Carib Scope

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  • ‘Make public transport sexy’ with scheduling, revised bus fares says Caribbean expert

    ‘Make public transport sexy’ with scheduling, revised bus fares says Caribbean expert

    Road congestion has emerged as a growing economic and social headache across Caribbean nations, and industry experts gathered at a recent Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) forum are calling for a fundamental reimagining of the region’s public transportation system to reverse the trend.

    Hosted under the CDB’s Edge X initiative themed *Unlocked – Stuck in Traffic: What Congestion Is Costing the Caribbean*, the event brought together leading regional infrastructure specialists to outline actionable changes for public transit. Leading the call for a radical shift is Dr Rae Julien Furlonge, managing director of regional transportation consultancy LF System, who argued that public transit must be made appealing to both riders and service providers to draw commuters off overcrowded private roads.

    “Until you make public transport sexy, it is not going to draw you,” Furlonge told attendees, emphasizing that a reliable scheduled service is the non-negotiable foundation of an attractive transit network. He explained that without guaranteed, fair compensation for bus drivers, operators have no incentive to adhere to fixed timetables, instead lingering at stops to fill buses to full capacity before departing – a practice that creates long, unpredictable wait times and pushes commuters to use private vehicles. “The first thing you have to get is that public transport could never become attractive without scheduling, and you can never get scheduling unless the drivers get a good fare,” he said.

    Furlonge pushed back against the long-held regional strategy of keeping bus fares artificially low, noting that this approach is unsustainable. He added that transit planning must account for fluctuating peak and off-peak commuter volumes, integrating these dynamics into operational policy and long-term development. He also discouraged the common practice of negotiating fares directly between operators and government regulators, stressing that public transit requires structured, centralized administration rather than ad-hoc fare agreements. To further improve service, Furlonge noted that fleets should be tailored to the specific needs of the communities they serve, taking into account diverse road users from daily commuters to school children, pointing to existing service gaps in Saint Lucia as an example of what happens when fleet planning ignores local needs.

    echoing Furlonge’s call for reform, William Ashby, acting division chief of CDB’s Economic Infrastructure Division in the Projects Department, noted that minibuses form the backbone of most Caribbean public transit systems, and greater targeted regulation is needed to align private operator interests with the public good. Ashby emphasized that any new regulatory framework must include fair compensation structures for small-scale bus operators, who make up the majority of the region’s transit workforce.

    “They need to be able to earn a reasonable income for the service they provide,” Ashby said. “But by enhancing regulation, looking at tariff structures that provide appropriate return for those business owners, we can, in turn, get them to recognise the changes that they also need to bring to the system to provide for a more efficient, reliable, affordable public service.” The forum’s recommendations come as Caribbean governments increasingly grapple with growing private vehicle ownership, worsening congestion, and economic losses from delayed travel and increased carbon emissions, making public transit reform a top infrastructure priority across the region.

  • T&T home to 186 gangs

    T&T home to 186 gangs

    A 2026 report compiled by the United Kingdom Home Office has laid bare the full scope of gang-related organized crime across Trinidad and Tobago, offering granular data on gang activity, violence trends, and systemic challenges facing the Caribbean nation’s law enforcement institutions.

    Prepared as a reference for UK immigration and asylum decision-makers and published earlier in June 2026, the Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) documents that at least 186 distinct gangs, with an approximate total membership of 1,750, currently operate across the twin-island nation. Data analyzed in the report links these criminal networks to 43.7 percent of all homicides recorded in 2024, with gang-related killings accounting for roughly one-third of all murders nationwide in 2025.

    The report draws on conflict mapping data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) to show that a staggering 57 percent of Trinidad and Tobago’s total population lived within close proximity of gang-related violent incidents between January and September 2024. While gang activity is most heavily concentrated in the capital Port of Spain and the densely populated East-West Corridor, the assessment confirms criminal groups have established a presence in communities across both islands. High-risk areas explicitly named in the report include Laventille, Morvant, Sea Lots, Beetham, Tunapuna, Arima, Diego Martin, Chaguanas, and San Fernando, with the vast majority of gang-related homicides occurring in populated population centers in northwestern Trinidad.

    Two large criminal networks – the Muslims gang and Rasta City gang – are identified as the dominant gang groupings in the country. Other notable active groups include Sixx, Seven, Resistance, Anybody Gets It (ABG), Tyson, and the Boombay Gang. The report notes that while most smaller gangs operate as affiliates of these larger, established organizations, security agencies have recorded a steady rise in independent splinter gangs and autonomous criminal networks across the region in recent years. Gangs in Trinidad and Tobago engage in a wide range of illicit activities, the report confirms, including drug trafficking, illegal firearms smuggling, contract killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion, human trafficking, armed robbery, unregulated illegal quarrying, and financial fraud. The assessment also highlights that transnational Venezuelan criminal organizations, including the well-documented Tren de Aragua and Evander groups, operate in partnership with local gang networks across the nation.

    On the topic of gang recruitment, the report outlines that criminal groups systematically target vulnerable young people between the ages of 12 and 16, with recruitment activity documented inside primary and secondary schools as well as within the country’s prison system. Contrary to common assumptions about gang demographics, the report notes that women hold full membership in many local gangs, and in some cases occupy senior leadership positions. In many marginalized communities, gangs maintain social control and public loyalty by providing informal financial support, mediating local disputes, and connecting residents to informal employment opportunities – a dynamic that has helped them embed themselves in community life. The assessment also echoes longstanding public concerns over allegations that state-funded public contracts have been awarded to individuals with proven ties to organized criminal groups.

    The CPIN assessment was published months after the government of Trinidad and Tobago declared a national state of emergency to address rising gang violence on December 30, 2024. Early outcomes from the emergency crackdown have shown measurable reductions in violence: the report records that more than 4,000 people were arrested and roughly 1,600 people were charged with criminal offenses during the emergency period. Clashes between rival gangs and targeted attacks on civilians dropped by 44 percent during the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and the national overall homicide rate also declined sharply, falling from 45.7 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 to 27 per 100,000 in 2025. Even with this progress, however, gangs still remained responsible for approximately one out of every three murders recorded in 2025.

    The report also documents rapid gang expansion on the smaller island of Tobago, where the total number of active gangs has grown from just 3 in 2009 to 28 as of 2022. Many Trinidad and Tobago-based gangs have also established cross-border connections with other criminal organizations across the Caribbean, enabling broader transnational criminal activity, the assessment adds.

    In its concluding findings, the UK Home Office report acknowledges that state institutions in Trinidad and Tobago remain fully operational and are able to provide protection to citizens in most circumstances. However, it highlights persistent systemic challenges that continue to undermine efforts to curb gang activity: widespread witness intimidation, public sector corruption, chronic resource constraints for law enforcement, and eroded public confidence in policing and judicial institutions. The report identifies police officers, prison staff, prosecutors, judges, and private business owners as among the most common targets for gang intimidation and retaliatory violence.

  • Santa Clara Sculpture Complex prepares for tribute to Commander of the Revolution, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez

    Santa Clara Sculpture Complex prepares for tribute to Commander of the Revolution, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez

    In Santa Clara, Cuba, final touches are being put on extensive preparations at the iconic Ernesto Che Guevara Sculpture Complex, ahead of Thursday morning’s official burial ceremony for Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, one of the Cuban Revolution’s most revered leaders and a Hero of the Republic of Cuba.

    Reday René Armas Álvarez, director of the historic memorial site, confirmed that local businesses and regional organizations have partnered to complete a wide range of infrastructure upgrades and preparations ahead of the solemn event. Teams have carried out thorough site cleaning, refreshed landscaping, upgraded public lighting, and completed painting and structural repairs to worn floors and roofing across the complex.

    Planners have prioritized comprehensive rehabilitation of the Mausoleum to the Combatants of the Las Villas Front, which will serve as Menéndez’s final resting place alongside dozens of other revolutionary fighters. The mausoleum holds the remains of combatants from Column No. 8 Ciro Redondo, the 13 de Marzo Revolutionary Directorate, and the Popular Socialist Party — all revolutionaries who lost their lives during the independence struggle or died after the 1959 revolutionary triumph.

    Armas Álvarez detailed that every one of the site’s 220 ossuaries has undergone deep cleaning and polishing of its marble and granite finishes. The project also included outdated landscaping replacements, fresh painting, and structural upgrades to the trusses that provide public access to the mausoleum grounds.

    Beyond the mausoleum, work crews have addressed critical waterproofing issues in the complex’s on-site museum, where hundreds of historically significant artifacts related to Ernesto Che Guevara and his fellow revolutionary comrades are on public display. Upgrades to the museum’s roof, internal lighting, and access doors were also completed as part of the pre-burial renovation push.

    Additional work included full replacement of the vegetation at the memorial dedicated to the Heroic Guerrilla and fallen fighters of the Reinforcement Detachment — a landscape originally designed to replicate the dense terrain of the Bolivian jungle where Guevara was killed. All outdated wooden paneling in the complex’s Multipurpose Room has also been replaced with modern aluminum and glass finishes.

    The venue’s protocol and event hosting area has also received a full overhaul, with complete updates to plumbing, furniture, and all interior spaces, leaving the area fully refreshed for the formal ceremonial proceedings. This national event honors the enduring legacy of one of Cuba’s most important revolutionary figures, drawing the attention of the Cuban public and political observers across the region.

  • News : Zapping…

    News : Zapping…

    On June 24, 2026, multiple interconnected and distinct developments unfolded across Haiti, spanning public safety, infrastructure progress, international economic cooperation, judicial proceedings, anti-corruption diplomacy, and consular services adjustments.

    The most urgent incident occurred on the morning of June 23, when ongoing violent clashes between rival armed gangs fighting for territorial control of Haiti’s critical industrial and port district left a parked vehicle destroyed by explosion. Around 9:10 a.m., an empty tanker truck parked along Boulevard de La Saline was hit by a projectile, whose origin remains unclear: authorities have not yet confirmed whether it was a stray bullet from crossfire or a deliberate targeted attack. Even though the truck had been declared empty of full fuel loads, residual flammable vapors trapped inside the tank ignited on impact, triggering a large explosion. The blast sent debris flying across the boulevard, damaging several other heavy goods vehicles parked in a line along the road, many of which also sustained direct bullet damage from the surrounding gang fighting.

    In a more positive development focused on long-term urban growth, Delmas Mayor Wilson Jeudy formally kicked off construction work on Chrétien Street, located in the Delmas 95 neighborhood at the intersection adjacent to the Jacquet Toto gas station. The project forms a core part of the municipal government’s broader initiative to modernize Haiti’s urban road network, a key investment expected to boost local economic activity and improve daily mobility for residents. Delmas City Hall has issued a public advisory alerting local commuters and residents to expect temporary traffic slowdowns and occasional disruptions to access along the route for the duration of construction work.

    On the international economic cooperation front, European Union officials wrapped up a working visit to Haiti’s CODEVI Industrial Park on June 23, where the bloc’s development model has drawn significant praise and interest from EU leadership. The European Union Ambassador to Haiti hosted senior TeamEurope representatives, including the French Ambassador to Haiti and the EU Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, for an on-site tour of the border-located industrial park. The delegation reviewed CODEVI’s successful development framework and explored the economic benefits of its strategic position near the Haiti-Dominican Republic border. The EU has already committed €9.5 million to fund an ambitious vocational and technical training project across Haiti, designed to upskill local workforces and align labor supply with the evolving needs of the country’s growing industrial sector, advancing the bloc’s goal of supporting inclusive economic recovery in Haiti.

    In a high-profile judicial development tied to one of Haiti’s most consequential political assassinations, former First Lady Martine Moïse has been formally summoned to appear at the Port-au-Prince Court of Appeal on June 30, 2026. Moïse will be questioned as part of expanded investigative proceedings ordered by the lead investigating judge overseeing the 2021 assassination of her husband, former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, who was killed by attackers at his private residence overnight on July 6–7, 2021.

    Meanwhile, a senior Haitian anti-corruption delegation is currently in New York City for a week of strategic engagement at United Nations Headquarters, running from June 22 to June 26. Led by ULCC Director General Me Hans Jacques Ludwig Joseph, the delegation is holding talks with permanent missions to the UN from multiple countries, including Haiti itself, Canada, France, Latvia, and Panama. The discussions are focused on advancing long-term, sustainable capacity building for Haiti’s national anti-corruption efforts. The delegation is also scheduled to take part in a closed-door expert briefing for the UN Security Council, as well as a dedicated working session focused on reforming the UN system’s response to corruption challenges in Haiti.

    Finally, the Consulate General of Haiti in Paris has issued an advisory adjusting public opening hours for the week of June 22 to 26, 2026, due to severe weather conditions affecting the French capital. For this five-day period, the consulate will operate on an exceptional schedule, opening to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Regular consular operations and standard opening hours will resume on Monday, June 29, 2026.

  • Humanitarian Aid : New contribution of 900,000 euros from AECID

    Humanitarian Aid : New contribution of 900,000 euros from AECID

    Amid Haiti’s ongoing deepening humanitarian crisis, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has announced a fresh €900,000 contribution to the Regional Joint Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHPF LAC), a humanitarian financing mechanism overseen by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Of the total new funding, €400,000 is co-financed through the collective contributions of Spain’s regional Autonomous Communities, reflecting broad domestic support for the international humanitarian response in Haiti.

    This new injection of funding marks a significant expansion of Spain’s long-standing commitment to Haiti’s vulnerable populations. Prior to this commitment, Madrid had already allocated a combined €1 million to the fund between 2024 and 2025, a prior investment that delivered tangible life-saving support to tens of thousands of Haitians last year. Official data from the humanitarian coordination framework shows that 32,390 at-risk Haitians, including 17,190 women and girls, accessed critical emergency assistance through Spain’s earlier contributions in 2025 alone.

    The latest funding will be directed to a broad range of high-priority humanitarian sectors that address the most urgent needs of Haitian communities impacted by persistent instability and displacement. These priority areas include camp coordination for the country’s growing population of internally displaced persons (IDPs), formal education for out-of-school children, emergency shelter provision, food security programming, public health services, civilian protection interventions, nutrition support for malnourished populations, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.

    Unlike top-down humanitarian aid models, the RHPF LAC centers local leadership, with all programming implemented by regional and local civil society organizations. The fund’s core mission is to drive sustainable, tangible improvement in Haitian communities by strengthening local response capacities, improving cross-stakeholder aid coordination, and boosting the overall effectiveness of interventions across Port-au-Prince and other hard-hit regions of the country. Key programming set to benefit from the new funding includes general food distribution, protection services for women and children who have survived gender-based violence, education access initiatives, and other life-sustaining humanitarian actions that address the most pressing gaps in the country’s crisis response.

  • 40+ Belize Responders Now Ready for Regional Disaster Deployments

    40+ Belize Responders Now Ready for Regional Disaster Deployments

    On June 20, 2026, a week-long intensive disaster response training program hosted for Belizean emergency personnel wrapped up with an official certification ceremony, bringing more than 40 newly qualified responders into the Caribbean’s regional rapid deployment disaster relief network.

    Organized as the 2026 iteration of the CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) National Training Programme, the initiative ran from June 13 to 20, drawing participants from four of Belize’s key emergency response agencies: the Belize Defence Force, Belize Coast Guard, National Fire Service, and Belize Search and Rescue Institute. Over the seven-day program, trainees underwent a blended curriculum of theoretical classroom instruction and hands-on field drills, all crafted to replicate the high-stress conditions of real disaster scenarios.

    Training modules centered on four core competencies critical to effective disaster response: cross-agency relief operation coordination, logistics and supply chain management for crisis situations, establishment of robust emergency communications networks, and cohesive team performance under extreme pressure. These skills are designed not only to boost Belize’s domestic disaster preparedness but also to enable the country’s responders to contribute to regional humanitarian efforts across the Caribbean.

    The CDRU is the primary coordinated humanitarian response mechanism for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), pooling pre-vetted, trained personnel from military, fire, and law enforcement agencies across member states. When large-scale disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or seismic events strike the region, this network can be rapidly mobilized to support affected member states that lack sufficient local response capacity. With the completion of this training, Belize’s 40+ newly certified responders have formally joined this regional standby deployment pool.

    The collaborative training program is a joint initiative between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), with additional logistical and technical support from the Regional Security System (RSS) and Belize’s Ministry of the Public Service and Disaster Risk Management. During the closing certification ceremony, each participant received official documentation recognizing their successful completion of the rigorous program, confirming their qualification to serve both domestic and regional response missions. Officials noted that the expansion of Belize’s trained responder pool will strengthen both the country’s own disaster resilience and the overall capacity of the Caribbean’s collective disaster response system.

  • Barbados, OPEC Fund launch climate financing initiative

    Barbados, OPEC Fund launch climate financing initiative

    Against a backdrop of growing frustration over a global financial architecture that disproportionately disadvantages nations on the front lines of climate change, Barbados and the OPEC Fund for International Development have launched a groundbreaking new partnership to expand access to low-cost financing for climate resilience and sustainable development projects. Dubbed the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact, the initiative was officially launched at the OPEC Fund Development Forum held in Vienna, Austria, uniting 78 climate-vulnerable economies and more than 15 leading global development finance institutions around a shared mission to remove financial barriers for high-risk, low-emission nations.

    The launch of the V2V Compact marks a major milestone for the global reform movement spearheaded by Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, which has pushed for an overhaul of international finance rules that force climate-vulnerable nations – particularly small island developing states – to pay exorbitant borrowing costs. For decades, these nations have highlighted a stark global injustice: they contribute less than 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet face the worst impacts of climate change, from catastrophic hurricanes and chronic drought to widespread coastal flooding, and are penalized with higher interest rates for that risk. This has locked many vulnerable nations into a cycle of debt and limited their ability to invest in infrastructure and resilience measures that could prevent future climate disasters.

    Built on the core principles of the earlier Bridgetown Initiative, which advocates for expanded development financing for the 1.7 billion people represented by the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the V20 group of climate-vulnerable finance ministers, the V2V Compact puts national ownership at the center of its model. Unlike fragmented traditional funding models that require nations to navigate complex, siloed arrangements across dozens of international institutions, the new framework aligns financing with each participating nation’s own development priorities, while offering more favorable terms including extended repayment periods that match the long timeline of climate projects.

    As co-organizer of the initiative, Barbados leads in its capacity as chair of both the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the V20 group. Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Mottley emphasized that the compact is designed to correct deep-seated inequities in the global financial system, placing vulnerable nations at the heart of decisions that shape their development trajectories. “Countries lead, and finance institutions align,” Mottley outlined in her official statement, explaining that the model eliminates the bureaucratic fragmentation that has long slowed investment in critical climate and development projects.

    In its initial phase, the V2V Compact will prioritize three foundational sectors that are critical to building long-term climate resilience and advancing human development: water access, public education, and healthcare infrastructure. For Mottley, the initiative is about more than just helping vulnerable nations survive climate shocks – it is about creating pathways to long-term prosperity. “This Compact is about securing not just survival, but viability and prosperity. Our countries deserve sustainable pathways to development, and that can only happen by unlocking affordable capital,” she added.

    The roster of participating development institutions reads like a who’s who of global development finance, including the Caribbean Development Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank Group, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and members of the Arab Coordination Group. The framework combines multiple complementary tools to meet nations’ needs: it blends affordable, predictable long-term financing, targets private capital mobilization to scale up investment, and integrates shock-responsive financial tools that help countries maintain critical public services and strengthen resilience both before and after climate disasters strike.

    OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa framed the V2V Compact as a powerful example of international solidarity and practical, solution-oriented collaboration. He noted that the OPEC Fund has a long track record of supporting vulnerable nations, having provided approximately $17 billion in financing to V20 countries over the past five decades.

    Work is already underway to turn the framework into action. A detailed white paper outlining the compact’s implementation mechanisms is scheduled to be presented at the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, set to take place in Bangkok this October. As global momentum builds for climate finance reform, the V2V Compact represents one of the most concrete, coordinated efforts to date to deliver on the promise of affordable finance for the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities.

  • Barbados backs new push for affordable climate finance

    Barbados backs new push for affordable climate finance

    A groundbreaking new global partnership launched jointly by Barbados and the OPEC Fund for International Development is set to transform how climate-vulnerable nations access critical, low-cost financing for development and climate adaptation projects. The new multi-stakeholder framework, named the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact, was officially announced during an event in Vienna, assembling an unprecedented coalition that includes 78 climate-vulnerable economies and more than 15 leading global development finance institutions.

    Unlike traditional financing models that often leave the most climate-exposed nations struggling with crippling short repayment windows and high interest rates, the V2V Compact is structured to address the unique barriers these countries face. Core reforms under the initiative include extending loan repayment terms to match the long lifecycle of climate resilience projects, aligning all financing packages with the individual national development priorities of participating countries, and rolling out customized financing mechanisms that directly support infrastructure upgrades, climate adaptation work, and the preservation of essential public services from healthcare to clean energy.

    Speaking on the initiative, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley emphasized that the compact marks a critical shift in global climate finance. For decades, Mottley noted, small and climate-vulnerable nations have been forced to focus solely on surviving climate disasters rather than building long-term prosperity. By unlocking affordable, accessible capital, the V2V Compact is designed to help these countries move beyond a constant state of crisis response, enabling them to build durable resilience and work toward sustainable economic viability and shared prosperity for their populations.

    The launch comes as growing global consensus recognizes that the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, which have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions, face the steepest costs of climate change and often lack access to the financing needed to adapt. The coalition built through the compact aims to fill a critical gap in the existing global climate finance architecture, creating a coordinated pathway for institutional investment to reach the communities that need it most.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Among Nations Confronting Slow Progress on Sustainable Development Goals

    Antigua and Barbuda Among Nations Confronting Slow Progress on Sustainable Development Goals

    Five and a half years out from the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ transformative Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a landmark annual assessment has delivered a sobering verdict: none of the 17 global goals are currently on track to be fully achieved by the target date, with systemic barriers blocking progress across climate action, environmental stewardship, and global governance. The findings are outlined in the 2026 edition of the Sustainable Development Report, published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which tracks performance across all 193 UN member states each year.

    The report’s comprehensive analysis finds that less than one-fifth of the hundreds of specific targets tied to the SDGs are progressing at a pace that will meet 2030 milestones. Among the 17 goals, four stand out as facing the most severe headwinds: Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). The assessment also notes that despite broad global rhetorical and policy support for the 2030 Agenda since the SDGs were adopted in 2015, progress has stagnated across multiple core priority areas.

    Climate change remains an especially urgent flashpoint for vulnerable nations, particularly Small Island Developing States. These low-lying nations continue to see growing vulnerability to the impacts of rising global temperatures, including more frequent and intense extreme weather events, accelerating coastal erosion, and widespread environmental degradation that threatens both livelihoods and national sovereignty.

    While nearly all nations have formally committed to the SDG framework, turning commitments into tangible action has proven to be a persistent, widespread challenge. Survey data included in the report identifies four key bottlenecks that continue to slow progress: insufficient development financing, weak governance frameworks, limited institutional capacity to design and execute programs, and inadequate integration of scientific evidence and data into policymaking.

    In a bright spot amid the overall gloomy assessment, Antigua and Barbuda earned international recognition for its leadership in global cooperation. The Caribbean nation was ranked second globally in the report’s separate Index of Countries’ Support for UN-Based Multilateralism, a reflection of its consistent and robust engagement with global collective action efforts.

    The report closes with a clear call to action for the global community: accelerating progress toward the SDGs in the remaining five years will require urgent investment in strengthened national implementation mechanisms, as well as coordinated action to unlock the adequate, accessible financing that developing nations need to deliver on their sustainable development commitments.

  • Strong earthquake in Venezuela felt in the Dominican Republic

    Strong earthquake in Venezuela felt in the Dominican Republic

    On a Wednesday afternoon, a powerful seismic event rattled northern Venezuela, sending tremors that rippled across neighboring South American nations and reached far into the Caribbean, according to regional geological monitoring. Compiled by Google from aggregated data supplied by global geological agencies, the event has been measured at a 7.3 magnitude on the Richter scale, placing it in the category of major earthquakes capable of causing severe structural damage in populated areas.

    The earthquake’s epicenter was positioned offshore of Venezuela’s northern coastline, a relatively short distance from the national capital of Caracas. The widespread tremors were perceptible across most regions of Venezuela, with residents as far away as multiple major urban centers in neighboring Colombia also reporting shaking. Even across the Caribbean Sea, inhabitants of several island nations reported feeling the aftereffects of the quake, with multiple accounts of perceptible movement coming from communities throughout the Dominican Republic.

    In the hours immediately following the seismic event, local and national emergency response authorities launched rapid assessments to survey affected areas for damage and injuries. As of the latest update from official sources, no credible reports of substantial structural damage or loss of life have been validated. Emergency teams continue to survey coastal and inland regions, particularly close to the epicenter, to confirm the full scope of the event’s impact. This is an ongoing, developing story that will be updated as new official information becomes available.