major gaps by the time students reach secondary education. Yorke shared firsthand examples of fourth-form secondary students in her tutoring program who are still working at a primary school Class 4 math level, having never mastered the foundational skills taught at earlier grade levels. She pushed back against the common focus on cramming purely for exam passing, arguing that instruction should center on deep, lasting conceptual understanding to properly prepare students for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) assessments.

    Fellow tutor Janiya Harper echoed Yorke’s observation that low confidence is a widespread barrier, and added that cultural stigma around mathematics itself is a core contributor to this self-doubt. Harper explained that children grow up constantly hearing adults repeat the mantra that “math is hard,” which creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of underperformance before learners ever even encounter advanced material. To counter this, she recommends normalizing math as an everyday, accessible skill by connecting it to routine activities children already enjoy – such as calculating prices when buying snacks at a local shop – to help learners see math as approachable rather than intimidating.

    Yorke also called for a systemic shift to smaller class sizes, arguing that overcrowded classrooms force teachers to split their time too thinly to address individual student needs. Smaller cohorts would allow educators to dedicate one-on-one time to struggling learners, identify knowledge gaps early, and adapt instruction to different learning needs.

    She further emphasized the need to accommodate neurodivergent learners, noting that conditions such as dyslexia, autism, and ADHD change how students process mathematical concepts. For these learners, traditional lecture-style instruction from a whiteboard is rarely effective, and more interactive, hands-on learning activities are required to help them grasp core concepts.

    Both tutors agree that combining these targeted changes with existing extra lesson support would create steady, sustained improvements in regional mathematics pass rates, helping more students master the skills they need for future academic and professional success.

  • Winair achieves both IOSA and ISSA registration, setting a new safety benchmark for the Caribbean

    Winair achieves both IOSA and ISSA registration, setting a new safety benchmark for the Caribbean

    Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – August 21, 2026 – Windward Islands Airways International N.V., better known as Winair, has announced a ground-breaking safety achievement that cements its position as a global aviation trailblazer: the small regional carrier has become the first and only airline in the world to hold active registration in both the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) programs simultaneously.

    The dual achievement comes as the result of more than two years of rigorous preparation, internal evaluation and compliance work that began in early 2024. The process kicked off with specialized training for internal managers to become certified IOSA auditors, before expanding into sweeping operational reviews across every core department of the airline: from flight operations and in-flight cabin services to ground handling, aircraft maintenance, cargo management, aviation security and executive organizational oversight.

    Winair operates two distinct families of aircraft across its regional network, each of which falls under a separate IATA safety audit framework. Its fleet of DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, commonly used for short-haul inter-island routes across the Caribbean, underwent the ISSA assessment designed for smaller, commuter-focused aircraft. Its larger ATR 42 regional jets, which serve longer regional routes, completed the more widely known IOSA audit, the global gold standard for commercial airline operational safety certification. By passing both programs, Winair has earned internationally recognized safety credentials that cover 100% of its operating fleet, proving that every aspect of its service meets the strictest IATA safety requirements, regardless of aircraft type.

    This unprecedented accomplishment not only sets Winair apart from every other global airline, it also establishes a new gold standard for regional aviation safety across the Caribbean. Currently, Winair is also the only regional airline based in the Caribbean to hold IOSA registration, further reinforcing its standing as the region’s undisputed leader in operational safety.

    “Safety is non-negotiable at Winair – it is the foundation of every decision we make, every route we fly, and every service we provide to our passengers,” said Winair CEO Hans van de Velde in a statement following the announcement. “Securing both IOSA and ISSA registration is a testament to the relentless dedication and professionalism of every single member of our team. This is a defining milestone in our long-term strategy to connect the Caribbean to the world through trusted, seamless aviation partnerships.”

    Beyond the recognition of the airline’s existing safety practices, the dual registration is expected to open new doors for commercial expansion. Holding IATA’s top safety certifications clears the way for Winair to build expanded codeshare and interline agreements with major global carriers. For passengers, these partnerships will translate to greater access to seamless, multi-destination itineraries that connect small Caribbean island destinations directly to major hubs across Europe, North America, South America and the rest of the world.

    Industry observers note that the achievement marks a major turning point in Winair’s ongoing evolution into a safe, reliable, and trusted regional carrier, highlighting how small regional airlines can match and exceed the global aviation industry’s highest safety standards.

  • Consumenten kopen apparaten zonder te weten hoeveel stroom ze verbruiken

    Consumenten kopen apparaten zonder te weten hoeveel stroom ze verbruiken

    Suriname is moving to develop a national energy labeling framework for household electrical appliances, after Minister of Natural Resources David Abiamofo publicly acknowledged the country currently lacks a standardized system to inform consumers about energy consumption of products like refrigerators, televisions, and air conditioning units.

    The issue was brought to the forefront of national debate during a Tuesday plenary session of the National Assembly (DNA), where lawmakers gathered to address persistent challenges facing the country’s electricity sector. Parliamentarians pushed for expanded public education initiatives focused on energy conservation and transparent consumption data for common household devices, a call Abiamofo fully endorsed. Addressing the legislative body, he questioned, “When it comes to energy labels, we have none in Suriname. Do you even know what energy label your appliance carries?”

    Abiamofo explained that most Surinamese consumers currently prioritize product features and upfront cost over long-term energy use when purchasing new electronics. “We see an attractive new television, we buy it, and we never stop to check how much power it will actually consume. Most of us don’t even know what the usage rate is, we just don’t think about it,” he told lawmakers.

    To fix this gap, the minister has proposed developing formal policy that mandates clear, accessible energy efficiency information for all electrical goods sold in the country, modeling the framework after systems already used successfully in other nations. These standardized labels give consumers immediate clarity on an appliance’s energy consumption before they finalize a purchase, helping them make more informed, cost- and energy-saving choices.

    The push for energy labeling comes at a critical moment for Suriname, which is currently facing a substantial gap between electricity generation capacity and peak demand. Data presented by Abiamofo during the DNA session shows that peak-hour electricity demand in the EPAR service area hits roughly 280 megawatts, while total available generation capacity only reaches around 254 megawatts. Compounding this shortfall, overall national demand has grown by approximately 10% compared to the same period last year.

    The minister added that rapid, large-scale expansion of generation capacity is not feasible in the short term to keep pace with this growing demand. To reduce strain on the grid, the Ministry of Natural Resources and state utility EBS have issued a new appeal to households, businesses, and public institutions to adopt more conscious energy use habits. While a similar public appeal last year successfully reduced consumption enough to limit widespread rolling blackouts, Abiamofo noted that energy savings so far this year have not met the necessary targets.

    Against this backdrop, mandatory energy labeling for appliances is positioned as a key long-term policy solution to drive more sustainable energy use across the country. Abiamofo emphasized that Suriname can draw on global best practices from countries that have already integrated these labeling systems to help shift consumer behavior toward more energy-efficient choices.

  • Economy : The House of Representatives votes the renewal of HOPE/HELP act

    Economy : The House of Representatives votes the renewal of HOPE/HELP act

    On September 1, 2026, the United States House of Representatives approved legislation to extend the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership for Encouragement Act and the Haiti Economic Lift Program, widely known as HOPE/HELP. The vote came roughly one month after the U.S. Senate passed the same extension bill in August 2026, clearing the way for the measure to move to the presidential desk for final approval.

    The extended trade framework will remain in effect for two years, expiring on December 31, 2028. Under standard U.S. legislative protocol, the bill will formally enter into force only after receiving signature from sitting President Donald J. Trump.

    Haitian government leaders have broadly celebrated the House’s vote, framing the renewal of HOPE/HELP as an indispensable pillar for the Caribbean nation’s struggling economy. The trade preferences at the core of the program are designed to cut tariffs on Haitian exports to the U.S. market, creating competitive advantages that support job retention, drive foreign investment, and strengthen Haiti’s core industrial sectors—most notably its large textile and apparel manufacturing industry.

    Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé led extensive diplomatic outreach through the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) in the months leading up to the vote, holding continuous dialogue with U.S. policymakers and international stakeholders to underscore how critical the program is to Haiti’s economy, employment levels, and overall social stability.

    Haiti’s Minister of Industry and Commerce James Monazard issued a statement welcoming the bipartisan approval of the extension by both chambers of the U.S. Congress, calling the outcome a transformative milestone for Haiti’s textile industry, its export sector, and the entire domestic supply chain that relies on preferential trade access.

    The MCI noted that the approval comes as a particularly important win for Haiti, which has faced severe ongoing economic constraints and months of market uncertainty over whether the long-standing trade preferences would be renewed. Once signed by President Trump, the extended provisions will go into effect immediately.

  • Two way tie at the top of national chess tournament

    Two way tie at the top of national chess tournament

    The Barbados National Open Chess Championship Finals have reached their halfway mark at the Wildey Gymnasium, with two players locked in a deadlock at the top of the leaderboard ahead of this weekend’s decisive final rounds. Amateur contender Lawrence Depradine and defending titleholder FIDE Master Martyn Del Castilho both hold 3½ points, though Depradine holds an advantage: he has one scheduled match still to play that his co-leader has already completed.

    Just half a point behind the front-runners, a small group of three contenders remains well within striking distance of the top spot, keeping the tournament’s outcome deeply unpredictable. Justin Kirton, veteran FIDE Master Dr. Philip Corbin, and rising junior talent Jeremiah Farley all sit on three points, with Kirton also holding an unplayed game in hand over many of his competitors.

    In the most recent completed round, Del Castilho secured a solid victory over Justin Parsons, while Depradine claimed a win against Julissa Figueroa. Kirton overpowered Renaldo Rochester, Corbin defeated Emar Edwards, and Farley was held to a draw by Noah Clarke. One of the tournament’s most notable early upsets has already made headlines: 14-year-old junior Farley upset defending champion Del Castilho in the tournament’s second round, a result that has shaken up the standings and highlighted the depth of young chess talent emerging on the island.

    With nearly half the field still within striking distance of the podium, the final rankings will not be settled until the final matches wrap up this weekend. Running parallel to the national championship is the 2026 VEXX Chess Tournament, which has also crossed its midpoint, with four of seven total rounds completed across all divisions.

    In the VEXX FIDE-rated open division, which draws 29 competitors, Mileke Sinckler and Loki Clarke share the top position with a perfect four points out of four. Three players—Aidan Singh, Charis Stuart, and woman FIDE Master Hannah Wilson—tie for third place with three points each, while Janiyah Browne, Gaybrianna Moore, Amari Blackett, and Carlos Chase are all just half a point back on 2½ points. The chasing group is optimistic that the co-leaders will drop points in the final rounds, opening a path for them to claim the division title.

    In the VEXX Novice division, which caters to less experienced players across a 12-person field, Benjamin Farmer holds a clear lead after four rounds, having earned a full four points. Jaeden Hutson, Nia Inniss, and Kashaun Brathwaite trail just one point behind on three points, setting up a tense battle over the final three matches. Farmer will now look to defend his advantage and hold off his challengers to secure a standout victory when the tournament concludes.

  • CXC introduces enhanced SBA checks amid growing use of AI

    CXC introduces enhanced SBA checks amid growing use of AI

    The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence tools in academic spaces has pushed the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to roll out updated, stricter protocols for School-Based Assessments (SBAs) ahead of the June 2026 examination cycle. The new policy was announced by Magalie Celestine, CXC’s local registrar for Dominica, during a public presentation of 2025 examination results held Monday at the Dominica Public Service Union Building, where she addressed attending educators, parents, students, and members of the regional press.

    Under the revised framework, all students completing SBAs must develop their work in full alignment with CXC’s newly updated official Standards and Guidelines for artificial intelligence integration in academic assessments. A key new requirement mandates that every SBA submission undergo automated and manual originality screening to detect uncredited AI-generated content. Additionally, both participating students and their supervising teachers are required to sign formal honesty declarations confirming the work meets academic integrity standards, which are submitted alongside the completed SBA.

    Celestine openly acknowledged that these additional anti-plagiarism and AI oversight measures have created a heavier administrative and workload burden for both examination candidates and teaching staff. Compared to previous examination cycles, the revised SBA submission process is far more rigorous and time-intensive for all parties involved.

    Despite these growing growing pains, Celestine noted that the current SBA model for most core subjects is nearing its end. Starting from the June 2027 examination cycle, SBA submissions will no longer be required for 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and 17 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects. This phase-out is a core component of CXC’s long-term strategy to overhaul its assessment practices to address the shifting landscape of academic work, driven largely by the expanding influence of generative artificial intelligence.

  • Lawyers welcome virtual hearings but urge safeguards

    Lawyers welcome virtual hearings but urge safeguards

    Barbados is set to roll out virtual court hearings across two Magistrates’ Courts starting this month, a long-awaited modernization push designed to cut through systemic backlogs and streamline judicial operations, according to an official announcement from Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley on Sunday. While the legal community has broadly welcomed the shift as a necessary update to the island’s justice system, leading defense attorneys are sounding the alarm about critical risks to due process and accused persons’ rights if in-person hearings are sidelined.

    Leading the charge of cautious advocacy is experienced defense attorney Lesley Cargill-Straker, who agrees that the criminal justice system needs urgent modernization but argues efficiency cannot come at the cost of fair adjudication. She stresses that core components of a just trial—from confidential attorney-client communication to accurate assessment of witness testimony—depend on in-person interaction that virtual platforms cannot fully replicate.

    One of Cargill-Straker’s most pressing concerns centers on remanded prisoners, who currently are guaranteed an in-person court appearance every 28 days. This regular face-to-face contact allows attorneys to take updated client instructions, address emerging legal concerns, complete required documentation, and build the trust-based attorney-client relationship that is foundational to effective representation. Trekking to a prison for every private consultation, she notes, is logistically unfeasible for most legal practitioners. Telephone calls, meanwhile, are often an inadequate substitute due to high costs, strict access restrictions, and widespread distrust among incarcerated people of prison-managed virtual communication tools. Compounding these issues are existing systemic barriers: the prison already faces chronic shortages of private meeting rooms and understaffing that make confidential off-site client communication difficult at best.

    Beyond practical legal challenges, Cargill-Straker highlights the human impact of eliminating regular in-person court appearances for remanded people. For many incarcerated individuals awaiting trial, the trip to court is the only chance they get to interact with people outside the prison system—an important consideration for a system focused on rehabilitation and eventual reintegration into society. She also points to gaps that would marginalize vulnerable groups: unrepresented accused people without access to digital devices or reliable internet would be locked out of meaningful participation in their own cases. Even for represented clients, she questions whether magistrates can accurately gauge a witness’s demeanor or detect outside prompting when testimony is delivered remotely via video platforms.

    Virtual hearings, Cargill-Straker acknowledges, do bring clear benefits for the legal community. For attorneys who often have cases scheduled in multiple courts across the island on the same day, virtual appearances eliminate the need to rush across Barbados to make a hearing call, or request costly adjournments when simultaneous scheduling makes physical presence impossible. For accused people released on bail, virtual hearings eliminate the need to take a full day off work or rearrange personal commitments just to wait hours in a courthouse for a brief hearing that may end in a minute.

    Fellow attorney Rasheed Belgrave shares the broadly positive view of the reform, noting that hybrid virtual-in-person proceedings are already well-established in Barbados’s High Court, so the rollout to Magistrates’ Courts is a natural and manageable expansion. Bail hearings, for example, are already regularly conducted via Zoom in criminal matters, so the model has already been tested locally.

    Belgrave adds that the shift will bring significant benefits to the Prison Service, reducing the number of prisoners that need to be transported to court on a daily basis. The current system is already prone to delays: when the prison faces operational challenges, courts are often only notified that the prison transport bus is not running on a given day, leaving attorneys with little option but to accept a new remand date. The change will also boost overall public and court security, Belgrave argues, coming in the wake of recent high-profile prisoner escapes.

    Virtual proceedings also offer a critical contingency for when magistrates cannot physically attend court due to unexpected emergencies, a situation that has already been managed effectively with virtual tools in the High Court. Belgrave explains that scheduling specific time slots for different hearing types—including case mentions, adjournments, bail hearings, and legal submissions—allows courts and legal teams to organize their work far more efficiently, cutting down on wasted time and long wait times.

    Looking ahead, Belgrave says the greatest efficiency gains will come once the system is expanded to all Magistrates’ Courts, and he has called for extending virtual hearings to the civil division, particularly for maintenance and family access matters. Family cases already take up a disproportionate share of court time, forcing parties to wait for hours for their hearing. Virtual proceedings would cut these delays, and make it easier for social service personnel from the merged Social Empowerment Agency, the National Assistance Board, Welfare Department, National Disabilities Unit, and Paredos parenting programmes to attend hearings without lengthy travel. He says he is optimistic that the technology will deliver meaningful improvements to Barbados’s judicial system once fully implemented.

    The rollout, set to launch later this month, will serve as a test case for how the hybrid model can balance modern efficiency with long-standing commitments to judicial fairness.

  • Insane Carnival Photographer Justin Peters Honours Shannan “Dancer Boy Shan” Lawes and Asher Otto With Framed Carnival Portraits

    Insane Carnival Photographer Justin Peters Honours Shannan “Dancer Boy Shan” Lawes and Asher Otto With Framed Carnival Portraits

    As Antigua’s 2025 Carnival draws to a close and the final celebrations of Insane Carnival wrap up the island’s biggest annual cultural season, one long-time band photographer has seized the moment to celebrate two standout figures with one-of-a-kind gifts that spotlight the magic of Caribbean carnival culture.

    Justin Peters, a photographer celebrated for his sharp eye for detail and years of work capturing Insane Carnival’s participating “Troopers”, has built a reputation for more than just documenting the event—his work captures the deep joy of camaraderie, the explosion of vivid carnival colors, and the intricate artistry of Janna Costume Designs, one of the leading costume houses for Antigua Carnival.

    This year, Peters selected two of Insane Carnival’s most high-profile, globally recognizable representatives to receive framed, timeless fine art prints of his iconic shots of the pair: Shannan “Dancer Boy Shan” Lawes, a popular fitness and dance instructor and social media content creator, and Asher Otto, a beloved Antiguan vocalist. Both images have been used for years in international marketing campaigns to promote Antigua Carnival to global travelers, with Lawes’ portrait even earning a spot in a recent summer 2025 feature on Antigua Carnival in the globally renowned business and lifestyle publication *Forbes* magazine. In that feature, writer Baz Dreisinger detailed Lawes’ unforgettable experience playing mas with Insane Carnival, highlighting the one-of-a-kind cultural atmosphere that makes the Antigua and Barbuda national carnival stand out from other Caribbean festival celebrations.

    Both Lawes and Otto expressed heartfelt gratitude to Peters for the thoughtful, personal gift, noting that the photographer’s work accurately captured the raw, joyful emotion they felt while participating in the parade in custom costumes from Janna Costume Designs.

    The *Forbes* feature was widely praised by carnival organizers for its authentic portrayal of not just Antigua’s unique open-road carnival experience, but the distinct immersive celebration that Insane Carnival has cultivated since its founding. That vision, first introduced by Insane Carnival Managing Director Captain Lenroy Browne when the band launched in 2014, has been brought to life in partnership with Janna Henry, head designer and founder of Janna Costume Designs. Over 12 years, the band has built a legacy of innovation and celebration, with Browne often emphasizing that the best years for Insane Carnival still lie ahead.

    Insane Carnival’s leadership publicly commended Peters for his ongoing dedication to the band, his commitment to personal artistic growth, and his consistent ability to capture the joy, emotion and beauty of every Trooper participating in the celebration. Organizers noted that both Lawes and Otto are long-time, loyal members of the Insane Carnival community, making them deeply deserving of the honor. The exchange of the commemorative portraits also highlights the close, collaborative relationships that are at the core of Insane Carnival’s identity—an identity that has long lived by the band’s promise to members: “Expect Anything!”

  • United Nations launches regional campaign to advance disability-inclusive employment across the Caribbean

    United Nations launches regional campaign to advance disability-inclusive employment across the Caribbean

    Across the Caribbean, persons with disabilities have long faced systemic barriers that lock them out of formal, decent work and full economic participation. To address this long-standing gap, the United Nations has officially launched the HireAbility Campaign, a regional movement centered on the transformative mission: “Break Barriers. Embrace Inclusion. Champion Rights.”

    The cross-stakeholder initiative unites six UN Country Teams across English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean nations, bringing together national governments, private sector employers, disabled persons’ organizations, youth advocates, global development partners, and UN agencies around a shared goal of building disability-inclusive workforces and workplaces. The campaign’s backbone is the Disability Inclusive Employer’s Pledge, through which participating companies commit to adopting equitable hiring practices and cultivating accessible, inclusive workplace cultures, and it has already earned early buy-in from leading regional businesses.

    Speaking at the official launch ceremony, Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, framed the campaign as a landmark milestone for disability inclusion across the region. He traced its origins to a grassroots idea put forward by Zinzee Noel, a youth disability advocate and Grenada’s representative to the UN Youth Advisory Group (YAG), which has grown into a region-wide movement for equal employment opportunity. “Although barriers differ across countries, the aspiration is universal: persons with disabilities must be able to participate fully in society, access decent work, contribute their talents and skills, and be recognized for those contributions,” Springett emphasized. He thanked early supporting businesses, including Massy Stores Saint Lucia, Grenada Broadcasting Network, Grenada’s Unique Productions Inc., and Barbados’ Bajanpro Inc., for their leadership, and urged all stakeholders to treat the campaign as a long-term commitment, not a one-off event, on the path to fully accessible workplaces and inclusive communities.

    Noel, who co-hosted the launch alongside Loik Charles, a fellow youth disability advocate and YAG representative for Dominica, delivered a powerful welcome address centered on the campaign’s core truth: persons with disabilities already bring the skills, qualifications, creativity, and drive needed to make meaningful contributions to regional workforces. Drawing from her own lived experience, where she faced persistent hiring discrimination despite being highly qualified and capable, she noted that the HireAbility Campaign creates space to reframe public conversation around disability and work. “The HireAbility Campaign gives us an opportunity to change the conversation. Its message is simple but powerful: Break barriers. Embrace inclusion. Champion rights,” she said, adding that inclusive hiring delivers widespread benefits: beyond improving individual lives, it strengthens organizational performance, community resilience, and regional economic growth.

    Thomas Kring, Deputy Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Caribbean Office, echoed this framing in his keynote address, stressing that access to decent work for persons with disabilities is not a charitable act, but a fundamental human right tied to dignity, equality, and full economic participation. He argued that regional labor markets must be reformed to offer fair opportunities for disabled people to build their skills, secure quality work, and contribute fully to society, and called the Inclusive Employer Pledge a critical public commitment to equitable hiring, dignity, respect, and equal opportunity.

    One of the launch’s most notable moments was the inaugural signing of the Disability Inclusive Employer Pledge by representatives of three regional entities: Carenage Bay Holding Ltd in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Runman Belize Corporation; and The Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited. Signatories also shared concrete, actionable plans to deliver on their commitments, including The Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited’s announcement of a new dedicated internship program for persons with disabilities.

    Closing out the launch ceremony, Charles called on employers and stakeholder partners across the Caribbean to follow the lead of the inaugural signatories, sign the pledge, remove structural workplace barriers, deepen cross-sector partnerships, and commit to the long-term systemic changes needed to advance disability inclusion across the region.

    Immediately following the official launch, participants joined a disability inclusion sensitization webinar, where experts from the ILO and UN Population Fund (UNFPA) shared practical, actionable guidance on key topics including inclusive hiring practices, physical and digital workplace accessibility, reasonable workplace accommodation, prevention of violence and harassment against disabled workers, and building supportive, welcoming workplace cultures.

    The HireAbility Campaign will run for four months, concluding on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, giving additional employers across the region time to join the movement and sign the pledge. Its ultimate vision is to build a Caribbean where all talent is recognized regardless of ability, systemic barriers to employment are eliminated, and persons with disabilities can participate fully and equally in the world of work.