Carib Scope

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  • Launch of the ONA’s monthly Assizes in Haiti

    Launch of the ONA’s monthly Assizes in Haiti

    In a historic move that marks a shift toward collaborative public sector governance in Haiti, the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) officially launched its recurring monthly ONA Assizes on Friday, May 22, 2026. Headed by ONA Director General Lovely Francois, the inaugural gathering brought together more than 90 frontline inspectors and screening specialists under one roof, a unprecedented level of cross-team engagement in the institution’s recent history.

    Far from framing the event as a routine administrative check-in, Francois emphasized that the monthly Assizes represent a deliberate, values-driven vision for the institution: one centered on open internal dialogue, reconciliation, and collective alignment to better serve the Haitian public. The initiative was designed explicitly to dismantle barriers between leadership and frontline staff, creating a structured, safe space where no employee voice is overlooked and no concern relevant to institutional improvement is brushed aside.

    Over the course of several hours of open discussion, participants spoke candidly about the realities of their day-to-day work. As core contributors to ONA’s two critical functions — collecting insurance contributions and vetting affiliated companies — these frontline workers shared detailed insights into operational bottlenecks, logistical shortfalls, unmet support needs, and on-the-ground challenges that are often invisible to senior leadership. Alongside these challenges, attendees also outlined clear expectations, innovative proposals, and shared ambitions to build a more effective, resilient ONA. Every contribution was received with intentional seriousness, aligning with Francois’ commitment to inclusive decision-making.

    Senior leadership reaffirmed a core conviction driving this initiative: no meaningful, lasting reform of ONA can succeed without full participation from frontline employees, a nuanced understanding of on-the-ground realities, and intentional investment in the institution’s human capital. Going forward, the monthly Assizes will be held on the last Friday of every month, giving all staff regular access to a platform to share perspectives, raise concerns, and actively shape the future of the institution they will pass on to the next generation of public servants.

    The ONA Assizes are also slated for gradual national expansion, ensuring that every ONA employee across the country — regardless of their job title or level of responsibility — can join the open exchange of ideas focused on collective growth and institutional improvement. This launch comes at a time when public institutions across Haiti and the broader region are facing growing pressure to strengthen engagement with their workforces and improve service delivery. By prioritizing internal listening as a foundation for transformation, ONA is positioning itself as a trailblazer for responsive public sector governance in the country.

  • Recruited by gangs, Haitian children «pay a heavy price»

    Recruited by gangs, Haitian children «pay a heavy price»

    Following her inaugural fact-finding mission to violence-battered Haiti, a top United Nations official has delivered a devastating assessment of the country’s child protection crisis, warning that minors now account for almost half of all members of the armed gangs that control large swathes of Haitian territory.

    Vanessa Frazier, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, shared her grim findings at a UN Headquarters press briefing on Thursday, May 21, 2026. She detailed that for children growing up in Haiti, daily life is defined by a relentless fight for survival, shaped by unending terror, constant threats of violence, family separation, forced displacement, and severe psychological trauma – all conditions that criminal gangs actively exploit to target vulnerable young people.

    Frazier’s report documented a sharp and alarming escalation in violence against children over just the last year. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of children forcibly recruited and deployed by gangs nearly tripled. Over the same period, killings, mutilations, and abductions of minors almost doubled. Sexual violence, once an occasional byproduct of gang conflict, has become a routine tactic, deliberately deployed to spread terror and retaliate against entire communities that resist gang control.

    Central to Frazier’s recommendations is a fundamental shift in how authorities respond to children found with gangs during security operations. She emphasized that any child encountered in these contexts must first be recognized and treated as a victim of exploitation, not a criminal combatant. These children, she argued, must be transferred immediately to specialized child protection services, where they can access critical care, psychosocial support, and long-term reintegration programming.

    For the small number of children suspected of involvement in serious offenses, Frazier clarified that international juvenile justice standards must be strictly upheld. Deprivation of liberty, she stressed, should only be used as a measure of last resort, prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment.

    To scale up support for former child gang members, UN and local partners are ramping up reintegration efforts across Haiti, most notably in the capital Port-au-Prince and the southern city of Les Cayes. In Les Cayes, a former facility is currently undergoing major renovations to create a dedicated reintegration center that can accommodate up to 600 children who have left gang life.

    Frazier’s visit came amid a widening national humanitarian and security collapse that has deepened the vulnerability of Haitian children. Hundreds of thousands of minors currently live in areas fully controlled by armed gangs, completely cut off from access to education, healthcare, and basic social protection services. During her mission, Frazier learned that more than 18,000 schools across Haiti have been destroyed, damaged, or forced to cease operations due to gang violence. This widespread collapse of the education system leaves children isolated, idle, and far more susceptible to recruitment, exploitation, and abuse by criminal groups.

    “No child should have to grow up in such conditions,” Frazier said, reflecting on her meetings with survivors. “I met young children and adolescents who were already vulnerable in their own homes, and have been trapped in an unbroken cycle of violence both inside and outside their communities. They told me they want only one thing: to go to school, to play, to learn, and simply be children again.”

    Even amid the widespread chaos and trauma, Frazier highlighted the remarkable resilience of Haitian children, who have held onto their hopes for the future despite unimaginable hardship. “Even in the darkest moments, Haitian children continue to show extraordinary strength,” she said. “They deserve more than just survival. They deserve the chance to grow, to chase their dreams, and reclaim the childhood that has been stolen from them.”

  • Official inauguration of the new Haitian airline ZED Airlines S.A.

    Official inauguration of the new Haitian airline ZED Airlines S.A.

    Haiti took a notable step forward in economic and infrastructural development on May 22, 2026, with the official inauguration of its newest private commercial airline, ZED Airlines S.A. The launch ceremony, held in Port-au-Prince, drew high-level attendees from across Haiti’s public sector, diplomatic community, and private business landscape, underscoring the broad significance of the new venture.

    Leading the official government delegation was Joseph Almathe Pierre Louis, Haiti’s Minister of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications. He was joined by fellow cabinet members James Monazard, Minister of Commerce, and Patrick Pélissier, Minister of Justice and Public Security, alongside José Bernard Mathias Schettini, Director General of Haiti’s National Airport Authority (AAN), and senior representatives of the international diplomatic corps based in the country. Davide Jean Charle, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZED Airlines, led the company’s executive team at the celebratory event.

    In his keynote address at the inauguration, Minister Pierre Louis framed the launch of ZED Airlines as far more than a new business entry: it stands, he said, as a tangible symbol of hope, national resilience, and growing confidence in Haiti’s capacity for recovery and long-term growth. He elaborated on the central role that a robust air transport sector plays in advancing a developing nation, noting that expanded air connectivity catalyzes cross-border economic exchange, strengthens personal and cultural ties between communities, boosts tourism activity, attracts foreign direct investment, and deepens Haiti’s integration into regional and global markets.

    Pierre Louis praised the entrepreneurial vision behind ZED Airlines, adding that sustainable growth of Haiti’s civil aviation sector relies on intentional, coordinated collaboration between four key groups: the national government, independent aviation regulators, global industry partners, and private domestic and international investors. He stressed that this synergistic partnership will be critical to overcoming existing challenges in Haiti’s transportation infrastructure and unlocking the sector’s full economic potential.

    In closing, the minister extended his well wishes to ZED Airlines’ leadership and entire workforce, reminding the team that consistent, high-quality customer service will be the foundational driver of long-term success. He also reaffirmed the Haitian government’s unwavering institutional support for all private and public initiatives focused on revitalizing the country’s transportation sector, a core pillar of broader national economic recovery efforts.

    In a notable alignment of milestones, the inauguration ceremony coincided with ZED Airlines’ inaugural commercial revenue flight, operating between Miami, Florida, and Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second-largest city. Speaking after the formal ceremony, CEO Davide Jean Charles announced the carrier’s near-term expansion plans: beginning the first week of June 2026, ZED Airlines will launch three new additional routes connecting Cap-Haitien to major North American cities: New York, Atlanta, and Montreal. The expanded route network is expected to open new travel and commerce opportunities for Haitian communities at home and abroad, while boosting access to the country for international tourists and investors.

  • Bouva pleit voor sterkere regionale samenwerking en economische weerbaarheid

    Bouva pleit voor sterkere regionale samenwerking en economische weerbaarheid

    At the 57th Community Council Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Melvin Bouva has delivered a clarion call for accelerated regional collaboration, strengthened economic resilience, and improved cross-border connectivity across the Caribbean basin. The gathering, held Friday at Yogh Hospitality, comes at a time of growing global geopolitical turbulence, and Bouva used his address to push Caribbean nations to move beyond decades of rhetorical discussion about regional integration toward tangible, actionable progress.

    Bouva emphasized that small Caribbean economies are disproportionately exposed to global shocks beyond their direct control, a vulnerability laid bare by ongoing international conflicts and mounting cross-border economic tensions. “When a war breaks out on the other side of the world, a conflict we have no influence over, we will continue to suffer its impacts unless we prepare properly in advance,” he told attendees.

    Against this backdrop, the minister argued that the Caribbean region holds untapped potential across key sectors including energy, agriculture, and natural resource management that can only be unlocked through coordinated strategic action. He highlighted the Caribbean’s abundant renewable energy resources as a critical pathway to collective energy independence, noting that the region has extensive wind and solar capacity that can reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, even beyond the oil and gas reserves of Suriname and Guyana.

    Bouva outlined Suriname’s strong commitment to advancing regional integration across priority areas, including trade, food security, energy infrastructure, and transportation links between CARICOM member states. He pointed to ongoing proposals to establish new ferry connections linking Suriname, Guyana, Jamaica, and Barbados, alongside plans to expand air connectivity and deepen intra-regional trade ties.

    The meeting also addressed pressing cross-cutting issues of regional security and border management. Bouva shared that Suriname is already cooperating with neighboring partners including Brazil and French Guiana to counter transnational organized crime and address maritime security challenges. He closed by reaffirming that coordinated regional cooperation remains the only viable strategy for Caribbean nations to withstand the economic and geopolitical challenges of the 21st century. “The goal is to build our collective resilience to face every global challenge that comes our way,” Bouva said.

  • Suspect accused of opening fire toward the White House killed by Secret Service

    Suspect accused of opening fire toward the White House killed by Secret Service

    A violent incident unfolded near the White House Saturday afternoon, when an unidentified armed man opened fire on a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint before being killed by return fire from agents, a service spokesperson has confirmed to Fox News. The confrontation began at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, a heavily secured area just blocks from the executive residence. According to official accounts, the suspect approached the checkpoint, pulled a firearm from his personal bag, and immediately began shooting at the officers stationed at the post. Secret Service agents responded quickly, returning fire and striking the suspect. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment, but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. One unintended casualty occurred during the chaos: a civilian bystander was hit by gunfire. As of the latest update, the extent of the bystander’s injuries and their current condition remain undisclosed. Investigators have not yet determined whether the bullet that struck the bystander came from the suspect’s initial attack or the subsequent exchange of gunfire between the suspect and law enforcement. Preliminary background checks have revealed that the suspect had a previously documented history of mental health challenges. Importantly, no Secret Service personnel were hurt in the shooting. Former President Donald Trump was present on the White House grounds at the time of the incident, but the spokesperson confirmed that he was never in danger and experienced no disruption to his activities as a result of the confrontation.

  • PM Extends Condolences Following Death of Sir Aziz Hadeed

    PM Extends Condolences Following Death of Sir Aziz Hadeed

    The passing of Sir Aziz Hadeed, a renowned businessman, dedicated philanthropist and former senior government official in Antigua and Barbuda, has prompted an outpouring of condolences from across the nation, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne remembering him as a close friend and political comrade.

    Speaking during an interview with local radio outlet Pointe FM this Saturday, Browne revealed that news of Sir Aziz’s death caught the country completely off guard. “On behalf of the entire leadership and rank-and-file membership of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party, I want to extend our deepest, most sincere condolences to the entire Hadeed family at this painful time,” the prime minister stated, adding that the party would stand in full solidarity with the family through their period of grief.

    Widely regarded as one of the most impactful business leaders in Antigua and Barbuda’s modern history, Sir Aziz leaves behind a decades-long legacy of entrepreneurial growth and national development. He began his career with the family-owned Hadeed Group of Companies in 1965, stepping into the role of chairman in 1980. Under his strategic leadership, the small family firm evolved into one of the Eastern Caribbean’s most prominent corporate entities, growing into a multi-million-dollar conglomerate with diverse operations spanning critical sectors including aviation and energy.

    Beyond his private sector achievements, Sir Aziz left an indelible mark on regional and national public infrastructure. He served as chairman of the board for regional airline LIAT (1974) Limited between 1995 and 1998, and was a key founding figure behind the Antigua Power Company, which continues to power economic activity across the islands today.

    In his public service career, Sir Aziz first accepted an appointment as an Independent Senator in 1994, going on to serve two full terms in the upper parliamentary chamber. He later joined the national Cabinet between 2004 and 2006, bringing his decades of business expertise to bear on national policy making.

    In the final chapter of his public life, Sir Aziz committed himself to expanding educational opportunity for Antiguans and Barbudans. He worked closely with the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, serving as chairman of the campus council. In that role, he guided ambitious campus expansion projects and championed new scholarship programs to open higher education access to more local students.

    Just last year, Sir Aziz received one of the nation’s highest honors when he was knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle, in recognition of his decades of contributions to national development and charitable giving across Antigua and Barbuda.

  • Police Investigate Road Fatality in Springfield

    Police Investigate Road Fatality in Springfield

    A fatal road traffic accident that claimed the life of a local man has prompted an ongoing investigation by law enforcement authorities in the Commonwealth of Dominica. The incident unfolded shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026, in the community of Springfield, according to official statements from the island nation’s police force.

    Acting Assistant Superintendent Fixton Henderson, the police public relations officer, confirmed on Sunday that the victim has been formally identified as 44-year-old Kenworth Gordon, a resident of Springfield. Gordon was the only person inside his vehicle, a silver Suzuki Swift bearing the registration plate TS516, at the time of the crash.

    Preliminary findings from early investigative work show that Gordon was driving southbound along Imperial Road when for unknown reasons, his vehicle veered off the paved roadway and fell down a steep cliff adjacent to the route. The sudden plunge left Gordon with catastrophic, life-threatening injuries that proved fatal despite emergency response efforts.

    First responders from Dominica’s Fire and Ambulance Services were dispatched to the accident scene immediately after the crash was reported. Rescue crews worked to extract Gordon from the wreckage of his vehicle, after which he was rushed by ambulance to a nearby medical center for urgent care. Sadly, attending physicians pronounced Gordon dead at the facility the same evening the crash occurred.

    As of the latest update, officers from the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force’s traffic division are continuing their probe into the exact circumstances that led to the fatal crash. Authorities have not yet released additional details on potential contributing factors, such as weather conditions, vehicle mechanical issues, or speed, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.

  • VES Inzicht waarschuwt voor gevolgen van politieke benoemingen zonder juiste deskundigheid

    VES Inzicht waarschuwt voor gevolgen van politieke benoemingen zonder juiste deskundigheid

    A new analysis published by the Suriname Association of Economists (VES) in its quarterly journal *VES Inzicht* has raised urgent alarms about the growing systemic risks posed by political appointments to public sector leadership positions, where candidates’ professional expertise and alignment with formal role requirements are consistently sidelined in favor of political affiliation. The report makes clear that in 2026, public sector board members and supervisors can no longer hide behind the longstanding excuse of “political reality” to justify unqualified appointments, as updated legislation, strengthened oversight mechanisms, and rising public expectations have imposed far stricter requirements for transparent and accountable governance across all state institutions.

    The analysis outlines the shifting regulatory landscape that has raised the stakes for improper appointments in recent years. It notes that the legal responsibilities and personal liabilities of public sector leaders have been firmly codified in updated national legislation, most notably the New Civil Code enacted in May 2025. Beyond legal changes, independent auditors now apply far more rigorous scrutiny to leadership decision-making, while commercial banks, grant providers, and regulatory oversight bodies have tightened their requirements to mandate demonstrated good governance and accurate financial accountability for any public entity seeking funding or regulatory approval.

    According to the VES analysis, public governance failures have accumulated at an accelerating rate in recent years, creating a clear pattern that points to a deep, structural problem rather than isolated missteps. Contrary to common critique, the association emphasizes that political appointments themselves are not the core issue. The critical flaw lies in the persistent mismatch between the qualifications of appointed individuals and the formal role requirements explicitly outlined for the position. These role profiles are already legally mandated, written into institutional statutes, national good governance guidelines, and internal organizational regulations. Deviating from these established requirements does not just undermine the day-to-day functioning of state-owned enterprises and government agencies, the report argues. It also erodes morale among career civil servants and institutional employees who possess the required expertise but are passed over for political connections.

    The report further highlights that national governments have a core strategic interest in converting political power into sustained public legitimacy. This legitimacy can only be maintained, the analysis stresses, if members of the public retain trust in the professional quality and institutional independence of public sector leaders and supervisors. To uphold this trust, the VES calls for oversight bodies to be constructed based on a deliberate, balanced balance of criteria: professional expertise, relevant practical experience, core competencies, institutional independence, gender representation, age diversity, and varied societal backgrounds. It also reinforces the critical need for clear, public role profiles for all commissioners and supervisory board members, with expertise, institutional size, and operational independence as central guiding criteria for candidate selection.

    In closing, the journal article issues an urgent call to Suriname’s policymakers and ruling officials to conduct a critical, retroactive evaluation of recent public sector appointments and nominations, and implement corrective changes where misalignments are found. *VES Inzicht* stresses that urgent action is needed to prevent past, isolated appointment errors from hardening into a permanent, damaging structural pattern across Suriname’s entire public administration.

  • New Programme Promises Real Jobs for Young Belizeans in Trades

    New Programme Promises Real Jobs for Young Belizeans in Trades

    A groundbreaking eight-month apprenticeship initiative designed to place young Belizeans directly into skilled trades careers has officially launched at the Orange Walk Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET), bringing tangible employment opportunities to the country’s youth workforce.

    Twenty aspiring tradespeople are already enrolled in the program, dubbed “Breaking Barriers”, which focuses on three high-demand skilled areas: air conditioning maintenance, refrigeration systems work, and electrical installation. By the end of the training cycle, participants will earn a Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Level 2 credential in their selected field, a widely recognized certification that opens doors to regional employment.

    The project is a collaborative venture between Orange Walk ITVET and Belize’s Ministry of Education, with full funding provided through a grant from Canada’s Local Engagement Action Fund. According to the program’s project manager, planning for this workforce development effort has been years in the making. “Back in September last year we got the good news that we can apply for this grant, and we put all efforts to apply. And we were blessed to receive the grant from the Local Engagement Action Fund in Canada,” she shared in an interview following the official launch.

    Notably, two of the twenty current apprentices are young women, breaking traditional gender barriers in the skilled trades — both have already secured early internship placements with private sector companies ahead of their program completion.

    The program’s curriculum is structured to combine traditional theoretical instruction on the ITVET campus with immersive, on-the-job practical training hosted directly by local industry partners. This hybrid model was intentionally designed to address a common gap in vocational training: unlike many programs that only offer paper certification, Breaking Barriers is built to ensure graduates are fully job-ready from their first day of employment.

    For the initiative’s national coordinator, the impact of the program extends far beyond individual credentials. “What makes this programme especially meaningful is that it connects education directly with opportunities,” she explained, highlighting the program’s broader goal of strengthening Belize’s skilled workforce and reducing youth unemployment across the country.

  • COMMENTARY: International Day of Obstetric Fistula

    COMMENTARY: International Day of Obstetric Fistula

    Every year on May 23, the global community comes together to observe the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, shining a long-overdue spotlight on a devastating, entirely preventable childbirth injury that destroys the lives of hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls. For 2026, the observation carries the guiding theme *“Her Health Is a Right: Invest to End Fistula and Childbirth Injuries”*, which emphasizes that ending this crisis demands bold political commitment and targeted financial investment to expand prevention, advance comprehensive care, and defend the fundamental reproductive rights of women across low- and middle-income regions.

    Obstetric fistula develops most often when a person experiences prolonged, obstructed labor without access to timely, high-quality emergency obstetric care. The condition leaves survivors with continuous, uncontrollable leakage of urine, feces, or both, triggering a cascade of lifelong physical, social and psychological harm. Common complications include chronic infections, painful ulcerations, kidney disease, infertility, and in severe cases, death. Beyond physical harm, the constant odor associated with leakage fuels deep social stigma: many survivors are shamed by their communities, abandoned by family and friends, cut off from education and work opportunities, and pushed deeper into cycles of poverty. Isolation often leads to depression, suicidal ideation, and other chronic mental health struggles. “Obstetric fistula is not only a health problem, it is a condition that can isolate women and girls from their families, education, and other opportunities,” explains Nélida Rodrigues, UNFPA Representative in Mozambique, summarizing the far-reaching damage of the condition.

    While the most common cause is unmanaged obstructed labor, two less-discussed forms of the injury also contribute to the global caseload. Iatrogenic fistulas can develop during gynecological procedures such as hysterectomies or Caesarean sections, when care is substandard and surgical providers lack adequate specialized training. In conflict zones, traumatic fistulas are a direct consequence of sexual violence, with damage to vaginal tissue classified as a permanent war injury.

    Global data from the United Nations estimates that more than 500,000 women and girls currently live with obstetric fistula across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Arab States, and Latin America and the Caribbean, with thousands of new cases diagnosed each year. The stark reality is that obstetric fistula has been virtually eliminated in high-income countries, where universal access to quality maternal health care, skilled emergency obstetric providers, and timely Caesarean sections ensure the condition is almost never allowed to develop. This gap exposes the deep inequities that define global health outcomes: as global income inequality continues to widen, the world’s poorest and most marginalized populations bear the brunt of systemic failures in health and social protection, with women and girls disproportionately impacted.

    Multiple social and physiological factors amplify the risk of obstetric fistula. Poverty, a core driver of the crisis, is linked to early child marriage, restricted access to education and family planning, and widespread malnutrition. When girls become pregnant before their pelvises are fully developed, their risk of obstructed labor rises dramatically, and malnutrition, small stature, and overall poor pre-pregnancy health further compound this risk. While adolescent first-time mothers face the highest risk, older women who have previously given birth are also vulnerable to the condition.

    Public health experts emphasize that ending obstetric fistula requires a multi-layered approach centered on accessible, high-quality care. Midwives play a uniquely critical role in prevention and care at every level: the International Confederation of Midwives notes that ending the crisis demands full integration of midwifery expertise across community, national, regional and global health systems. Core prevention strategies include expanding access to contraception and family planning to reduce unplanned and early pregnancies, and guaranteeing universal access to emergency obstetric care, including timely Caesarean sections when complications arise.

    For women already living with the condition, the outlook is hopeful: obstetric fistula is highly treatable, and reconstructive surgery can repair damaged tissue, restore physical health, and help survivors reclaim their dignity. Beyond clinical care, long-term support for social reintegration is critical to helping survivors overcome stigma, rebuild their social connections, and access economic opportunities.

    Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), frames obstetric fistula as a clear symptom of global failure: it is a tragic outcome of systemic neglect of the reproductive rights of the most vulnerable and excluded women and girls. Moving forward, advancing progress requires governments to align their national health strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), and SDG 5 (gender equality) – three foundational goals that underpin all global development efforts.

    On this year’s International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, global health leaders and advocates are calling on policymakers, donors, and civil society to amplify awareness of this dehumanizing crisis, mobilize widespread public support, and redouble collective global efforts to eliminate the condition. Ending obstetric fistula requires more than incremental change: it demands a renewed sense of global political urgency and sustained commitment to increase investment in prevention and treatment, strengthen under-resourced health systems, and ensure all women can access the care they need to thrive – and live with dignity – after childbirth.