Carib Scope

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  • Abi Mai Facing Double Health Battle, Knee and Back Issues

    Abi Mai Facing Double Health Battle, Knee and Back Issues

    Six months after stepping down from his cabinet post as Belize’s Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abi Mai remains sidelined by concurrent chronic knee and back issues, with no clear timeline for his return to government, Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed in a recent public update.

    Briceño shared details of Mai’s care plan, explaining that medical providers opted to prioritize knee surgery first to address his mobility impairment. For weeks before the procedure, Mai had been forced to walk with a distorted sideways gait due to unmanaged knee pain. Doctors determined that correcting the spinal issue first would have little benefit as long as Mai’s walking pattern remained compromised, Briceño noted.

    “Unless you are a trained medical professional, it is hard to second-guess the clinical judgment,” Briceño told reporters, adding that spinal surgery carries well-documented risks that have made both clinicians and Mai cautious about moving forward with the back procedure immediately after knee recovery.

    When pressed by reporters on when the former minister might rejoin the national cabinet, Briceño said any decision on a potential return will be made at a later date, dependent entirely on Mai’s recovery progress. This update comes half a year after Mai formally resigned his ministerial position to focus on addressing his long-standing health concerns.

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

  • The Haitian Gov is toughening its response against gangs.

    The Haitian Gov is toughening its response against gangs.

    In a decisive step to address the country’s long-running gang violence crisis, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé gathered top security leadership on May 20, 2026, to ramp up the government’s crackdown on armed groups that have seized swathes of national territory.

    The closed-door meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office brought together the highest-ranking command of the Haitian National Police (PNH), the High Command of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), Defense Minister Mario Andresol, and leadership of the specialized Gang Suppression Force (GSF), alongside all frontline operational commanders deployed across conflict zones. What started as a one-off security briefing has now become a recurring weekly check-in, with the government formalizing a permanent mechanism held every Wednesday to assess evolving security conditions, coordinate cross-force operations, and refine tactical plans for joint intervention.

    At the core of the gathering was a review of Haiti’s deteriorating national security landscape, and a finalization of aggressive new offensive measures designed to accelerate the recapture of all areas held by armed criminal groups. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister’s office announced that the Haitian government would enact a sustained nationwide security deployment across every region of the country.

    Under the new plan, counter-gang operations led by the PNH, with critical backing from the FAd’H and GSF, will be immediately expanded in scale and intensity. These operations will continue around the clock without interruption until full state authority is reestablished in every territory currently controlled by armed gangs.

    The government also formalized a strict zero-tolerance policy that applies not only to armed gang members and the groups classified as terrorist entities, but also to their supporting networks, logistical suppliers, financial backers, and any individual who directly or indirectly enables the ongoing climate of insecurity.

    In an official statement released after the meeting, the Prime Minister’s office laid out three non-negotiable commitments from the government: no territory held by gangs will be written off as lost, no acts of complicity with criminal groups will be overlooked within state ranks, and no illicit financing for gangs will escape legal punishment.

    “The State is standing firm, the response is underway, the Republic will triumph, and order will be restored,” the statement read, marking a clear show of resolve from the Haitian administration as it launches one of its most ambitious counter-gang campaigns in recent history.

  • Life-Saving Domestic Violence Law Still Not in Action

    Life-Saving Domestic Violence Law Still Not in Action

    It has now been six months since Belizean lawmakers passed what was billed as urgent, life-saving reform to fill critical gaps in domestic violence protection, but the policy has yet to be implemented, leaving survivors still exposed to harm during after-hours periods when risk is highest. The stalled reform emerged directly from a national tragedy that shook the Central American nation in late 2025, when a brutal act of domestic violence claimed three innocent lives.

    In October 2025, 35-year-old Angelita Magana, her 6-year-old son Tishan Godoy, and 17-year-old daughter Shadia Magana were killed when Magana’s former partner Francisco Godoy set their home ablaze. The attack came just days after Godoy was released on bail facing charges of rape and repeated domestic abuse against Magana. Magana, who had repeatedly expressed fear for her life, had attempted to secure an emergency restraining order to keep Godoy away, but the courts were closed for the weekend, leaving her with no immediate legal protection. All three victims died in the fire, along with Godoy.

    In a moving tribute shared shortly after the tragedy, Magana’s cousin Britney Soliz remembered the family as loving and respectful. “She was always a good mom to her children; she gave them love and took care of them. Her children grew up with a lot of love. Her daughter Shadia was a girl who, likewise, received love from her mom, and she was very respectful. The boy was also very kind and respectful,” Soliz said in a 2025 interview. Soliz also recalled that Magana had repeatedly sought help to escape her abuser, but was turned away time and again when official services were closed outside regular court hours. “She tried everything to keep the man from approaching her, but well, they didn’t pay attention,” Soliz added.

    The tragedy sparked immediate public outcry, and by November 2025, Belizean lawmakers fast-tracked two amendment bills — the Justices of the Peace (Amendment) Bill and the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill — designed to close this dangerous gap in protection. Under the new framework, trained senior Justices of the Peace (JPs) would be authorized to issue emergency 72-hour protection orders outside of court operating hours, granting survivors immediate legal safety when courts are closed for weekends, holidays, or after regular business hours. The legislation was widely hailed as a critical, practical reform that would prevent similar future tragedies.

    But six months later, as of May 2026, the new system has yet to be activated. The rollout is stalled at the recruitment and training stage for eligible JPs, according to Adrian “Danny” Madrid, president of Belize’s Association of Justices of the Peace. Madrid explained that the strict eligibility requirements written into the new law have created an unexpected shortage of qualified candidates.

    Currently, Belize has more than 3,000 active JPs nationwide, but only a small fraction qualify for the new emergency protection role. To be eligible, candidates must hold senior JP status — which itself requires 10 years of service as a regular JP — plus an additional five years of experience as a senior JP, bringing the total required experience to 15 years. Candidates must also hold a clean criminal record, requirements that officials say were put in place to reflect the sensitive nature of the work.

    Madrid noted that the narrow eligibility pool has slowed recruitment dramatically. “We have over three thousand JPs in the country. We don’t have that much senior JPs, because you have to be a JP for ten years before you can be appointed a senior JP. And now this act is asking that you have to have five years’ experience as a senior justice of the peace. So it makes it even harder,” he said.

    Once accepted, eligible candidates will complete specialized training led by the Ministry of Human Development and the Attorney General’s Ministry before they can begin issuing orders. Madrid has appealed to all qualified senior JPs to step forward to fill the gaps, emphasizing that the role is critical to saving lives, most often on weekends when magistrate courts are closed and risk of harm spikes. “We will be able to sign that document and arraign the person immediately. We don’t have to wait for the magistrate. We don’t have to wait until Monday,” Madrid said. “We’re trying our best to deal with it, to have it work. So we’re appealing to our senior JPs who have more than five years experience. Do not be afraid, because you have the protection from the police and from the law.”

    Under the current rolling plan, officials aim to train 10 senior JPs for Belize district, and five additional JPs for each of the country’s remaining districts. If recruitment continues to fall short of the needed numbers, government officials are considering a policy adjustment to lower the required years of senior JP experience to expand the pool of eligible candidates. For now, however, survivors of domestic abuse across Belize remain without the promised after-hours emergency protection, leaving a life-saving reform unfulfilled six months after the tragedy that prompted its creation. Investigative reporter Britney Gordon contributed this report for News Five.

  • 150MW battery storage ‘to stabilise grid, boost solar expansion’

    150MW battery storage ‘to stabilise grid, boost solar expansion’

    Barbados is taking a decisive step to address chronic strains on its national electricity network and pave the way for expanded solar energy development, with plans to acquire approximately 150 megawatts of grid-scale battery storage, Energy Minister Kerrie Symmonds has publicly announced.

    Speaking at an event hosted by the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI), Symmonds outlined that the island nation will soon launch an international competitive procurement process for the large-scale energy storage infrastructure. The project, he explained, is a critical strategic intervention to resolve long-standing grid capacity bottlenecks that have held back the fast-growing local photovoltaic (PV) sector.

    “We are launching a targeted international effort to procure roughly 150 megawatts of battery storage to resolve the challenges we face integrating renewable energy into Barbados’ grid,” Symmonds stated in his address.

    As the leading market for solar adoption among English-speaking Caribbean nations, Barbados has built up a significant installed base of PV capacity. However, the country’s existing grid infrastructure lacks the flexibility to accommodate additional variable renewable energy generation without robust storage solutions, Symmonds warned. Without upgrading storage and distribution capabilities, adding more intermittent solar power risks triggering systemic instability and equipment failures.

    “We already have abundant PV capacity, but we cannot simply overload transmission lines with solar energy,” he noted. “Adequate storage capacity is essential to regulate the flow of electricity onto the grid, making power available when and where it is needed across the island throughout the day.”

    Symmonds emphasized that over-reliance on unmanaged direct PV generation, without modernizing distribution networks first, carries tangible technical risks. “The national utility must be able to dispatch and route power across the country. If the grid carries more volume than it is engineered to handle, that is when breakdowns and outages occur,” he said.

    Once the 150MW battery storage system is deployed, the Barbadian government projects that existing grid constraints will be eliminated, clearing the way for a massive new wave of private and commercial renewable energy projects across the island. Symmonds predicted that after the storage infrastructure is operational, the country will see a resurgence in rooftop and commercial building solar installations as developers regain access to the grid.

    The minister also highlighted Barbados’ strong regional standing in renewable energy deployment, noting that the country currently ranks third across the entire Caribbean for renewable energy penetration, outperformed only by Suriname and Belize—two nations that benefit from extensive, low-cost natural hydroelectric resources.

    As neighboring Eastern Caribbean countries now pursue their own renewable energy transitions, Symmonds called on local industry stakeholders to expand technical training programs to position Barbados as a regional hub for green energy installation services, turning the sector into a new export opportunity.

    “We know Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts, Antigua and many other neighbors are all moving down this same path,” he said. “Isn’t it time we scale up our technician training programs to build the capacity to offer these services beyond Barbados’ borders and into all these growing regional markets?”

    Symmonds concluded that investing in workforce development for the energy storage and renewables sector would not only support Barbados’ own domestic energy transition, but also create a new high-growth economic driver and productive sector for the island’s economy.

  • Belize Bets on Tech with Talent Up Launch

    Belize Bets on Tech with Talent Up Launch

    On May 20, 2026, the government of Belize joined forces with international development partners to officially launch Talent Up Belize, an ambitious workforce development program designed to equip the nation’s young population with high-demand digital skills and unlock access to high-wage employment. Positioned as a cornerstone of Belize’s long-term economic strategy, the initiative seeks to reshape the country’s workforce, foster homegrown technological innovation, and strengthen Belize’s competitive standing in the global digital economy.

    Addressing attendees at the launch event, Prime Minister John Briceño emphasized that the program centers on strategic investment in Belize’s human capital to prepare the nation for the digital future. “We are positioning Belize for tomorrow by investing in our people, strengthening our workforce, and expanding opportunity to ensure we can hold our own in an increasingly digital, technology-driven global economy,” Briceño said. He noted that rapid technological shifts, from automation and artificial intelligence to cloud computing and cybersecurity, are reshaping economies worldwide. Acknowledging public discussion around his own familiarity with emerging AI technologies, Briceño highlighted that the nation’s young people will lead the transition, bringing fresh expertise to drive growth. Citing global industry projections, he added that nearly 60% of the global workforce will need reskilling by 2027 to keep pace with technological change, while tech and digital roles remain among the fastest-growing professions worldwide.

    The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a key international partner backing the initiative, has aligned its four-year country strategy for Belize around two core priorities: improving Belizeans’ readiness for and access to digital markets, and supporting the government’s broader digital transformation. Karla Gonzalez, IDB representative for Belize, explained that the organization’s existing support already targets Belize’s fast-growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, which currently provides employment for roughly 20,000 Belizeans. Last week, the country’s Cabinet approved the launch of the national Global Digital Service initiative, and Gonzalez noted that Talent Up adds a critical complementary layer to this work, building the skilled workforce needed to support the BPO sector’s next phase of expansion.

    Prime Minister Briceño reaffirmed that sustained investment in people and emerging technology is the most critical step to secure Belize’s competitive position in the fast-evolving global economy, framing Talent Up as a pivotal investment in the nation’s future prosperity.

  • St Bernard’s record third win in NSC/BICO Primary School Football

    St Bernard’s record third win in NSC/BICO Primary School Football

    The National Sports Council/BICO Primary School Football Competition delivered a full slate of dramatic results across its four regional zones over the recent matchweek, headlined by a standout individual performance that lifted a title contender into a shared top spot.

    St Bernard’s Phoenix put on a clinical attacking display against Providence Elementary at the Conrad Hunte Playing Field, part of the tournament’s Dennis Leacock Zone, to secure a commanding 4-1 victory. Trazahri Ifill stole the show with a brilliant hat-trick, dominating the final third and putting three unanswered goals past Providence’s defense to set his side up for the win. Aakash Jones rounded out the scoring for St Bernard’s Phoenix with the team’s fourth goal of the match.

    The result proved pivotal for St Bernard’s Phoenix, pushing them to three wins from four opening matches and drawing them level on points with Providence, who previously held the zone’s sole top spot. Elsewhere in the Dennis Leacock Zone, two matches produced identical tight 1-0 scorelines: Hillaby/Turner’s Hall claimed a narrow edge over Grantley Prescod, while St Margaret’s notched up an equally hard-fought win against St Joseph Primary.

    Across other zones, matchday brought a mix of dominant shutouts and hard-fought draws. In the Edward Smith/Frank Holder Zone, All Saints produced a ruthless attacking performance to record a 5-0 blanking of Selah, while Roland Edwards secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Gordon Greenidge Primary.

    The Kenville Kab Layne Zone saw two one-goal results: St George Primary edged out St Luke’s Brighton by a 1-0 scoreline, while Mount Tabor eased to a 2-0 victory against St Judes. Over at the Briar Hall Christ Church venue for the Ricardo Mickey Gibson Zone, the matchday delivered a mix of close results and draws. People’s Cathedral claimed a 1-0 win over Wills, while St Lawrence Primary and St Bartholomew played to a 1-1 stalemate. St Winifred’s secured a 2-0 shutout victory against Shirley Chisholm, and St Gabriel’s and Milton Lynch also finished level at 1-1. The final match of the round saw last year’s tournament runners-up, Arthur Smith Primary, pick up a confident 3-1 win over St Christopher Primary.

  • Plan to transform services into export-driven agency

    Plan to transform services into export-driven agency

    Against a backdrop of shrinking traditional international development assistance and shifting global geopolitical dynamics, Barbados has launched an ambitious strategic overhaul to position its service sector as the primary driver of national export growth. Business Development Minister Kerrie Symmonds laid out the four-pillar plan during an address to industry leaders at the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI) Council of Leaders meeting held in Warrens, outlining a fundamental reorientation of the organization’s core mandate.

    Facing mounting external economic pressures from declining foreign aid, the government’s strategy reframes the BCSI’s role from a traditional business advocacy and support body to an active commercial execution agency. Symmonds argued that this institutional shift is critical to building long-term structural economic resilience for Barbados’ $5 billion-plus service-driven economy, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the island’s national output.

    “The rapidly changing global landscape makes long-term prediction and planning incredibly challenging, so we need an institutional model that can adapt to daily volatility,” Symmonds told attendees. “Right now, BCSI excels at administrative business support, but it has untapped potential to become a direct executing agency for export growth. We need to move from passive support to aggressive market-focused execution, which requires a complete reconception of the organization’s core mission.”

    To facilitate this transition, the minister confirmed the government will introduce formal legislative changes and allocate dedicated financial backing, with a draft cabinet paper already in the works to codify the new operational framework for the coalition.

    The plan’s third pillar targets a long-standing gap in Barbados’ trade policy: turning the theoretical market access guaranteed by existing international trade treaties into tangible foreign exchange earnings. The island currently enjoys full duty-free and quota-free access to dozens of global markets under multiple bilateral and regional agreements, but Symmonds noted these advantages remain drastically underutilized by local service providers.

    Under the new roadmap, the BCSI will take ownership of mapping the full productive capacity of Barbados’ fragmented service sector, then work with individual firms to bring them up to international export readiness standards. “Export readiness means meeting the strict technical standards, industrial specifications and regulatory requirements that foreign markets demand,” Symmonds explained. “First we have to identify exactly what capacity we have at home, then we have to prepare every segment of our sector to compete cross-border.”

    Symmonds set a clear two-year timeline to measure tangible progress, with a full stock take scheduled for 2026 to assess how many local professionals have successfully entered foreign markets – whether through physical relocation or cross-border digital service delivery. The minister set a target of getting 90 percent of mapped Barbadian service professionals to export-ready status, compliant with all four modes of international service supply recognized by the World Trade Organization.

    The fourth and final pillar focuses on shifting national cultural attitudes toward entrepreneurship, encouraging local businesses to abandon their historical overreliance on the island’s small domestic market of just 280,000 people. With existing access to the entire Caribbean Single Market and Economy and the European Union, Symmonds argued that local firms already have the market access to scale; they just need support to turn that potential into profit.

    A top immediate operational priority outlined in the plan is for the BCSI to serve as the national coordinating body to harmonize local professional standards, licensing rules and ethical benchmarks with global regulators, particularly under the terms of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Symmonds emphasized that finalizing mutual recognition agreements for professional credentials is critical to eliminating the costly and time-consuming process of recertification that currently blocks Barbadian accountants, engineers, lawyers and other skilled professionals from entering foreign markets.

    Closing his address, Symmonds called for urgent collaborative input from private sector stakeholders to refine the strategy, framing the transition as a collective effort to build a more diversified, resilient Barbadian economy. “We have to build this plan together, because if we get it right, our service sector will become the engine that drives a new, more prosperous and diversified future for this country,” he said.

  • Tourism boosted by increased airlift, demand – BHTA

    Tourism boosted by increased airlift, demand – BHTA

    Barbados’ tourism sector has closed out 2025 with robust visitor numbers, carrying positive momentum into the first quarter of 2026 as the Caribbean island cements its position as a top regional travel destination, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) announced Wednesday.

    Per data released by BHTA Chairman Javon Griffith during a quarterly press briefing, the island welcomed more than 727,300 long-stay visitors and over 817,950 cruise passengers across 2025. That growth has held steady through the first three months of 2026, with 214,944 stay-over arrivals and 473,960 cruise passengers recorded by the end of March. Griffith confirmed that pre-booked and confirmed travel from the island’s core source markets – the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and continental Europe – continues to reflect consistent, reliable demand.

    “The UK market continues to perform strongly, supported by long-standing brand loyalty, expanded airlift capacity, and continued demand for high-quality Caribbean experiences,” Griffith noted. He added that the U.S. remains a major revenue driver, particularly for the island’s luxury villa and experiential travel segments, while Canada posts stable demand driven by improved air links and strong seasonal winter travel interest.

    While overall occupancy rates for the first quarter of 2026 came in slightly lower than the same period in 2025, key hospitality performance metrics remain solid, with significant gains in pricing and revenue. The island’s average daily rate (ADR) rose 16.4% year-over-year, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 12.5% over the same period. Griffith emphasized that these results highlight Barbados’ ongoing ability to preserve strong pricing integrity across its luxury and upscale travel offerings, a core competitive advantage in the Caribbean market.

    Looking ahead to the 2026/2027 winter travel season, pre-confirmed bookings already show encouraging signs. Confirmed reservations from the UK remain strong, demand for luxury accommodation continues to climb, group and incentive travel business is improving, and interest from South and Latin American markets is on the rise. A major expansion of international air connectivity set to launch in July will further boost the sector, starting with British Airways’ rollout of its new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on its London to Barbados route.

    Griffith explained that the cutting-edge jet, which features British Airways’ latest premium cabin products and adds extra capacity, will operate on the Barbados route for the rest of the 2026 summer season, bringing an additional 97 seats per day to the destination. Further expansion is planned for the 2026/2027 winter: starting October 25, 2026, British Airways will upgrade to three daily services from London, with the relaunch of the London Gatwick-Barbados route that will continue onward to Grenada, Tobago, and Guyana.

    Additional connectivity gains are coming from Canadian carriers as well. Air Canada will launch a new direct Halifax-Barbados route, making Halifax the airline’s third Canadian departure point for the island, while Air Transat will introduce a Montreal-Barbados service for the coming winter, expanding capacity in one of Barbados’ most important source markets. Other carriers are also boosting service: JetBlue will resume its popular double-daily JFK-Barbados service next month for the full summer season, and Copa Airlines will upgrade its Panama-Barbados route to daily summer service, improving access to Barbados for travelers from across Latin America and beyond.

    Beyond air access, the BHTA highlighted ongoing major reinvestment across Barbados’ tourism infrastructure, with multiple new and renovated properties set to open to guests in 2026. Royalton Vessence Barbados and Turtle Beach Resort will welcome their first guests on June 1, 2026, while Tamarind Resort is scheduled to reopen August 1, 2026. Blue Monkey Beach Club is already operating, and work continues on large-scale developments including Pendry Barbados, Hyatt Ziva Barbados, and Beaches Barbados. By the end of summer 2026, Marriott’s full portfolio of Barbados properties will be fully reopened, adding 605 newly renovated rooms and suites to the island’s accommodation supply.

    Sustainability has become a non-negotiable core priority for the industry, Griffith added, with many local tourism operators investing in renewable energy, water conservation, waste reduction, local supplier partnerships, and the phase-out of single-use plastics. “Sustainability is no longer viewed as optional. It is now a core expectation among travellers, international partners and global tourism brands,” he said.

    Workforce development also remains a top strategic focus for the BHTA, which partners with local stakeholders through programs including the Barbados Hospitality Gateway Training Initiative, industry internship schemes, and broader hospitality career development programs to build a skilled, resilient workforce for the sector’s future.

    While the island’s restaurant sector still faces ongoing pressures related to operating costs, staffing shortages, and regulatory burdens, Griffith noted that there is significant untapped potential to grow Barbados’ culinary tourism offering through extended opening hours, upgraded service standards, stronger destination marketing, and deeper integration of authentic local Barbadian cuisine into visitor experiences.

    The BHTA also announced that Chairman-elect Kelly-Anne Payne will take over the role of chairman following the organization’s upcoming Annual General Meeting in June 2026.

  • Let Taiwan contribute to the shared responsibility of reshaping global health

    Let Taiwan contribute to the shared responsibility of reshaping global health

    Nestled at the end of the decommissioned E.T. Joshua Airport runway, a transformative healthcare infrastructure project is steadily taking shape in St. Vincent and the Grenadines: the Arnos Vale Acute Care Hospital (AVACH), a landmark initiative born from 45 years of diplomatic partnership between Taiwan and the Caribbean nation, rooted in the shared values of interconnected development and people-centered progress.

    This new acute care facility is far more than a construction project—it is a tangible demonstration of Taiwan’s longstanding commitment to advancing mutual progress alongside St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a partnership that has already delivered critical connectivity infrastructure ranging from Argyle International Airport to the modernization of Kingstown Port. Once fully completed, AVACH will deliver comprehensive acute care and expand access to specialized allied health services, fundamentally reshaping how routine healthcare is delivered across the country.

    For generations of Vincentians, accessing advanced specialized care required costly, burdensome travel to other regional medical hubs. That reality is set to change with the opening of AVACH, which will bring life-saving care within the country’s borders, eliminating the financial and logistical barriers that have long limited access. Beyond expanding service access, the hospital will also strengthen St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ overall public health capacity, boosting the nation’s resilience to respond to domestic health crises and cross-border global health emergencies.

    AVACH is not the only example of the two nations’ deep collaborative work in public health. The Public Health Emergency Response System Enhancement Project, a four-year joint initiative, has delivered tailored training in emergency response and public health safety to more than 200 local police officers, firefighters, and medical professionals. Trained personnel from the program have already provided critical medical support for major international events hosted by St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the CELAC Summit and the Cricket World Cup, serving both local residents and visiting global leaders while strengthening the country’s capacity to engage with the international community.

    As the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) gets underway in Geneva, Switzerland from May 18 to 23 under the official theme “Reshaping Global Health — Shared Responsibility,” Taiwan is highlighting its proven track record as a capable, willing partner ready to share its public health expertise and experience with the global community. Leveraging its world-leading information and communications technology sector, Taiwan has built a world-class domestic healthcare system anchored by its comprehensive National Health Insurance program, cloud-based MediCloud infrastructure, widespread adoption of electronic medical records (implemented in 2010), a national telemedicine program launched in 2020, and a fully developed smart healthcare ecosystem that the country is eager to share with partners across the globe.

    The COVID-19 pandemic underscored a universal truth: real-time, cross-border information sharing is irreplaceable in the fight against transboundary emerging infectious diseases that do not recognize national borders. Despite being wrongfully excluded from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHA due to political pressure, Taiwan has leveraged its technological strengths to build a comprehensive, responsive infectious disease surveillance system. The country has consistently been among the first to detect and report new emerging cases to the WHO, sharing full viral gene sequences promptly to enable the global public health community to prepare and respond rapidly.

    At this year’s WHA opening, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus affirmed that the highest attainable standard of health is “not as a luxury for some, but a right for all.” Yet Taiwan remains locked out of participation in this year’s assembly, a contradiction that undermines the WHO’s stated core values. Taiwan is calling on the WHO to uphold its founding commitments to professional neutrality and allow Taiwan’s meaningful participation in all WHO meetings, activities, and formal mechanisms. Including Taiwan would strengthen the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the global health architecture, letting this responsible, trusted global contributor fulfill its shared responsibility in reshaping the future of global public health.

    This op-ed is written by Fiona Huei-Chun Fan, Taiwan’s ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official editorial stance of iWitness News.

  • New Cheddi Jagan Airport air traffic control tower to create more space for expansion

    New Cheddi Jagan Airport air traffic control tower to create more space for expansion

    On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Guyana’s Minister of Aviation Deodat Indar announced a critical infrastructure development plan that will reshape the country’s aviation sector: the construction of a brand-new Air Traffic Control Tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), located in Timehri along the East Bank Demerara. The announcement came during a press briefing previewing the third International Civil Aviation Organization/European Union Aviation Safety Agency Global Regional Safety Oversight Organization (RSOO) and Regional Accident and Incident Investigation Organization (RAIO) Forum on Aviation Safety, which is scheduled to take place in Guyana September 29–30.

    According to Indar, relocating and rebuilding the control tower is a necessary first step to unlock large-scale expansion of the already strained CJIA, which has seen explosive growth in air traffic over the past five years. The new tower will be constructed on the opposite side of the airport’s existing footprint, creating space to add additional aircraft parking aprons to accommodate more concurrent arrivals and departures.

    Indar emphasized that growing congestion has already created operational challenges at the hub. In 2020, just four airlines operated out of CJIA; today, that number has jumped to 16. During peak periods, when multiple flights arrive within a narrow window, the airport runs out of available parking space, forcing incoming aircraft to hold on taxiways waiting for available spots. This bottleneck slows operations and limits the airport’s ability to support further growth in Guyana’s aviation sector.

    The new ATC tower is just one component of a nationwide aviation modernization push taking place across the country. Indar noted that the overhaul extends beyond infrastructure to include updates to national aviation laws and regulatory frameworks, as well as upgrades at all of Guyana’s aerodromes. Planned upgrades include new security scanners, expanded closed-circuit camera coverage, automated inline baggage handling systems, and modernized digital check-in systems to improve passenger experience and security.

    Official data shared by the minister underscores the rapid expansion driving these changes: total aircraft movements across Guyana rose from 63,863 in 2020 to 99,508 by the end of 2025, a more than 55% increase in just five years. For Indar, this surge in air traffic is more than an operational challenge—it is a clear indicator of broader economic growth across the country. “It tells you movement is a sign of economic activity. It tells you what’s happening in the sector,” he said, framing the modernization efforts as a direct investment in Guyana’s ongoing economic expansion.