分类： politics

As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) observes its 53rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas this CARICOM Day 2026, Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett has delivered a keynote message reaffirming the bloc’s unwavering commitment to advancing regional integration through collaborative effort, even in the face of mounting challenges that threaten decades of hard-won progress.

Founded in 1973 when regional leaders gathered to sign the foundational Treaty of Chaguaramas (later revised in 2001 to launch a single market and economy), CARICOM has grown into one of the developing world’s most successful regional integration projects. Today, the bloc counts 15 full Member States and six Associate Members, representing a combined population of roughly 16 million people—60 percent of whom are under the age of 30. Its work is structured around four core pillars: economic integration, coordinated foreign policy, human and social development, and cross-border security cooperation, with its central administrative body, the CARICOM Secretariat, based in Georgetown, Guyana.

In her anniversary address, Barnett framed CARICOM from its inception as a powerful collective declaration of the Caribbean region’s right to shape its own independent destiny. Over more than five decades, she noted, intentional collaboration and mutual support across member states have delivered tangible results: deepened regional economic partnerships, and a greatly amplified voice for small island Caribbean nations on pressing global issues that directly impact their populations.

Barnett detailed the breadth of progress the bloc has driven across sectors critical to public well-being, from bolstering regional security frameworks and emergency response systems to accelerating coordinated action on climate change, improving public health outcomes and expanding educational access across the region. Working alongside national implementation bodies in each member state, CARICOM’s governing bodies, the Secretariat, and its specialized institutions have built the regulatory frameworks, protective safeguards, and targeted initiatives needed to foster inclusive growth and long-term sustainable development across the Caribbean, laying the groundwork for a safer, more resilient regional home for all citizens.

The secretary-general emphasized that CARICOM’s enduring strength has always grown out of shared purpose and the determination of Caribbean people to overcome the structural constraints of small national size and limited individual national resources. Across every sector, at home and around the world, CARICOM nationals continue to distinguish themselves through extraordinary creativity and dedication, serving as an inspiration for the entire region.

Even as the bloc celebrates these milestones, Barnett acknowledged the growing pressures that threaten to erode progress and strain regional unity. The Caribbean has faced consecutive years of record-breaking climate-driven disasters, including devastating hurricanes that have crippled key growth sectors such as agriculture and tourism, which underpin livelihoods across much of the region. Compounding these local shocks, the bloc continues to navigate an increasingly volatile global landscape, marked by shifting economic conditions and widespread disruptions to cross-border trade and international commerce.

Against this challenging backdrop, Barnett reaffirmed CARICOM’s core conviction that continued progress depends entirely on sustained collective action. Together, member states remain committed to advancing priorities that directly improve citizens’ lives: expanding intra-regional trade, generating new employment opportunities, cutting the region’s heavy reliance on food imports, reducing violent crime, and retrofitting built infrastructure to withstand climate impacts. Equally high on the bloc’s agenda are improving digital connectivity and expanding regional transportation networks, to enable seamless, affordable communication and smooth movement of people and goods across member state borders.

Barnett also stressed that CARICOM remains deeply focused on meeting the current and future needs of the region’s large youth population, who deserve a prosperous, technologically advanced Caribbean full of economic and social opportunity. Closing her message, she called on the region to use the 53rd anniversary as a moment to renew confidence in the enduring value of regional unity and interdependence.

“Happy CARICOM Day 2026!” she concluded.

The British government’s ambitious new rent-to-own housing programme, designed to help lower and middle-income households step onto the property ladder, looks set to include automatic salary deductions for participating workers, multiple government sources have confirmed.

The policy, first floated by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities earlier this year, was crafted to address the country’s worsening affordability crisis that has pushed home ownership out of reach for millions of young Britons. Unlike traditional shared ownership or mortgage schemes, the programme lets tenants pay a monthly amount that includes both market-rate rent and an incremental contribution toward purchasing the property over time, eventually allowing them to take full ownership after a set 15 to 30-year period.

Early drafts of the scheme’s implementing regulations, leaked to parliamentary media this week, outline that for employees working in registered companies, the monthly contribution will be deducted directly from their salary by employers, with the funds transferred automatically to housing providers. Government officials argue that this automatic deduction structure will reduce missed payments, lower administrative costs for housing associations, and help participants build consistent equity without the temptation to skip contributions for other expenses.

Critics of the plan have already raised concerns about the impact on workers’ take-home pay. Opposition housing spokespeople note that for low-income households already struggling with rising energy and food costs, a mandatory monthly deduction could push some into further financial hardship, especially if their income drops unexpectedly. Some business groups have also pushed back, arguing that adding another mandatory payroll deduction will increase administrative burdens for small businesses already coping with post-pandemic cost pressures.

Supporters counter that the programme offers a rare path to ownership for groups locked out of the housing market, and that the salary deduction structure is designed to remove the barriers that have sunk similar affordable home ownership schemes in the past. A final public consultation on the scheme’s rules is expected to launch by the end of the year, with the first properties available for participation in early 2025.

The government of Antigua and Barbuda has confirmed that it will keep its overseas study scholarship program active, even after rolling out free tuition for students at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. The policy will only restrict government-funded scholarships for degree programs that are already offered at the local campus, directing all international funding support to specialized training and disciplines not available domestically.

Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant issued this formal clarification during the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing held on Thursday. Merchant was asked to address public uncertainty over whether the new free tuition initiative at the local campus would lead to cuts or elimination of the long-running overseas scholarship program.

Merchant emphasized that the Caribbean nation currently holds a wide network of scholarship opportunities across the globe, with partner countries including Morocco, China, and India extending consistent study offers for Antigua and Barbuda students. He noted that these international opportunities remain a core part of the government’s investment in higher education for local youth.

The new policy framework, Merchant explained, is designed to create a clear, efficient division of public funding. If an academic program is already accessible at the Five Islands Campus, the government will not cover the cost of sending a student abroad to pursue the identical program. This approach is intended to avoid redundant public spending, stretch limited education budgets further, and bolster enrollment and development at the newly expanded local campus.

At the same time, the government will continue to fully support students pursuing overseas study in specialized fields that have not yet been added to the Five Islands Campus curriculum. This dual strategy balances two key policy goals: strengthening domestic higher education infrastructure while still ensuring local students can access specialized training that is not available within Antigua and Barbuda’s borders. Ultimately, the policy aims to maximize the return on public investment in tertiary education, opening up opportunities for students while growing the country’s local academic ecosystem.

The government of Antigua and Barbuda is implementing a sweeping new accountability framework that will require senior public sector leaders to submit formal quarterly performance reports to the national Cabinet, marking a significant shift in how government operations are overseen. Under the new system, permanent secretaries, department heads and other top officials will be required to regularly detail the progress of public programs, answer for their administrative stewardship, and update ministers on ongoing initiatives across all areas of the public service. The policy gained formal approval during a recent weekly Cabinet sitting, and was announced to the press Thursday by Maurice Merchant, the country’s Director General of Communications, at the conclusion of the administration’s regular post-Cabinet media briefing. Merchant explained that the idea for the routine review process grew out of an extensive multi-hour presentation delivered to Cabinet on Wednesday by more than a dozen senior officials from the Ministry of Finance. During that session, finance team members walked ministers through a granular breakdown of the government’s second-quarter fiscal performance, covering key metrics including customs revenue collection, overall public expenditure, national debt reduction progress, and other core elements of the country’s current financial standing. Merchant noted that the in-depth reporting exercise occupied a large portion of the Cabinet’s agenda, with the detailed presentation capturing the full attention of participating ministers. Following the session, Cabinet members collectively agreed that the level of transparency and insight provided by the finance presentation offered substantial value to government oversight, prompting the decision to formalize this reporting structure as a permanent requirement across the entire public administration. The rollout of the new quarterly review system will begin with the Ministry of Tourism, which has been selected as the first ministry to deliver its performance update to the full Cabinet. Merchant confirmed that the tourism ministry’s initial presentation is scheduled to take place within the next two weeks. After the tourism ministry’s session, the reporting requirement will be gradually expanded to cover every remaining government ministry and department, ensuring that all areas of public administration are subject to routine Cabinet-level oversight. At this stage, Merchant did not clarify whether the quarterly performance presentations will be released to the general public, but confirmed the phased rollout plan will bring all government entities under the new accountability framework in due course. This policy represents a formal commitment by the Antigua and Barbuda government to strengthening administrative oversight and ensuring consistent, regular accountability for senior public officials across all branches of the public service.