Carib Scope

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  • Statement on the Passing of Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, Chief Fisheries Officer of Barbados, by the Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)

    Statement on the Passing of Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, Chief Fisheries Officer of Barbados, by the Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)

    The Caribbean regional fisheries sector is in mourning following the sudden death of Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, Barbados’ widely respected Chief Fisheries Officer, announced in an official statement from the Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) on 14 June 2026. On behalf of the entire CRFM Secretariat, Dr. Marc Williams, CRFM Executive Director, extended heartfelt condolences to Cox’s family, friends, professional colleagues, and all members of Barbados’ fishing community as they navigate this period of profound loss.

    Over the course of her decades-long, distinguished career, Dr. Cox demonstrated unwavering commitment, sharp expertise, and relentless passion in her service to both Barbados and the broader Caribbean region. In her leadership role as Chief Fisheries Officer, she drove transformative progress across core priorities for the sector: advancing science-backed sustainable fisheries management frameworks, building greater social and economic resilience for small-scale fishing communities, championing ethical, long-term stewardship of shared marine resources, and fostering collaborative regional action on pressing challenges facing Caribbean fisheries and aquaculture. Her steady leadership, deep institutional knowledge, and principled commitment earned her widespread respect and admiration from peers across the Caribbean and in global fisheries circles.

    Dr. Cox’s impact extended far beyond the territorial waters of her home country. Through her active participation in leading regional fisheries initiatives and close collaborative partnerships with the CRFM and other regional and international organizations, she helped shape inclusive policies and impactful programs that have strengthened regional fisheries governance, improved regional food and nutrition security, and lifted the livelihoods of thousands of small-scale fisherfolk and seafood industry workers across the Caribbean. Her perspective consistently carried weight in regional policy discussions, and her lifelong dedication to the sustainable development of the Caribbean fisheries sector has left an enduring legacy that will continue to benefit generations to come, according to Dr. Williams.

    In the wake of this immense loss, the entire CRFM community has joined the people of Barbados in mourning the death of a fierce, steadfast advocate for fishing communities. “They can find comfort in the extraordinary impact she achieved during her lifetime, and in the countless lives she touched through her dedicated public service,” Dr. Williams added. The CRFM joins Barbados in honoring Dr. Cox’s life of service, dedicated to advancing the fisheries sector and improving the well-being of all Caribbean people. May her soul rest in peace.

  • FLASH: The Inspector General of the PNH, his wife and his 6-year-old daughter kidnapped

    FLASH: The Inspector General of the PNH, his wife and his 6-year-old daughter kidnapped

    In a brazen act of violence that has shaken Haiti’s already unstable security landscape, a top Haitian law enforcement and defense official was abducted alongside his family last week in a zone officially marked as high-security, marking the most high-profile kidnapping of a senior government figure in the country in years.

    On June 11, 2026, Inspector General James Boyard of the Haitian National Police (PNH) — who also serves as Chief of Staff to Haiti’s Minister of Defense and is a widely respected senior security expert — was intercepted by a heavily armed gang contingent on the highway connecting the Port-au-Prince neighborhoods of Bourdon and Lalue. The kidnappers did not stop at seizing Boyard; they also took his wife and 6-year-old daughter, who holds United States citizenship, according to confirmation from the Associated Press.

    Haitian police investigative sources have linked the abduction to the Ti Bwa gang, a violent faction led by Christ-Roi Chéry, who operates under the alias “Chrisla”. Shortly after the kidnapping, the perpetrators issued a ransom demand for the safe return of the three hostages, though the exact sum requested has not been disclosed to the public. To date, Haiti’s Ministry of Defense has declined to issue any public statement or share details of ongoing response operations, a standard practice in high-stakes kidnapping cases designed to protect hostage lives and prevent disruption to sensitive negotiation or rescue efforts.

    Security analysts warn the abduction exposes alarming weaknesses in Haiti’s security framework and the growing boldness of armed gangs that control large swathes of the country. “A person of this rank usually receives significant police protection,” noted Diego Da Rin, an Haiti-focused analyst with the International Crisis Group. In his assessment, the successful kidnapping in a designated high-security zone points to extensive pre-planning and almost certainly required inside complicity from someone within Boyard’s own security detail.

    Da Rin added that gangs deliberately target two groups in high-value kidnappings: public officials and individuals with dual nationality, a strategy that serves two key goals. First, it allows gangs to demand far larger ransom payments. Second, it creates pressure on government authorities to hold off on offensive operations against gang-held territories where hostages are commonly held, giving the factions more breathing room to consolidate power.

    In recent weeks, Haitian security forces launched a major raid on Village de Dieu, a strategic territory controlled by the 5 Segond gang led by Johnson André — widely known as “Izo,” one of the most powerful and notorious gang leaders in Haiti. Da Rin confirmed that gangs have a history of moving high-profile kidnapping victims to hideouts within Village de Dieu, raising questions about whether Boyard and his family are being held there.

    This abduction comes amid a surging wave of kidnappings and gang violence that has crippled daily life across Haiti. In just three months between December 2025 and February 2026, at least 267 people were kidnapped across the country, according to recent United Nations data, with the majority of victims being adult men. Recent high-profile targets have included Haitian investigative journalists and foreign missionaries, demonstrating that gangs do not limit their attacks to private citizens and have increasingly targeted individuals connected to the Haitian government and international community.

  • Gunmen abduct senior security official in Haiti’s capital

    Gunmen abduct senior security official in Haiti’s capital

    Haiti’s already fragile security landscape has been jolted by the high-profile abduction of one of the country’s top law enforcement and defense officials, multiple sources confirm. James Boyard, who holds three critical roles — cabinet director for Haiti’s Ministry of Defense, inspector general of the Haitian National Police, and a leading security analyst — was taken captive by armed assailants this week, an anonymous source with direct knowledge of the incident told the Associated Press Saturday.

    The kidnapping marks the most high-ranking official abduction in the gang-plagued Caribbean nation in recent memory. Local reporting indicates Boyard was seized on Thursday in Bourdon, a neighborhood in the capital Port-au-Prince long regarded as one of the few relatively secure areas in the city. Currently, an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince falls under the control of Viv Ansanm, a powerful unified gang coalition that the United States formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization in May 2025.

    A trained political scientist, Boyard has been at the center of two of Haiti’s most critical national security efforts: leading initiatives to rebuild the country’s national armed forces and conducting institutional assessments of the Haitian National Police to guide long-overdue reform. As of Saturday, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction, and there was no public confirmation of whether the kidnappers have demanded a ransom payment.

    Diego Da Rin, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, pointed out that a senior official of Boyard’s standing would typically be assigned a significant personal security detail. This, he argued, suggests the kidnapping was carefully planned and likely involved insider collaboration from someone within Boyard’s own security team.

    Da Rin added that kidnappings are increasingly encroaching on the pockets of Port-au-Prince that were once considered safe havens from gang activity. He detailed common tactics used by assailants, including gang members disguising themselves in police uniforms to stop drivers under the guise of official law enforcement operations.

    The analyst noted that gangs have increasingly shifted their targeting strategy in recent months, focusing on public officials and individuals with dual nationality. This shift, he explained, serves two key gang objectives: securing larger ransom payments to fund their operations, and applying political pressure to discourage Haitian police from launching offensive operations against gang-controlled territories where kidnapping victims are often held.

    In recent weeks, Haitian security forces have launched a crackdown on Village de Dieu, a stronghold controlled by the 5 Segond gang led by Johnson Andre — widely known by his alias “Izo,” one of the most powerful gang leaders in the country. Da Rin confirmed that gangs have recently been transferring many kidnapping victims to this contested territory.

    High-profile abductions in Haiti have previously targeted foreign missionaries and local Haitian journalists. Latest UN data on kidnapping trends in the country shows that 267 abductions were reported between December 2025 and February 2026, the majority of which involved male victims. For the full year of 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were recorded, representing a nearly 40% drop from the 2,058 cases reported in 2024.

  • Minister Samuda to attend 11th Our Ocean Conference in Kenya

    Minister Samuda to attend 11th Our Ocean Conference in Kenya

    In a move that underscores Jamaica’s longstanding dedication to global ocean protection and climate action, Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda will embark on a trip to coastal Kenya next month to take part in a landmark global environmental summit. From June 16 to 18, Samuda will join hundreds of international leaders and stakeholders in Mombasa and Kilifi counties for the 11th iteration of the Our Ocean Conference (OOC11), the first time this critical global gathering will be hosted on African soil.

    Organized around the unifying theme “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future,” this year’s conference brings together heads of state, senior policymakers, leading marine scientists, and private and civil society stakeholders from across the globe. The core mission of the three-day event is to accelerate tangible, actionable progress on three interconnected priorities: protecting vulnerable ocean ecosystems, boosting coastal communities’ ability to withstand climate change impacts, and building an inclusive, sustainable blue economy that benefits both people and the planet.

    In an official statement released by Jamaica’s Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, the department outlined that Samuda’s attendance is far more than a diplomatic gesture—it is a clear reflection of Jamaica’s unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship and cross-border cooperation on global climate and ocean challenges. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) on the frontlines of climate change and sea-level rise, Jamaica has long emerged as a leading voice for stronger global collaboration and increased targeted investment in marine protection. The country has consistently pushed for frameworks that not only safeguard critical ocean habitats but also generate equitable, long-term economic opportunities for the coastal communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems for their livelihoods.

    During his time at the conference, Samuda is scheduled to take part in a series of high-level plenary discussions focused on global ocean governance, as well as hold bilateral meetings with other ministers and stakeholder representatives. These engagements will center on strengthening international collaborative frameworks and showcasing the progress Jamaica has already made in advancing effective ocean governance and innovative environmental management practices.

    The statement reaffirmed that the Jamaican government remains fully committed to advancing domestic policies that protect the country’s rich natural resources, while continuing to contribute meaningfully to global collective efforts to tackle the climate crisis and preserve the long-term health of the world’s shared oceans.

  • US-Iran peace deal announced with ‘permanent’ end to military action

    US-Iran peace deal announced with ‘permanent’ end to military action

    After more than three months of open conflict that roiled global energy markets and raised fears of a wider regional war, a landmark peace agreement between the United States and Iran has been reached, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who led the mediation effort, announced Sunday. The deal mandates an immediate and permanent halt to all military operations across every active front, including the ongoing confrontation in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

    Sharif confirmed the breakthrough in an official post on X, stating that the agreement is fully finalized and a formal signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 19 in Switzerland. He extended gratitude to both American and Iranian negotiating teams for choosing diplomatic dialogue over continued confrontation, and also acknowledged the supportive mediation roles played by leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey in facilitating the talks.

    Shortly after Sharif’s announcement, US President Donald Trump – marking his 80th birthday on Sunday – issued his own official confirmation of the deal. In his statement, Trump announced he had authorized the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade that had been imposed on Iranian ports in response to Iran’s earlier closure of the strategic waterway. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump said in the address.

    The road to Sunday’s announcement was marked by last-minute turbulence that nearly derailed the agreement. Just hours before the confirmation, an Israeli airstrike targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the suburbs of Beirut – an action Iran had warned would derail diplomatic progress – left Tehran refusing to issue a formal confirmation of the deal and declined to share a clear timeline for finalizing an agreement. Earlier Sunday, Trump himself publicly blamed Israel for the delay, saying the uncoordinated strike had pushed back progress on the agreement.

    This is not the first time an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs has disrupted ceasefire efforts. A similar attack earlier this year triggered a sharp escalation: Iran responded with a massive barrage of retaliatory missiles, and Israel launched follow-up strikes, breaking a weeks-long quiet that had held since April.

    Tehran has consistently maintained that any final peace agreement must address the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has waged a months-long military campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group. The current round of conflict erupted in late February, when US and Israeli forces launched joint strikes on Iranian targets. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and regional US allies, and effectively shut down all commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s most critical chokepoint for global oil and natural gas supplies, which carries roughly a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption. In response, the US imposed a full naval blockade on traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, escalating the economic and military standoff.

  • Air Peace Evacuates 262 Nigerians from South Africa Amid Xenophobic Attacks

    Air Peace Evacuates 262 Nigerians from South Africa Amid Xenophobic Attacks

    In a coordinated public-private humanitarian mission, Nigerian commercial carrier Air Peace has successfully brought home 262 Nigerian citizens who fled escalating xenophobic violence targeting foreign migrants in South Africa. The evacuation operation, launched in partnership with Nigeria’s federal government, delivered the evacuees to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where waiting government officials and representatives from multiple support agencies greeted the returnees upon their arrival.

    The unprecedented repatriation effort was triggered by a surge in organized xenophobic attacks across several South African provinces that left foreign nationals, including hundreds of Nigerians residing and working in the country, facing severe threats to their personal safety. As reports of violent unrest spread, large numbers of at-risk Nigerians reached out to Nigerian authorities requesting urgent assistance to return to their home country, prompting the joint response between the government and Air Peace.

    Passengers interviewed after disembarking shared widespread gratitude for the rapid intervention that got them out of the dangerous environment. Local government agencies have already begun rolling out coordinated support services to help the returning evacuees resettle and address any immediate needs they face following their sudden departure from South Africa.

    For Air Peace, the mission is far more than a one-off transport operation: company leadership framed the evacuation as a living demonstration of the carrier’s long-standing commitment to standing with Nigerian citizens during global crises, and supporting impact-driven humanitarian causes. Air Peace’s statement also emphasized that the successful outcome of the operation highlights just how critical cross-sector collaboration between government and private industry is when responding to emergencies that involve citizens living abroad. In times of transnational crisis, unified public-private action can deliver life-saving support that neither sector could accomplish alone, the airline noted.

  • Venezuela hekelt Trinidad en Tobago om olielek: milieu- en economische schade dreigt

    Venezuela hekelt Trinidad en Tobago om olielek: milieu- en economische schade dreigt

    A new cross-border oil leak originating from waters near Trinidad and Tobago has reached Venezuela’s coastline, triggering a formal environmental and diplomatic alert from Caracas that risks pushing already frayed bilateral relations to a breaking point.

    Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a public statement Friday warning that the unregulated spill poses severe risks to the region’s sensitive coastal marine ecosystems, local artisanal and commercial fishing industries, and small coastal communities that depend on marine resources for their livelihoods. The statement formally demands that the government of Trinidad and Tobago accept full accountability for the incident, take immediate emergency action to stop the spread of the leak and prevent further contamination events, and provide complete public transparency on the leak’s root cause, the total volume of oil released, and the full scope of potential environmental damage.

    In response to Caracas’ allegations, authorities in Port of Spain have launched a full investigation into the suspected spill. Energy Minister Roodal Moonilal confirmed to Reuters that the country’s air guard and coast guard have been deployed to conduct on-site marine surveys, supplemented by drone monitoring to map the extent of any pollution and confirm the facts of the incident. Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also reached out to the Venezuelan embassy in Port of Spain to request additional details and coordinate preliminary information sharing.

    While Venezuelan officials have not yet released a detailed list of specific affected coastal areas, independent satellite imagery has confirmed the presence of an active oil slick moving toward the Venezuelan coastline. The close geographic proximity of the two countries – their maritime territories lie just 10 kilometers apart at the closest point – means any pollution event originating near Trinidad and Tobago spreads rapidly to Venezuelan waters, explaining the immediate impact reported by Caracas.

    Bilateral relations between the two neighboring Caribbean nations have remained tense since Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar took office in 2022. Persad-Bissessar’s administration has implemented strict restrictive migration policies targeting Venezuelan refugees fleeing the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis, and has significantly deepened diplomatic and economic ties with the United States. Tensions escalated further earlier this year following the controversial 2024 arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an international incident that split regional diplomacy.

    This latest spill echoes a nearly identical incident just five months prior, in February 2024, when an oil tanker sank in Trinidad and Tobago’s territorial waters. The resulting oil slick drifted north into Venezuelan territorial waters, triggering a similar diplomatic row between the two governments that left long-running environmental damage along Venezuela’s southern coast.

    International observers tracking Caribbean regional relations warn that this new set of mutual accusations over the oil leak could push the already fragile bilateral relationship into a deeper crisis, with both environmental damage and economic harm to local communities hanging in the balance. Regional diplomatic bodies have called for urgent, transparent collaborative action between the two governments to contain the spill, mitigate environmental harm, and prevent further diplomatic escalation that would undermine efforts to address the crisis.

  • Schenking US$ 3 miljoen Caribisch Ontwikkelingsbank bestemd voor ontwikkelingsprojecten

    Schenking US$ 3 miljoen Caribisch Ontwikkelingsbank bestemd voor ontwikkelingsprojecten

    The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has greenlit a $3 million grant for Suriname as part of the 11th cycle of its long-running anti-poverty initiative, the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF 11). The full non-lending funding package totals more than $3.42 million, with the Surinamese government contributing a matching $422,245 to support five targeted development projects focused on education, water access, community growth, and economic empowerment for Indigenous populations across the country. Details of the approved projects are outlined in Suriname’s Ministry of Finance and Planning 2026 budget documentation.

    The first of the five initiatives aims to strengthen ICT knowledge within Suriname’s vocational education sector. As regional and national labor markets face growing demand for workers with technical and digital skills, the project is designed to better align young job seekers’ competencies with employer needs. The second project will deliver comprehensive renovations to five public primary schools; while specific site locations have not yet been released, the upgrade is expected to dramatically improve learning conditions for thousands of students.

    One of the most unique projects approved is an initiative to expand stingless bee cultivation among Indigenous communities in southern Suriname. Regarded globally as a sustainable livelihood activity, the apiculture project not only creates new income streams for marginalized groups but also supports regional biodiversity conservation and natural ecosystem protection. Fourth, a new footpath connecting multiple schools in the Brokopondo district will be constructed, addressing a longstanding barrier to education access for remote inland villages that currently struggle with limited transportation connectivity. The final project will upgrade water infrastructure for the Wayana Indigenous community in Lensidede, with the core goal of expanding reliable access to safe drinking water for residents.

    Established in 1979, the BNTF is the CDB’s flagship grant program focused on poverty reduction across the Caribbean region. To date, the initiative has reached more than 3 million people across participating member states and supported thousands of local development projects. The 11th funding cycle, BNTF 11, runs from 2025 through the end of 2028, with a total regional allocation of approximately $53.6 million. Of that total, $46 million comes from the CDB’s Special Development Fund, with remaining contributions provided by participating national governments including Suriname.

    The program’s core priorities across all funding cycles align closely with the projects approved for Suriname: expanding access to education and vocational training, improving livelihoods and employment outcomes, upgrading water and sanitation access, building critical basic infrastructure, and supporting vulnerable populations including youth, women, people with disabilities, and Indigenous communities. Suriname has been a long-standing participant in the BNTF program, with the Ministry of Finance and Planning serving as the national implementing partner for all initiatives. Importantly, the funding is not general budget support, nor is it a loan; all resources are earmarked exclusively for on-the-ground projects that directly serve low-income and vulnerable communities across the country, in line with the BNTF’s core mission of reducing poverty and protecting marginalized groups.

  • Seized AK-47s are US-made

    Seized AK-47s are US-made

    In a major joint law enforcement operation targeting illegal weapons trafficking, Guyanese authorities have seized 23 United States-manufactured AK-47 assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Schoonord, West Bank Demerara, senior law enforcement officials confirmed Friday. One suspect has been taken into custody, while two other accomplices managed to evade capture following the Thursday night interdiction, according to Deputy Police Commissioner Wendell Blanhum, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

    Ballistic experts have already confirmed that all 23 seized assault rifles originated from the U.S. Blanhum noted that one of the weapons still has its original serial number fully intact, while the identifying markings on the remaining 22 rifles have been deliberately destroyed to hinder tracing efforts. Along with the firearms, officers seized a substantial cache of ammunition; local outlet Demerara Waves has confirmed the haul totals 504 rounds of 7.62X39 caliber, the standard ammunition for the AK-47 platform.

    The intercepted cache was discovered during a targeted stop of a suspicious motor vehicle, carried out through a partnership between the Guyana Police Force and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), an agency focused on disrupting cross-border illicit trade. The arrested suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Jonathan Gans, a Venezuelan national residing in Third Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara. As of Friday afternoon, Gans remained in police custody as detectives conduct ongoing interrogations, while CID Crime Laboratory firearms specialists continue forensic examinations of the seized weapons to build a full case file.

    The seizure comes as Guyana and the broader Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have for years repeatedly called on the United States to step up collaborative efforts to stem the steady flow of illegally trafficked firearms into the region. In response to these regional concerns, the U.S. has previously extended an invitation for Caribbean nations to join the Regional Integrated Ballistic Information Network (RIBIN), a cross-border database system designed to help detect, track, and intercept illicit weapons moving through the Caribbean.

    This latest high-volume weapons seizure also follows a separate major arms bust just one month prior, when 10 other AK-47 assault rifles were recovered in Berbice. Three Guyanese nationals are currently facing prosecution in court over that earlier incident, underscoring the growing challenge of transnational weapons trafficking impacting the South American Caribbean nation.

  • Dominica advances climate adaptation efforts with launch of DOMCREP

    Dominica advances climate adaptation efforts with launch of DOMCREP

    A landmark $70.2 million climate resilience initiative is set to transform the lives of more than 8,000 people across eight high-risk communities in Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced during a recent press briefing.

    Named the Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP), the initiative is financed by the Green Climate Fund and executed in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. Skerrit framed the investment as a targeted boost for three of the island nation’s most critical pillars: its people, local communities, and the agricultural sector.

    Under the project, over 520 smallholder farmers and agricultural processors will gain access to cutting-edge climate-smart agricultural tools, upgraded irrigation infrastructure, commercial greenhouses, and other tailored support. These interventions are designed to shore up the country’s domestic food security, raise overall agricultural output, and directly increase household incomes for working farmers, Skerrit explained. Beyond agriculture, the program will also upgrade critical water infrastructure to improve long-term water security, reinforce national emergency response systems, and boost local communities’ ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events that have grown increasingly frequent due to climate change.

    Skerrit emphasized that DOMCREP marks another major milestone in Dominica’s decades-long push to build national climate resilience. For years, the island government has prioritized investments in climate-adapted infrastructure, including disaster-resistant housing, reinforced roads and bridges, upgraded healthcare and educational facilities, expanded renewable energy capacity, and improved early warning and disaster preparedness networks. DOMCREP builds on this existing foundation by centering the needs of communities and populations that are disproportionately exposed to climate harms, equipping them to adapt to shifting conditions, bounce back faster after disasters, and grow sustainably.

    The eight communities set to directly receive funding and support are Campbell, Colihaut, Coulibistrie, Pichelin, Bagatelle, Good Hope, Petite Soufriere, and San Sauveur. Skerrit called on residents, participating farmers, processors, local community organizations, women, and youth to actively take advantage of the training, funding, and economic opportunities the project will roll out in the coming months. He added that the long-term success of the initiative will hinge on full community participation, cross-stakeholder collaboration, and local ownership of the resilience projects.

    “DOMCREP is first and foremost an investment in people,” Skerrit said. “It is an investment in food security, economic opportunity, and community resilience. Most importantly, it is an investment in a future where our communities are stronger, more self-reliant, and better prepared to face the unrelenting challenges of a changing climate.”

    In addition to DOMCREP, Skerrit revealed that the Dominican government is advancing two additional climate-focused proposals worth a combined $187 million in partnership with the 5Cs initiative, which supports local citrus, cocoa, coffee, coconut, and cannabis sectors. A portion of these funds will be allocated to repairing critical road edge failures, particularly in the heavily impacted Belles region of the island.