Carib Scope

分类： world

  • Fidel Castro in the memory of the people

    Fidel Castro in the memory of the people

    A century after his birth, Fidel Castro Ruz remains one of the most transformative and widely recognized figures in modern global history, his decades-long leadership shaping not only the trajectory of Cuba but also leaving an indelible mark on small Caribbean nations like Grenada.

    Born into a context of stark systemic inequality in Cuba’s Birán in August 1926, Castro’s early awareness of the injustices of the island’s neocolonial political order pushed him toward revolutionary action. The 1953 assault on the Moncada Barracks marked the opening salvo of his movement, a years-long struggle that culminated in the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution. From the very start of his leadership, Castro centered two non-negotiable principles: unwavering defense of national sovereignty and relentless pursuit of domestic social justice.

    Key milestones of his early tenure cemented this legacy. Within months of taking power, he launched Operation Truth to shape a public narrative of the revolution that reflected the aspirations of working Cubans, followed by the landmark Agrarian Reform Law that broke up large, concentrated landholdings and redistributed property to thousands of landless peasants. In 1961, Castro personally led Cuban forces to defeat a U.S.-sponsored invasion at Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs), a victory that consolidated the revolution’s domestic legitimacy and became a global symbol of resistance to great power interference.

    Castro always framed Cuba’s revolution as a global project of solidarity for marginalized nations. As early as 1962, Cuba deployed medical personnel to Algeria, launching what would become a decades-long program of international cooperation that would spread across the Global South. For Caribbean nations including Grenada, this commitment translated to tangible, life-changing support: Cuban doctors, educators, and full university scholarships for hundreds of young Grenadian students.

    The most iconic example of this bilateral collaboration remains Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport, a major infrastructure project built with extensive Cuban support that still stands as a core symbol of friendship between the two nations. When the Grenadian Revolution launched in the late 1970s, it received open backing from the Cuban people under Castro’s direction, a show of solidarity that reflected his longstanding commitment to backing other Third World movements fighting foreign intervention and oppression.

    A 1998 state visit by Castro to Grenada marked a pivotal turning point for bilateral ties, far beyond a routine diplomatic engagement. The trip reaffirmed the deep historical connection between the two countries forged during the era of Maurice Bishop, and laid the groundwork for expanded modern cooperation. It also solidified a shared vision: that small Caribbean nations could stand together to defend their collective sovereignty in an unequal global order.

    One hundred years after his birth, Castro’s legacy endures for both Cuba and Grenada, and for hundreds of thousands of people across the Global South who see in his life a model of resistance and solidarity. Whether admired or criticized, his figure remains an enduring symbol of national dignity and collective action against oppression for Caribbean peoples and progressive movements around the world.

    This op-ed contribution is from Ariel Pazos Ortiz, Consul of the Embassy of Cuba in Grenada. NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for the opinions and content shared by contributing authors.

  • CDB and World Bank review Grenada projects to improve implementation

    CDB and World Bank review Grenada projects to improve implementation

    Two leading global development institutions, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the World Bank Group, have successfully concluded a collaborative portfolio review of active development projects in Grenada, reaching a consensus on a targeted set of reforms designed to accelerate project delivery and amplify the impact of investments across the island nation.

    Per an official press statement released by the CDB, the week-long Portfolio Review Mission brought together senior technical officials from both funding bodies alongside senior representatives from multiple Grenadian government agencies, including the Ministry of Economic Development, Planning, and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Mobilisation, Implementation and Transformation. Local line ministries and implementing agencies that directly manage on-the-ground project activities also participated, and the review process concluded with high-level talks with Grenada’s cabinet ministers.

    The joint assessment covered 11 ongoing capital infrastructure and technical assistance projects financed through CDB funding, spanning a wide range of priority sectors critical to Grenada’s long-term sustainable development: coastal erosion protection, potable water access, public healthcare infrastructure, primary and secondary education, sustainable agricultural production, renewable energy expansion, and national development monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

    Notable projects included in the review were Grenada’s high-profile Geothermal Drilling Project, a key initiative that underpins the country’s national transition away from fossil fuels to low-carbon renewable energy; the Southern St. George Water Supply Expansion Project, which aims to address chronic water access gaps and expand reliable service for communities in the region; and Phase 2 of the national Grenada Education Enhancement Project, which is delivering infrastructure upgrades and learning resources to schools across the country’s islands.

    Additional key projects reviewed included Climate Smart Agriculture Phase 2, an initiative that supports smallholder farmers to adopt climate-resilient growing practices, strengthen rural household incomes, and improve national food security, as well as the Health Sector Strengthening Project, which focuses on modernizing public healthcare facilities and upgrading service delivery for Grenadian citizens.

    During the review, participating working groups addressed common operational bottlenecks that often slow project delivery, covering challenges related to public procurement processes, compliance with environmental and social safeguard standards, progress monitoring frameworks, and proactive risk management strategies. The joint review ran concurrently with a separate routine World Bank Country Portfolio Performance Review, allowing for coordinated alignment of assessment findings.

    L. O’Reilly Lewis, Director of the CDB’s Projects Department, highlighted the high level of collaboration between Grenada’s government and the two development institutions throughout the review process. “There was strong engagement from the project teams and line ministries in Grenada during the portfolio review,” Lewis noted. “Together with the World Bank, we believe this collaborative effort will translate into tangible development results and stronger resilience for all Grenadians.”

    As part of the assessment, the joint mission delegation conducted site visits to four priority projects to observe progress firsthand. In Concord, officials reviewed construction and implementation work on the Southern St. Georges Water Supply Expansion Project, which is engineered to reduce the island’s vulnerability to recurring drought and water shortages in the southern region. The delegation also traveled to project sites for Climate Smart Agriculture Phase 2 to assess how earlier investments in climate-resilient farming practices are being scaled to benefit more rural communities.

    Gail Richardson, World Bank Operations Manager for the Caribbean, explained that the joint review model was intentionally designed to cut through bureaucratic delays, speed up implementation, and maximize the impact of development investments in Grenada. “The World Bank has worked closely with the CDB through this joint review in order to expedite program implementation and the achievement of development results that advance Grenada’s resilience and growth agenda, while expanding opportunities for jobs and livelihoods,” Richardson said.

    Mike Sylvester, Permanent Secretary in Grenada’s Ministry of Finance, welcomed the findings of the review and reaffirmed the Grenadian government’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with both the CDB and World Bank. “The Government of Grenada values this comprehensive review and its partnership with CDB and the World Bank,” Sylvester stated. “The mission has reinforced our shared commitment to delivering meaningful development outcomes and strengthening the implementation of projects that are critical to Grenada’s sustainable growth and resilience.”

    At the conclusion of the mission, all parties reached formal agreement on a clear set of actionable steps: these include targeted reforms to improve project implementation speed and increase fund disbursement rates, the identification of new avenues for deeper collaboration between the CDB and World Bank on future initiatives, and an updated pipeline of planned CDB-funded projects for Grenada over the coming years.

    The CDB confirmed that a formal joint management letter, which will detail the review’s full findings and outline the agreed-upon implementation actions, will be transmitted to the Government of Grenada in the coming weeks.

    This joint review forms part of the two institutions’ ongoing long-term development engagement with Grenada, and aligns directly with the CDB’s newly launched Strategic Plan 2026–2035, which centers its work on strengthening regional public institutions, expanding multi-stakeholder partnerships, and ensuring development investments build lasting climate and economic resilience and expand opportunity across all Caribbean nations.

  • OP-ED: Fidel at 100 – A legacy of dignity, solidarity and resilience

    OP-ED: Fidel at 100 – A legacy of dignity, solidarity and resilience

    On August 13, 2026, the Caribbean region pauses to mark a historic milestone: the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro, the iconic founding leader of the Cuban Revolution. This day is far more than a ceremonial tribute to a political figure; it is a collective reflection on the life, ideals, and lasting global impact of a man who redefined Cuba’s national identity and inspired solidarity movements across the Global South.

    For Cubans, the centenary offers a moment to revisit the foundational values that Fidel Castro embedded into the Cuban project after the 1959 revolution. Under his leadership, the Cuban government positioned national independence, territorial sovereignty, and self-determination as non-negotiable pillars of public life, alongside core social commitments to universal public education, free healthcare, scientific advancement, and human dignity. Unlike many nations that frame access to basic services as market-dependent privileges, Cuba enshrined education and healthcare as inalienable human rights for all citizens. This vision led to the total eradication of illiteracy within years of the revolution, the construction of one of the world’s most accessible universal public health systems, and the training of generations of skilled medical professionals and scientists that have extended Cuba’s humanitarian reach far beyond its borders.

    One of the most tangible manifestations of this solidarity legacy can be found in the small Caribbean nation of Dominica. When Dominica achieved full independence in 1978, its leadership turned to the international community for support to build out its domestic public services, and Fidel Castro’s Cuba was among the first to answer that call. Just one year later, the first cohort of Dominican students departed for Cuba to pursue higher education. In the decades since, more than 400 Dominican students have graduated from Cuban universities and technical institutions, with over 130 earning degrees in medicine. Beyond education, Cuban development cooperation has supported Dominican progress across key sectors including public health infrastructure, school construction, and community development projects.

    This year holds double significance for the two Caribbean nations: alongside Fidel Castro’s centenary, they are also celebrating 30 years of formal diplomatic relations. But officials on both sides emphasize that the fraternal bond between Cuba and Dominica predates formal diplomatic recognition, forged through decades of mutual solidarity rooted in shared experiences of colonialism and a commitment to South-South cooperation.

    The centenary commemoration comes at a moment of extraordinary economic and social strain for Cuba, as the decades-long United States economic, commercial, and financial blockade has been intensified in recent years, with new restrictions severely limiting the country’s access to global fuel supplies. Fuel scarcity is not merely an energy issue for Cuba: it directly undermines the functioning of core public services, cutting electricity to hospitals, interrupting cold chain storage for life-saving medications, reducing access to clean drinking water, slowing domestic food production, and disrupting the daily operations of nearly every sector of society.

    Data presented at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on July 7, 2026, underscores the staggering human and economic cost of the blockade. Between March 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, total damages from the sanctions reached a record high of $8.083 billion at current market prices, representing a 7% increase from the previous year’s total. That averages out to $22 million in economic losses every single day. Cubans often describe the ongoing blockade as a “permanent hurricane”: a constant, unrelenting force designed to wear down the population and make daily survival untenable. But as Dominicans, who have faced their own share of devastating Atlantic hurricanes, understand well, communities can withstand extreme hardship, rebuild stronger after crisis, and emerge more united than before.

    Cuban leaders and citizens alike affirm that they will follow that same path, drawing strength from the legacy of the revolution and the achievements they have built over decades, rooted in the principles Fidel Castro helped establish. A little-known, defining detail of Fidel Castro’s legacy also shaped this year’s commemorations: per his explicit request before his death, no public statues, monuments, or buildings bearing his name dot Cuba’s public landscape. He insisted that his legacy should not be carved into stone or bronze, but instead live on in the Cuban people, in their collective values, and in their daily actions to defend the revolution’s gains.

    One hundred years after his birth, that legacy remains vibrantly alive across Cuba, carried by generations of citizens who continue to prioritize human dignity and national sovereignty. In Dominica, that legacy lives on too: in the hundreds of Dominican professionals whose lives and careers were shaped by Cuban educational support, in the Cuban-trained doctors who serve Dominican communities across the country, and in the unbreakable fraternal bond between the two Caribbean nations.

    Today, the most enduring monument to Fidel Castro is not a structure built of hard materials: it is a people that remembers its history, resists external pressure, and continues to believe in the vision of a more just and sovereign world. As the two nations mark this centenary, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to preserving and growing the solidarity between Cuba and Dominica for generations to come, closing with a collective tribute: Happy 100th birthday, Fidel!

  • KPS versterkt misdaadanalyse met Amerikaanse ondersteuning

    KPS versterkt misdaadanalyse met Amerikaanse ondersteuning

    On August 12, a five-day specialized data analysis training program for the Korps Politie Suriname (KPS) concluded with a certificate ceremony, marking a key milestone in the South American nation’s transition to modern, data-centered law enforcement. Developed to address gaps in how the Suriname Police Force collects and interprets crime data, the initiative aims to help officers deploy limited resources more strategically and target crime-fighting efforts more effectively.

    The training was delivered through a partnership between the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) under the U.S. Department of State, the Pan American Development Foundation, and the U.S. Embassy in Suriname. Participants included criminal intelligence analysts from KPS’s Criminal Information Service, alongside the force’s information and communications technology staff.

    Over the course of the program, attendees built practical skills in core tools including Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, alongside learning standardized practices for data validation and data visualization. The curriculum is designed to not only improve the accuracy of crime information recording but also enable systematic, repeatable analysis of emerging criminal trends.

    According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, upgrading KPS’s capacity for crime data collection, management, and analysis will empower police leadership to make more informed, evidence-based operational decisions. Enhanced data capabilities will also allow the force to allocate personnel and equipment to high-need areas more precisely, and track shifting crime patterns in real time. This aligns with the global shift toward data-driven policing, where decisions about patrol deployment, surveillance coverage, and anti-crime initiatives are shaped by empirical data rather than anecdotal observation.

    The closing certificate ceremony was attended by senior officials including U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Paul Watzlavick, Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Security Harish Monorath, and KPS Chief Melvin Pinas. This training is part of the broader Better Police Readiness in Caribbean Law Enforcement Organizations project, a regional initiative focused on supporting law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean to transition to modern, data-centric institutional structures that prioritize evidence-based decision-making.

    U.S. officials noted that the support initiative forms part of Washington’s broader commitment to strengthening law enforcement capacity across the Caribbean and improving public safety outcomes for local communities. The partnership reflects ongoing security cooperation between the United States and Caribbean nations to address shared transnational and domestic security challenges through capacity building and institutional modernization.

  • Belizean Americans Take Advantage of Immigration Services in Chicago

    Belizean Americans Take Advantage of Immigration Services in Chicago

    On a Saturday in Chicago, Illinois, hundreds of Belizeans living across the United States gathered for a one-of-a-kind event: a mobile diaspora clinic hosted by Belize’s Ministry of Immigration. Designed to deliver critical government services directly to Belizean communities living thousands of miles from their home country, the clinic eliminated the need for costly, time-consuming travel back to Belize to handle passport renewals, nationality applications, and other immigration documentation. By the end of the day, more than 300 people had accessed the clinic’s services, and what many expected to be a routine administrative stop turned into an unexpected, joyful reunion with fellow Belizean expatriates.

    For many attendees, the clinic represented far more than just convenience—it was a chance to strengthen their connection to Belize and pass that cultural and legal ties down to the next generation. Emil Bevans, who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 15 years, described his experience at the clinic as 100% positive, noting that the services made it easier for him to reconnect with his roots and prepare for a return to his home soil. Gloria Alfaro, a Belizean-born U.S. resident, attended the clinic to secure nationality documentation for her daughter, with plans to complete the same process for her son to ensure both children hold Belizean citizenship. Another younger attendee shared that he came to the clinic to finalize his paperwork in advance of a planned move to Belize to join his mother, who has long dreamed of relocating back to her hometown of Succotz.

    Families traveled hundreds of miles across state lines to take advantage of the rare on-site services. Philip Johnson and his family made the trip from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to renew his daughter Cataleya’s passport and secure Belizean nationality for his son Nigel. Johnson praised the clinic’s team for their efficient, friendly work, saying his family deeply appreciated the effort to bring services directly to the diaspora. Anthony Staine, another attendee, emphasized that the mobile clinic has simplified the process of securing dual citizenship and documentation for U.S.-based Belizeans and their descendants far beyond what is possible when applying from abroad through traditional channels. “This process has been so much easier than trying to do it in Belize itself, and I’m so thankful,” Staine said.

    Even long-time expatriates who left Belize shortly after independence found the clinic accessible and straightforward. Eleanor Gallego, who left Belize (then still British Honduras) in 1981, the year the country gained independence, held an old British Honduras passport and needed to update her documentation. She said she was surprised by how simple and convenient the entire process was at the Chicago clinic.

    The clinic published clear, transparent pricing for all services: first-time passport issuance and renewals cost $250 U.S. dollars, while replacement of lost passports is priced at $300 U.S. dollars. This report is a transcript of an original televised newscast, with Kriol-language quotes rendered in standard spelling for accessibility. The full broadcast is available to view via the original publication’s portal.

  • Indigenous Water Rights Under Threat? IACHR Demands Action

    Indigenous Water Rights Under Threat? IACHR Demands Action

    Against the backdrop of the Ninth Inter-American Week for Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an autonomous human rights body under the Organization of American States (OAS), has issued an urgent appeal to governments throughout the Americas to prioritize and entrench Indigenous peoples’ fundamental right to self-determination.

    The week-long conference, which runs from August 11 to 15 2026, structured its agenda around key themes tied to Indigenous stewardship. Opening sessions on Monday centered on the critical connection between Indigenous identity and territorial sovereignty, while the agenda on August 12 shifted focus to water and air, designed to highlight the deep, interdependent relationship between Indigenous communities and the natural resources they have guarded for millennia.

    In a formal statement addressing the day’s theme, Riyad Insanally, IACHR’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, emphasized the unique cultural and existential role of water in Indigenous life across the hemisphere. “For Indigenous communities, water is far more than a commodity to be extracted or traded,” Insanally explained. “Rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers are living entities that carry generations of collective memory, anchor spiritual belief systems, and sustain the very fabric of community life. For centuries, Indigenous peoples have nurtured these water sources through traditional, sustainable practices that benefit entire regions.”

    Despite this centuries-long stewardship, Insanally confirmed that the IACHR continues to receive widespread reports of threats to Indigenous water access. Large-scale extractive industry operations, unregulated industrial agribusiness, and major infrastructure development projects have repeatedly contaminated critical water sources or blocked Indigenous communities’ access to these resources, in most cases without free, prior, and informed consultation required under international human rights law, he said.

    Water rights are not the only pressing concern documented by the commission. The IACHR’s ongoing monitoring has also uncovered a range of systemic harms facing Indigenous communities across the Americas, including widespread forced evictions from traditional territories, the criminalization of Indigenous leaders who peacefully defend their community’s lands, and persistent structural exclusion that disproportionately endangers Indigenous women through targeted violence and disenfranchisement.

    To address these escalating threats, Insanally urged all OAS member states to integrate the IACHR’s past recommendations into binding public policy, uphold existing legal and institutional protections for Indigenous rights, and expand meaningful, good-faith dialogue with elected Indigenous and tribal authorities and representative community organizations.

    The commission has also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting implementation efforts, stating it stands ready to provide targeted technical assistance to both national governments and Indigenous and tribal peoples as they work to codify and exercise the right to self-determination.

    The Inter-American Week for Indigenous Peoples will continue through Friday, with additional panel discussions, community testimonials, and working sessions planned to address ongoing challenges and advance collaborative solutions for Indigenous rights across the region.

  • Strangers Lift Slab by Hand to Save Baby Trapped in Colombia Quake

    Strangers Lift Slab by Hand to Save Baby Trapped in Colombia Quake

    On August 11, 2026, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake ripped across Colombia, leaving widespread destruction in its wake and triggering desperate search-and-rescue operations that have now stretched into their third day. As of Wednesday, the national death toll from the disaster has climbed past 200, with communities across the hardest-hit regions reeling from collapsed homes, infrastructure damage, and thousands displaced.

    One small moment of incredible courage and collective solidarity has cut through the grief, offering a glimmer of hope amid the catastrophe. Brian Osorio Zuluaga, a local resident, was speeding home on his motorbike in the immediate aftermath of the quake when he encountered the crumbled remains of a five-story building in the city of Cali. Even as bystanders warned of an imminent gas leak that could trigger a secondary explosion, Osorio Zuluaga refused to leave. He began calling out into the tangled mounds of concrete and steel, asking any trapped survivors to respond, before urging the entire crowd to fall quiet to listen for even the faintest sound.

    To his shock, a weak voice called back from deep beneath the rubble: “Yes, I’m here. I’m with a baby.”

    Without heavy digging equipment on site, Osorio Zuluaga and a growing group of civilian volunteers began clawing through the debris by hand, moving broken chunks of building material to reach the trapped pair. Their progress stalled when a large solid concrete slab blocked the final path to the survivors. The first collective attempt to lift the heavy slab failed, but the group did not give up. Counting in unison, “one, two, three, up,” dozens of strangers pulled together and heaved the slab out of the way, revealing the trapped baby and the man who had been protecting him.

    When the slab was moved, rescuers found the infant boy trapped with his skin already turning purple due to prolonged oxygen deprivation. As emergency workers cleared the remaining rubble around him, the baby’s color gradually returned, a promising sign for his recovery. The child was quickly passed through a chain of helpers to a waiting police officer, who rushed him straight to an awaiting ambulance for urgent medical care. The man who had shielded the baby through the collapse, trapped under a smaller concrete plank, was pulled from the wreckage just moments later.

    This small act of bravery is not an isolated story across earthquake-hit Colombia. On Tuesday, just one day after the quake hit, crowds broke into cheers in Cali when rescue teams pulled a woman alive from the rubble of another collapsed building. In the city of Pereira, CNN journalists on the ground witnessed rescuers and local volunteers forming unbroken human chains to pass buckets of cleared debris away from the wreckage of a fallen apartment building, working around the clock to reach any possible survivors still trapped. The disaster has left communities across the country grappling with massive loss, but widespread accounts of collective action and spontaneous solidarity from ordinary residents have become a cornerstone of the ongoing emergency response.

  • Beveiliger beschoten bij Royal Hill, ZiJin/RGM meldt reeks gewelddadige aanvallen

    Beveiliger beschoten bij Royal Hill, ZiJin/RGM meldt reeks gewelddadige aanvallen

    On August 9 at approximately 10:10 p.m. local time, a shooting incident targeting security staff at Zijin Rosebel Gold Mines (ZiJin/RGM) left one guard injured in the Royal Hill concession area of the company’s Surinamese operations, marking the most serious event in a growing string of violent attacks by unauthorized intruders on mine personnel. The injured guard was shot from the surrounding forest while conducting a routine patrol, hit by six lead pellets in his lower left leg. After receiving initial on-site first aid at the mine, he was transferred to the emergency department of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo, where he remains under ongoing care. Company representatives confirmed that the mine’s management is closely monitoring the guard’s condition and providing all necessary support for his treatment and recovery.

    This shooting is not an isolated incident, ZiJin/RGM emphasized. Just one week earlier, on August 2, a second security officer was attacked with stones thrown by unauthorized intruders, losing a tooth in the assault. Mine patrol teams assigned to monitor open pit areas have also faced repeated stone-throwing attacks over recent weeks. These consecutive events have created escalating safety risks for the mine’s security personnel, who are tasked with maintaining order and safety across the concession. The company called the August 9 shooting the most severe violent confrontation recorded in the area in recent months.

    All incidents have been formally reported to Surinamese law enforcement authorities. ZiJin/RGM has called on local officials to launch a prompt, thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and hold them legally accountable for the attacks. Beyond the investigation, the mining firm is pushing for strengthened, authority-led patrols across the concession, alongside what it describes as “lawful, necessary and proportional measures” to protect human life and preserve public order in the active mining region.

    ZiJin/RGM reaffirmed that it operates legally within its granted concession boundaries, and noted that all its security personnel operate under a formal code of conduct centered on restraint, de-escalation and non-violent response to incursions. The company confirmed that despite repeated attacks, security teams have maintained this restrained approach to all interactions with intruders. The mine also highlighted the inherent extreme dangers of unauthorized presence in active mining zones: open pit mining operations carry severe inherent safety hazards, so the company enforces measures to prevent unauthorized entry to protect all people in and around the concession. This commitment to safety, the firm noted, extends to all groups: its own employees, contract workers, neighboring community residents, and artisanal small-scale gold prospectors alike.

    “No person working to maintain safety and order should be subjected to gunfire, stone attacks, or any other form of violence,” a company spokesperson stated. “Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of their shift.”

  • ILO report: Global youth unemployment rises as young people face tougher job market

    ILO report: Global youth unemployment rises as young people face tougher job market

    A new 2026 report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) paints a sobering picture of the global youth labor market, revealing that worldwide youth unemployment climbed to 12.4% in 2025. This figure translates to roughly 67 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 locked out of formal work opportunities across the globe.

    Beyond unemployment, the report *Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026: Back to the Future* finds that the share of young people classified as not in employment, education or training (NEET) has also ticked upward, reaching 20% — a rate that impacts more than 257 million young people globally. Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment rates grew in eight out of the world’s 11 geographic subregions, a trend driven by overlapping headwinds: slowing global economic expansion, stagnant private and public sector job creation, escalating geopolitical tensions, and the rapid disruption of labor markets by technological transformation.
    ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo emphasized the far-reaching stakes of this ongoing crisis, noting that an entire generation locked out of dignified work cannot build stable, confident futures. When young people are systematically excluded from quality employment, he argued, nations do not just fail their populations — they lose critical talent, forego untapped economic productivity, and erode the social cohesion that supports long-term growth. Investing in decent work for young people, he added, is not merely a moral and social obligation: it is one of the highest-return investments any country can make.

    Regional breakdowns in the report show that some of the steepest youth unemployment increases have occurred in higher-income economies. In Northern America, the youth jobless rate jumped from 8.3% in 2023 to 9.8% in 2025. Across Northern, Southern and Western Europe, the unemployment rate held steady at 15% overall, with nearly two-thirds of the region’s countries reporting shrinking employment opportunities for young first-time workers.
    The report identifies a structural shift in labor demand as a key barrier to young people seeking stable careers: a steady decline in middle-skilled positions spanning clerical work, administrative roles, retail and service jobs, manufacturing positions, and many entry-level technical roles. This shift has squeezed young workers who once relied on these roles to launch their professional trajectories.

    Developing economies, meanwhile, face a distinct set of challenges: most must generate massive numbers of new decent jobs to keep up with rapidly growing youth populations. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, nearly nine out of 10 young workers between 15 and 29 hold informal jobs, which rarely offer stable incomes or access to social protection systems. Sub-Saharan Africa contends with particularly intense demographic pressure, while the Arab States and Northern Africa posted the world’s highest youth unemployment rates in 2025 at 26.2% and 22.6% respectively. In both regions, at least one in three young people fall into the NEET category.
    The report also devotes focused analysis to the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on youth employment, estimating that 6.1% of jobs held by 15 to 29-year-olds face very high exposure to AI-driven labor market shifts.
    Sukti Dasgupta, Director of the ILO’s Employment, Skills and Sustainable Enterprises Department, noted that public discourse around AI has grown increasingly loud and often polarizing. While the full direct impact of AI on total employment remains uncertain, Dasgupta warned against complacency and underestimating the disruptive risks the technology poses for young workers. To respond effectively, she said, nations must ramp up investment in accessible skills training, lifelong learning frameworks, and expanded social protection to equip young people to adapt to rapid change and capitalize on new opportunities. Crucially, Dasgupta emphasized that technological progress including AI must be structured to work for young people, not against their economic interests.

    To address the overlapping challenges facing the global youth labor market, the ILO is calling for a coordinated, multi-pronged policy response: human-centred governance of AI that prioritizes worker well-being, expanded access to robust education and apprenticeship opportunities, improved public employment services to connect young people to open roles, broader social protection coverage, and targeted macroeconomic policies designed to grow the number of decent work opportunities.
    Above all, the report stresses that the end goal is not simply creating more jobs of any kind. The priority must be delivering work that offers young people financial security, human dignity, and a clear, meaningful pathway to stable adulthood.

  • Colombia rouwt drie dagen om slachtoffers verwoestende aardbeving

    Colombia rouwt drie dagen om slachtoffers verwoestende aardbeving

    On August 12, Colombian authorities announced three days of national mourning following a catastrophic 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s western region just two days earlier, marking the most powerful seismic event to hit the nation this century. As of the latest update, the disaster has claimed the lives of at least 216 people, left thousands displaced, and reduced entire residential blocks to rubble in hard-hit urban centers.

    In a formal gesture of respect for all lives lost to the quake, the Colombian government has ordered flags lowered to half-mast at all public government buildings and diplomatic missions across the globe. Rescue teams, backed by heavy machinery, search dogs, and specialized equipment, have been working around the clock to sift through the wreckage of collapsed structures, with search efforts concentrated on the major cities of Pereira and Cali. Local volunteers have also joined the operation, forming human chains to clear debris by hand in a desperate push to locate any remaining trapped survivors before the narrow window for successful rescue closes.

    The critical 72-hour window after a major earthquake, widely recognized as the period with the highest chance of pulling trapped people alive from rubble, is winding down, but teams have not given up hope. That hope was reinforced this week when 32-year-old Daniela Largo was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building. Largo’s mother recounted that a neighborhood resident first heard her cries for help, and local civilians began clearing debris before professional rescuers could arrive on scene, a collective effort that ultimately saved her life.

    Aerial footage of Cali reveals the full scale of the destruction: entire neighborhood blocks lie in piles of rubble, crushed vehicles are buried under fallen concrete slabs and collapsed walls, and key public infrastructure has been crippled. The regional health system has been pushed to the breaking point by the disaster; the major Hospital Universitario del Valle in Cali suffered partial structural collapse, forcing medical teams to treat scores of injured patients in open-air areas outside the damaged facility.

    Across the impacted region, a wave of grassroots solidarity has emerged to support response efforts. Thousands of local residents have mobilized to deliver bottled water, non-perishable food, and other essential supplies to neighborhoods hit hardest by the quake. Local blood banks have seen long lines of donors waiting to give to support injured patients, with many citing community solidarity as their motivation. “This is about wanting to help your community, your city, and your country,” explained Ferney Cabrera, one of the hundreds of donors who turned out to give blood.

    Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared a national state of emergency in response to the disaster. During an official visit to the hard-hit city of Pereira, he pledged to provide rental assistance to displaced families who have lost their homes. The international community has also rallied to support Colombia’s response: the United States has committed $15.5 million in emergency aid, and messages of solidarity and offers of additional assistance have poured in from governments and organizations across the world.

    To date, local authorities confirm that approximately 15,000 people have been displaced by the earthquake after their homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Most of these displaced residents are currently being housed in temporary emergency shelters across the region, while many others have set up informal camps in public parks out of fear of returning to damaged buildings.

    Widespread fear of powerful aftershocks continues to grip local populations, and emergency response teams remain on high alert for new seismic activity that could further destabilize damaged structures and complicate ongoing search and recovery work. International humanitarian organizations have now deployed to the most impacted communities, providing critical medical care and emergency humanitarian support to residents in need.

    Even as search operations continue and the nation observes a period of national mourning, early recovery work has gotten underway. Local workers and volunteers have begun clearing debris and repairing damaged basic infrastructure, but the massive scale of the destruction means full reconstruction will likely take many months. Throughout the crisis, affected communities have remained united in grief and determined to rebuild, standing together to overcome the tragedy and restore their lives.