Carib Scope

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  • New Foreign Minister Ito Bisonó sets priorities for Dominican foreign policy

    New Foreign Minister Ito Bisonó sets priorities for Dominican foreign policy

    In a ceremonial gathering held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) Convention Center in Santo Domingo, newly appointed Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó accepted formal congratulations from the full body of accredited diplomatic, consular and international organization representatives based in the country.

    The introductory meeting marked Bisonó’s first public appearance as the nation’s top diplomatic official, where he laid out his core governing priorities and committed to building close, collaborative working relationships with all foreign envoys and institutional representatives operating within Dominican territory.

    Bisonó made clear that his tenure will maintain continuity with the foreign policy trajectory set by sitting President Luis Abinader. The overarching goals of this direction remain centered on advancing and protecting the Dominican Republic’s core national interests, projecting the country’s core cultural and societal values to the global community, and expanding access to new development opportunities that directly benefit all Dominican citizens.

    A key internal priority highlighted by the new minister is continued institutional strengthening and professionalization of the Dominican foreign service. He stressed the need to transform MIREX into a more modern, publicly accessible and outcome-driven institution that can effectively adapt to and address the growing complexity of 21st-century international affairs.

    Bisonó structured his foreign policy vision around three clear, foundational pillars. The first focuses on protecting the rights and advancing the social integration of Dominican citizens living and working outside the country’s borders. The second pillar centers on expanding national exports, attracting increased foreign direct investment, and unlocking new economic opportunities that drive domestic growth. The third and final pillar is dedicated to upholding global democratic standards, protecting universal human rights, and defending the foundational principles of peaceful international coexistence.

    Beyond the core pillars, Bisonó emphasized that deepening bilateral ties will be a key operational priority. He called for strengthening existing partnerships with partner nations while actively pursuing new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation with governments across the globe.

    On the multilateral stage, the new foreign minister reaffirmed the Dominican Republic’s longstanding commitment to inclusive multilateral cooperation, binding international law, and the peaceful settlement of cross-border disputes. He also underscored the country’s support for expanded collective international action to tackle transboundary challenges that no single nation can address effectively on its own.

  • Casa Aybar restoration begins in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City with RD$102 million investment

    Casa Aybar restoration begins in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City with RD$102 million investment

    Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – A major milestone in cultural heritage preservation and tourism development has been reached in the Dominican capital, as Tourism Minister David Collado formally opened the fully restored Casa Aybar, a landmark historic property located in Santo Domingo’s iconic Colonial City. The $102.3 million Dominican peso restoration project was designed not only to rescue the aging building from deterioration but also to reimagine it as a multi-purpose hub for culture, government administration and visitor engagement.

    The comprehensive rehabilitation initiative addressed a wide range of structural and aesthetic needs of the centuries-old property. Restoration teams carried out full structural consolidation of the building, carefully refurbishing original architectural features including its exterior facades, roof systems, original flooring, wooden doors and window frames. The project also resolved longstanding issues of moisture infiltration and roof leaks that had threatened the building’s integrity, reinforced weakened walls and degraded structural components, and fully upgraded outdated electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, and fire safety systems to meet modern building codes.

    According to Minister Collado, the Casa Aybar restoration forms a core part of the national government’s ongoing, large-scale strategy to revitalize the Colonial City – the Dominican Republic’s premier historic and cultural district, and one of the most significant remaining colonial urban centers in the entire Americas. Over the course of the revitalization campaign, Collado explained, the area has grown steadily in popularity among international travelers, with current data showing that roughly 13% of all tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic now include a visit to the Colonial City in their itineraries.

    Following its restoration, Casa Aybar will deliver expanded cultural and tourist services to both local and international guests. The fully renovated historic building will host institutional offices, public cultural and tourism service areas, a centralized ticketing counter, tourist information pavilions, and flexible spaces for rotating temporary art and history exhibitions. A newly constructed auxiliary building on the site will add public amenities including visitor restrooms and a public cafeteria.

    Beyond the boundaries of the Casa Aybar property itself, the project included surrounding neighborhood improvements, most notably the full rehabilitation of nearby La Atarazanas Street. Work there included repaving the roadway, resurfacing sidewalks, updating curbs, restoring historic stone steps, and installing an improved stormwater drainage system to reduce flooding risk in the area. All construction and restoration work is being overseen by the Executive Committee for Infrastructure in Tourist Zones (CEIZTUR), the country’s specialized body for tourism-related infrastructure development.

    Minister Collado noted that to date, the Dominican Ministry of Tourism has allocated nearly $10 million U.S. dollars to revitalization projects across the Colonial City. This funding has supported the restoration of multiple historic landmarks and public gathering spaces, including the completed Museum of the Sea, Ozama Fortress, Cathedral Museum, and Gate of Mercy. Additional completed work includes interior and exterior renovations for more than 12 historic churches, and widespread infrastructure upgrades to sidewalks and curbs across the district.

    Looking forward, Collado emphasized that sustained public investment in the Colonial City is guided by two core goals: protecting the district’s irreplaceable cultural heritage for future generations, and making the historic area more accessible, welcoming, and attractive to local residents, Dominican domestic travelers, and international visitors alike.

  • Dominican Republic opens first official consular office in the Bronx

    Dominican Republic opens first official consular office in the Bronx

    In a move that marks a significant step forward for the Dominican diaspora in New York, a new permanent annex consular office has officially launched in the Bronx, at 305 East Fordham Road. Operating under the umbrella of the Dominican Consulate General in New York, the facility received formal authorization to open from the U.S. Department of State, clearing the final hurdle for its launch.

    Jesús Vásquez Martínez, the current Dominican Consul General in New York, framed the opening of the new Bronx office as a transformative milestone for the nearly 700,000 Dominicans who call New York City home, a large share of which reside in the Bronx. The borough is home to one of the most concentrated and vibrant Dominican populations in the entire United States, where Dominican culture, businesses, and community organizations shape the daily life of the area.

    Prior to the opening of this permanent location, Dominican residents in the Bronx had few options for accessing in-person consular services, relying almost entirely on periodic mobile consular outreach events. As the local population grew and demand for official services climbed, the consulate general was forced to expand its operating hours at its main location to seven days a week to accommodate backlogs. Even with that adjustment, long wait times and travel burdens for Bronx residents remained pervasive, creating a clear need for a permanent, local consular presence in the borough.

    The core mission of the new annex office is to bring critical consular services directly to the Bronx community, cutting down on the travel time and financial costs that residents previously incurred when they had to journey to Manhattan or other locations to complete official government procedures. The full suite of services offered at the new Bronx location includes everything from passport issuance and renewal, powers of attorney preparation and authentication, document legalization for use in the Dominican Republic, civil documentation processing such as birth, marriage and death certificates, general community assistance for residents facing legal or administrative issues, and formal consular protection for Dominican citizens in the region.

    The establishment of the Bronx annex is the culmination of years of collaborative advocacy and bureaucratic work, led by Consul General Vásquez Martínez, with backing from former Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez and current Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, who prioritized improving consular access for Dominicans living abroad as part of the administration’s diaspora outreach agenda.

  • Dominican Republic reaches 93% early childhood education coverage, UNESCO reports

    Dominican Republic reaches 93% early childhood education coverage, UNESCO reports

    New data from UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report reveals that the Dominican Republic has made extraordinary strides in expanding access to early childhood education over the past decade. As of 2024, just one year before the official age for primary school enrollment, 93% of eligible children in the country now access pre-primary education – a sharp increase from the 86% coverage rate recorded back in 2015. This seven-percentage-point jump marks one of the most meaningful expansions of early learning access in the Latin American and Caribbean region in recent years. Beyond pre-primary progress, the report also documents notable gains in upper secondary school completion, placing the Dominican Republic ahead of many neighboring nations in this key education metric.

    What stands out as one of the most groundbreaking achievements for the country is its success in erasing socioeconomic disparities in pre-primary education access. Between 2000 and 2024, the Dominican Republic became one of only a handful of nations across the region to fully close the participation gap separating children from the poorest and wealthiest households in the year leading up to primary school. When compared regionally, the Dominican Republic’s 93% pre-primary coverage rate puts it on par with Brazil, and just one percentage point behind Argentina, which holds a 94% coverage rate. It also outperforms a long list of regional peers, including El Salvador (85%), Guatemala (84%), Panama (77%), Paraguay (75%) and Honduras (59%). The GEM 2026 report characterizes the 2015–2024 decade as a period of unprecedented transformation for the Dominican education system, with major advances recorded across three core pillars: broader school access, higher completion rates, and improved educational equity.

    Even with these notable wins, the report does not shy away from highlighting ongoing challenges that require urgent attention. Learning outcomes in reading and mathematics at the primary education level remain a persistent weak spot for the country, and improving these results is critical for the Dominican Republic to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). SDG 4 sets a global target of delivering inclusive, equitable, quality education for all learners by 2030. For its part, the Dominican government has already framed early childhood education and improved learning outcomes as top national priorities. Officials have committed to sustained investment in the country’s education system, with the goal of guaranteeing that all children gain access to stronger educational opportunities from the very start of their academic careers.

  • Belize, Taiwan Sign $3 Million Deal to Support Women and Youth-Owned Businesses

    Belize, Taiwan Sign $3 Million Deal to Support Women and Youth-Owned Businesses

    On August 25, 2026, Belize and Taiwan formalized a $3 million cooperation agreement designed to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Belize, with targeted support for businesses owned by women and young entrepreneurs.

    Dubbed the Belize Women and Youth MSMEs Development Project, the new initiative will be delivered as a joint effort between the Government of Belize and the Taiwan Technical Mission based in the Central American nation. This collaboration builds on a successful prior partnership between the two sides, which earlier supported approximately 2,000 women entrepreneurs and helped launch more than 100 new startup ventures across Belize.

    Under the terms of the fresh agreement, participating entrepreneurs will gain access to a comprehensive package of support tailored to their unique needs. This includes specialized skills training, one-on-one business mentorship, and assistance designed to strengthen daily operations, expand access to domestic and regional markets, generate new local employment opportunities, and lay the groundwork for long-term, sustainable business growth.

    Government officials in Belize have framed the project as a milestone investment in the country’s economic future, noting that it represents a critical step forward in building a more dynamic, inclusive, and shock-resistant national economy that benefits all segments of society.

  • Electoral Commission addresses discrepancy over candidate deposit

    Electoral Commission addresses discrepancy over candidate deposit

    A recent administrative misstep has prompted the Electoral Commission to issue an official clarification on the mandatory candidate registration deposit for upcoming elections, following amendments to the nation’s electoral legislation.

    Commission Chairman Duncan Stowe addressed the discrepancy during a press briefing held last Thursday, clearing up confusion that stemmed from outdated information printed on official candidate registration forms. Per the recently revised electoral laws, the required registration deposit has been raised from the original EC$500 to EC$1,000. However, the Electoral Office’s publicly distributed registration documents continued to list the old, lower EC$500 fee long after the legislative change took effect.

    This mismatch between statutory regulation and administrative documentation created a significant risk of misunderstanding for individuals planning to stand as candidates in the coming electoral contest. Stowe emphasized that the EC$1,000 deposit is the legally mandated amount that all candidates must pay to complete their registration under the updated rules.

    To resolve the issue, the Electoral Office has announced it will immediately move to correct the error by printing and distributing fully updated registration forms that accurately reflect the current statutory fee requirement. The commission’s proactive clarification comes as it works to ensure full transparency and compliance with the amended election laws ahead of candidate registration opening.

  • Caribbean braces for intensifying heat and drought as El Niño strengthens

    Caribbean braces for intensifying heat and drought as El Niño strengthens

    As a rapidly strengthening El Niño event paves the way for potentially catastrophic climate extremes across the Caribbean basin, regional climate scientists are issuing urgent calls for accelerated preparedness to face the coming months of worsening heat and parched conditions.

    In an official press statement, the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) outlined that the period between August and October marks the annual peak of the region’s heat season. This timing makes the already unfolding dry conditions far more worrying, as the region heads into its regular climatological dry season that typically kicks off in November.

    CIMH climatologist Dr. Cedric Van Meerbeeck explained that El Niño strengthened far faster than expected over the early months of 2026, jumping from a weak event in May to a moderate event by the end of July. Current climate projections now point to a very strong El Niño taking hold between October and December 2026, with the event likely to linger and maintain its influence through at least March 2027.

    The official outlook projects widespread below-average rainfall across a huge swathe of the Caribbean, stretching from the Guianas, through the Lesser Antilles, and north into the Greater Antilles. This dry stretch will be paired with far more frequent and intense heatwaves than the region normally sees. By late 2026, significant drought conditions are expected to develop across most of the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, and the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), as well as portions of Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the Bahamas. These harsh conditions are forecast to continue into the first months of 2027, bringing growing risks of crippling water shortages and out-of-control wildfires.

    Historical climate data confirms that strong El Niño events are strongly tied to severe drought in the Caribbean, including the devastating dry periods of 2009–2010 and 2014–2016. Past events have also triggered dangerous extreme humid heat, widespread wildfires, and marine heatwaves that cause mass coral bleaching across the region’s fragile reef ecosystems. Similar overlapping climate impacts were recorded during the global record hot years of 2010, 2023, and 2024.

    While El Niño is typically linked to a less active Atlantic hurricane season, Dr. Van Meerbeeck stressed that tropical cyclone risk cannot be dismissed. He pointed to 2015’s Tropical Storm Erika, which became one of the worst natural disasters in Dominica’s history. The storm caused catastrophic flooding and deadly landslides across the island even without making a direct landfall, proving that significant storm hazards remain even during El Niño years.

    Professor Michael Taylor, co-director of the University of the West Indies’ Centre for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management, noted that the early warning signs from earlier this year are already coming to fruition. “The risks signalled by the science earlier this year are now beginning to materialise. We are seeing an emerging climate disaster whose impacts combine heat, drought, and marine extremes. Unlike a hurricane, the impacts will continue to build over months. However, that should not lessen the urgency or scale of our preparations. We must respond to the unfolding slow-moving crisis with the seriousness we bring to other major climate threats, since what we do now determines the options available to us later.”

    Regional climate experts warn that the prolonged El Niño conditions will ripple through nearly every sector of the Caribbean economy and society. Key vulnerable areas include agriculture, national food security, public health, potable water supplies, energy infrastructure, the critical tourism sector, and cross-regional supply chains. Rain-fed smallholder agriculture in Belize and Jamaica is identified as a particularly high-priority area of concern.

    CIMH principal Dr. David Farrell emphasized that ongoing access to and use of up-to-date climate data is critical to guiding adaptive decision-making across the region. “Proactive measures are vital for mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events on climate sensitive sectors, communities, and national economies,” he said.

    To support preparedness efforts, CIMH is urging national governments, local businesses, and community groups to follow the monthly updates published by the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum as the region moves toward the overlapping heat and dry seasons, to stay informed of changing conditions and adjust plans accordingly.

  • Police Report False Robberies, Staged Crime Claims and Self-Inflicted Shootings

    Police Report False Robberies, Staged Crime Claims and Self-Inflicted Shootings

    Law enforcement agencies in Antigua and Barbuda are grappling with a persistent problem of fraudulent crime reporting, with cases ranging from people fabricating robberies to cover up embezzled funds to individuals who accidentally shoot themselves then falsely claim they were victims of violent attacks, senior police officials have confirmed.

    Assistant Commissioner Lisbon Michael, who leads the country’s Criminal Investigations Department, revealed that the police service receives an average of nine crime reports daily across the twin-island nation, but a significant share of these submissions are entirely fabricated. Michael shared the details of this ongoing challenge during a public interview on ABS’ flagship current affairs program *Antigua Barbuda Today*.

    Among the most common false reports Michael highlighted are cases involving custodians of collective “box monies” — community savings funds widely used across local communities — who misappropriate the funds entrusted to them, then file fake robbery or burglary reports to explain the missing cash. In other, more extreme incidents, people who sustain accidental self-inflicted gunshot wounds have deliberately misled investigators by claiming they were shot during armed robbery attempts.

    “We have instances where persons accidentally shot themselves and reported to the police that they were robbed and shot during the process,” Michael told the program.

    One recent high-profile example cited by Michael involved a young man who contacted police claiming he had been shot in an attack. When investigators processed the scene and collected forensic evidence, they determined the man had actually been injured while tampering with an unregistered, makeshift firearm. That case remains active and is still progressing through the investigative process.

    To date, thorough police investigations have uncovered the fraud in dozens of these false report cases, leading a number of people to face criminal charges for public mischief. Some of these cases have already been finalized through the court system, while others are still waiting to be heard.

    Michael’s public comments on the issue came as part of a broader discussion of the key hurdles police face in processing crime reports, as well as the force’s ongoing work to reinforce public trust in Antigua and Barbuda’s law enforcement institutions. Addressing false reports is a critical priority for the service, officials note, because fraudulent claims drain valuable investigative time and resources that would otherwise be deployed to solve real crimes and protect local communities.

  • Police Target Two Gangs as Authorities Move to Curb Youth Violence

    Police Target Two Gangs as Authorities Move to Curb Youth Violence

    Authorities in Antigua and Barbuda have stepped up targeted law enforcement action against two documented criminal gangs in a sweeping push to reverse a recent resurgence of youth violence and curb further gun-related crime, according to top law enforcement official Lisbon Michael, Assistant Commissioner of Police and head of the Criminal Investigations Department.

    In a public interview with ABS’ flagship current affairs program *Antigua Barbuda Today*, Michael publicly named the two targeted groups as the Grace Farm Killers and the Two Jilly gang. “As far as I’m aware, there are two gangs, Grace Farm Killers and the Two Jilly gangs,” Michael stated, confirming that law enforcement teams are actively and vigorously pursuing all individuals linked to these criminal organizations.

    This coordinated crackdown is a core component of Operation Restore Confidence, a strategic police initiative rolled out in response to growing public anxiety over rising gun violence and organized serious crime across the island nation. One of the operation’s central stated goals is to dismantle gang-related criminal networks that have established a foothold in local communities.

    Michael’s remarks came in response to public questions about worrying signs that youth violence, which had seen notable improvements in recent years, is now reemerging. He also drew a clear connection between the latest string of shooting incidents and unresolved tensions that originated during the annual J’ouvert morning celebration, part of the country’s popular Carnival season.

    “I think the most recent shootings that we had is something that sparked from the J’ouvert Morning celebration,” Michael explained. He was quick to clarify that the J’ouvert event and the broader Carnival celebrations remained overwhelmingly peaceful overall, but noted that an isolated altercation or incident during the festivities appears to have ignited subsequent retaliatory violence between rival groups.

    To date, law enforcement has already arrested and formally charged multiple individuals connected to the recent gang-related violence, and all pending cases are now working their way through the national judicial system, Michael confirmed.

    Beyond immediate enforcement action, Michael also highlighted the long-term preventive work of the police’s specialized Youth Intervention Department. The unit focuses on at-risk children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 18, including young people showing early signs of behavioral dysfunction and those growing up in households impacted by ongoing conflict and violence.

    Michael reported that the intervention program has delivered measurable positive results, with significant behavioral improvements recorded among many participants and an overall reduction in youth involvement in violent crime. Even with these gains, he issued a stark warning that sustained, ongoing engagement with at-risk young people remains non-negotiable, warning that without continued investment in intervention work, the country risks losing “an entire generation” to cycles of violence.

  • Politic : Towards a strengthened partnership with Italy?

    Politic : Towards a strengthened partnership with Italy?

    Against a backdrop of ongoing political and humanitarian instability in Haiti, senior officials from both the Caribbean nation and Italy gathered for a high-profile discussion at Italy’s 2026 Rimini Meeting on August 24, opening a new pathway toward deepened bilateral cooperation. Haitian Foreign Minister Raina Forbin joined the panel, titled “Haiti and the strength to rise again”, virtually, while the event was organized by Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale (AVSI), an Italian international volunteer service organization. The discussion was moderated by Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development Cooperation at Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and featured a lineup of senior stakeholders including Italian Undersecretary of State Massimo Dell’Utri, Haitian Ambassador to Italy Gandy Thomas, FAO Deputy Director-General Maurizio Martina, and AVSI’s Haiti representative Annalisa Costanzo.

    In her address to the panel, Minister Forbin laid out the core governing priorities of the current administration led by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The government’s immediate and long-term agenda centers on four critical pillars: reestablishing widespread national security and full state authority across the country, holding inclusive democratic elections to legitimize governing institutions, kickstarting broad economic recovery after years of contraction, and scaling up responses to the country’s worsening humanitarian emergency. She emphasized that the administration is actively pursuing coordinated efforts to pull Haiti out of its protracted crisis and lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable stability.

    Minister Forbin used the platform to formally call for a strengthened bilateral partnership between Haiti and Italy, outlining a wide range of high-priority sectors for collaborative action. These proposed areas of cooperation include security sector support, capacity building for Haitian government institutions, sustainable agricultural development, expanded vocational training programs for the country’s large youth population, support for growing small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border skills transfer, and attraction of productive foreign direct investment from Italian firms.

    The participation of top-ranking Italian government officials in the discussion and the substantive nature of the talks signal a shared commitment to advancing bilateral dialogue and collaboration between the two nations. From Italy’s perspective, Haiti offers unique strategic value: its central location in the Caribbean, close proximity to major North and South American markets, large young population, expansive global diaspora network, and untapped economic potential position the country as a strategic gateway for Italian businesses, universities, cultural institutions, and development cooperation initiatives to expand their footprint across the broader Caribbean and Latin American region.

    Rather than framing Haiti solely through the lens of its well-documented challenges, Minister Forbin repositioned the country as an emerging market of opportunity and a reliable long-term strategic partner. She emphasized that a deepened partnership between Haiti and Italy would deliver mutual benefits to both nations, opening a new chapter in bilateral diplomatic and economic relations.