Carib Scope

标签： Dominica

多米尼克

  • CXC disaster response model praised as blueprint for resilience following Hurricane Melissa

    CXC disaster response model praised as blueprint for resilience following Hurricane Melissa

    At the latest Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) Convention, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) took the spotlight to share its award-worthy approach to disaster contingency planning, presented by CXC Director of Corporate Services Sheree Deslandes. Delivering a talk titled “Hardwired to Recover: HR, Disruption, and the Architecture of a Modern Caribbean Workforce,” Deslandes walked attendees through how the organization’s pre-built Regional Disaster and Business Recovery Protocol allowed for a rapid, coordinated response when Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica in October 2025.

    The 2025 hurricane left a devastating trail of disruption across the country, damaging more than 800 educational facilities and disrupting the academic trajectories of over 250,000 students. What set CXC’s response apart, Deslandes emphasized, was that it was not an ad-hoc plan cobbled together in the middle of the crisis. Instead, the framework had been refined over years of real-world testing, forged during prior regional disruptions including the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and 2024’s Hurricane Beryl.

    Thanks to this pre-existing, tested protocol, CXC moved quickly to protect students’ access to the 2026 January and May-June sessions of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). Partnering closely with Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, the organization rolled out a suite of flexible, student-centered adjustments: full fee refunds for candidates who did not feel prepared to sit their scheduled exams, penalty-free late registration for those affected by displacement, and revised requirements and extended deadlines for School-Based Assessments (SBAs).

    This practical, proactive approach struck a chord with convention attendees, who widely praised CXC’s framework as a gold standard for organizational resilience in the face of climate-driven disasters. Tishauna Mullings, a training consultant with NexxStep, called the CXC response a powerful blueprint for other regional institutions, noting “The agile resilience demonstrated by CXC for our children is inspiring.”

    During question-and-answer sessions, convention participants pressed for deeper insight into the structural choices that made CXC’s response so effective. Deslandes highlighted the often-overlooked strategic role of the Human Resources department, positioning it as the backbone of the organization’s preparedness and recovery capacity. She challenged attending employers and organizational leaders to reconsider their own HR frameworks, asking: “Is your HR function built for the storm you haven’t seen yet?”

    At CXC, Deslandes explained, resilience has been baked into HR strategy through intentional structural change: the organization has restructured roles and reporting lines, updated outdated HR systems and core workflows, and deliberately cultivated an organizational culture focused on results and rapid recovery. She argued that investments in HR transformation extend far beyond boosting internal operational efficiency, delivering tangible benefits to students, education ministries, and regional employers that rely on a steady, well-prepared pipeline of new workforce entrants.

    “By design, HR-led transformational work is unfinished. It is a process of purposeful building and rebuilding, and a continuous discipline, where the HR function must be treated as not just support services, but as a strategic edge for productivity and resilience in our multigenerational Caribbean workforces,” Deslandes told attendees.

    Deslandes’ presentation comes at a critical juncture for organizations across Jamaica and the broader Caribbean. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, public and private institutions across the region are actively re-evaluating their own disaster preparedness strategies to mitigate risk from future climate and public health disruptions. For many JEF Convention attendees, CXC’s experience drove home a key lesson: meaningful, effective disaster recovery planning does not start when a crisis begins—it is built through consistent, intentional investment long before disaster strikes.

  • Diocese of Roseau Launches Family Week 2026 with focus on strengthening the ‘domestic church’

    Diocese of Roseau Launches Family Week 2026 with focus on strengthening the ‘domestic church’

    Across the Caribbean island of Dominica, the Diocese of Roseau is making final preparations for its 2026 Family Week, a seven-day initiative blending spiritual practice, social connection and community engagement designed to reinforce family ties and deepen religious life within local households. Scheduled to run from June 21 through June 27, 2026, the annual gathering carries the guiding theme ‘Carrying the Graces of the Sacraments Home’, framing the entire week’s programming around the vision of families as foundational centers of faith. The event will kick off on June 21, which coincides with Father’s Day, opening with a deliberate focus on the role of fathers and male figures in family and spiritual life. Church leadership is calling on all fathers across the diocese to join Mass or worship services at their local parishes and chapels, where the day will honor what the diocese terms the ‘Ordinary Priesthood of Fathers’ — the unique calling of fathers to serve as spiritual leaders within their own homes. As part of the opening day ceremonies, every father in attendance will receive a special individual blessing, and communities across the island will recognize standout fathers who have made positive contributions to their families and neighborhoods. Local Family Life Units have also arranged a slate of casual social gatherings to celebrate fatherhood throughout the day. Unlike many generic family-focused events, this year’s Family Week is centered on the core theological concept of the ‘domestic church’ — the idea that every Christian household functions as a small, foundational community of faith. All programming throughout the week is designed to highlight different components of the Liturgy of the Domestic Church Life, a framework that helps families weave faith-centered rites, traditions and practices into their everyday home lives to nurture collective spiritual growth. Following the opening Father’s Day focus, each subsequent day of the week will carry a distinct theme to guide participation. Monday is dedicated to outreach and service, with organizers encouraging families to step outside their own homes to connect with neighbors, other families and community members facing hardship or isolation, offering practical and emotional support. Tuesday’s programming centers on celebrating loving Christian relationships, prompting families to intentionally set aside time to express affection, gratitude and appreciation for one another through thoughtful gestures and intentional acts of care. Wednesday is reserved for guided family discussions, where households can explore how to integrate the rites and practices of the domestic church liturgy into their daily routines. The goal of these conversations is to strengthen interpersonal bonds between family members while supporting ongoing spiritual growth for every household member. Beyond themed daily activities, the diocese has planned a range of additional faith-focused gatherings for the week, including inter-family prayer sessions, collective prayer walks, group pilgrimages, and participation in Holy Hours of adoration. All these events are intended to seek divine guidance and blessing for families across the entire diocese. Church leadership emphasizes that Family Week is more than just a one-off series of events; it is an opportunity for families to fully embrace their identity as domestic churches, nurturing shared faith, deeper unity and ongoing spiritual development within the home. The Diocese of Roseau’s Family Life Commission, working in partnership with local Family Life Units in every parish across Dominica, is urging all families across the island to take part in whatever activities fit their schedules and circumstances. Organizers ultimately hope the 2026 observance will mark the starting point of a renewed journey for participating families: building stronger, more loving bonds and transforming ordinary households into vibrant, faith-rooted domestic churches connected to the broader parish community.

  • COMMENTARY: Closing survival gap equity in sickle cell disease

    COMMENTARY: Closing survival gap equity in sickle cell disease

    Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a lifelong inherited blood disorder passed down through parental genes, characterized by the production of abnormal hemoglobin. As the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, dysfunctional hemoglobin leaves the body’s tissues and organs chronically starved of oxygen. Unlike healthy red blood cells, which are round, flexible, and able to travel smoothly through blood vessels, SCD produces red blood cells that are rigid, sticky, and shaped like a crescent or farm sickle. These misshapen cells easily clump together, blocking blood flow and causing widespread damage throughout the body.

    A key distinction is often drawn between sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. People with sickle cell trait inherit just one abnormal hemoglobin S gene from one parent, paired with a normal gene from the other. While most carriers do not develop full symptoms of sickle cell disease, emerging research suggests some may experience mild symptoms, and all carriers are capable of passing the abnormal gene to their children. In Jamaica alone, approximately 10% of the population lives with sickle cell trait, a prevalence that has a direct impact on the number of children born with full sickle cell disease each year.

    Marked annually on June 19, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day was created to expand public knowledge and global attention to this often-overlooked blood disorder. This year’s campaign centers on the theme “Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease”, representing a critical global shift from general awareness-raising to demanding tangible, systemic healthcare equity. The theme is anchored in four core pillars that guide global action.

    The first pillar focuses explicitly on addressing the survival gap, targeting the stark global inequalities in life expectancy and health outcomes for SCD patients. The second pillar calls for equal access to high-quality care, demanding that consistent, high standards of diagnosis, pain management, and specialized treatment be available to all patients regardless of where they live. The third pillar shifts focus from awareness to action, challenging governments and healthcare systems to dismantle structural barriers to care rather than relying solely on educational outreach. The final pillar centers on empowering communities, calling for increased support for young patients and patient advocates to help them navigate care systems and confidently manage their condition.

    The core objectives of the annual observance extend beyond these pillars to drive long-term change. Key goals include increasing public understanding of SCD’s global burden, encouraging national governments to integrate SCD care into public health programs and establish specialized treatment centers, and highlighting the critical role of pre-marital genetic screening in reducing intergenerational transmission of the abnormal gene. The day also advocates for expanded investment in research to improve quality of life for all people affected by SCD.

    Symptoms of sickle cell anemia, the most common form of SCD, typically emerge around six months of age, varying between individuals and changing over time. One of the most debilitating symptoms is recurrent pain crises: when sickle-shaped cells block blood flow to the chest, abdomen, and joints, they cause extreme pain episodes that can last from a few hours to several days. While some patients experience only a few crises annually, others face a dozen or more, with severe crises requiring emergency hospital care. Many patients also live with chronic long-term pain caused by bone damage, joint damage, skin ulcers, and other SCD-related complications.

    Anemia is another hallmark symptom of SCD. Healthy red blood cells live approximately 120 days before being replaced, but sickle cells break down and die in just 10 to 20 days, creating a persistent shortage of red blood cells that leaves patients chronically fatigued. Additional common symptoms include swelling of the hands and feet caused by blocked circulation, delayed growth and puberty in children and teenagers due to insufficient oxygen and nutrients for development, and vision damage when sickle cells block blood vessels supplying the retina.

    The Caribbean region faces a disproportionate burden of SCD, a legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Studies place the prevalence of sickle cell trait between 7% and 10% across the region, where most of the population of Caribbean islands traces their ancestry to West Africa. Outside of West Africa itself, the Caribbean has the highest incidence of sickle cell disease in the world, with the genetic variant linked to SCD originating predominantly from West African populations.

    Modern treatment for SCD includes medication, blood transfusions, stem cell (blood or marrow) transplantation, and emerging gene therapy. To date, stem cell transplantation remains the only curative option for SCD, requiring a genetically matched donor, most commonly a sibling. Ongoing research is working to expand access to curative transplants by optimizing protocols for partially matched donors, such as parents or half-siblings. While SCD is associated with reduced life expectancy, new targeted treatments have dramatically improved both life expectancy and quality of life in recent decades. With optimal, consistent disease management, many people with SCD now live into their 50s and beyond.

  • CARICOM Eminent Persons Group preparing for Haiti visit as political consultations continue

    CARICOM Eminent Persons Group preparing for Haiti visit as political consultations continue

    As Haiti’s volatile political landscape continues to shift, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Eminent Persons Group (EPG) has confirmed it is maintaining active, continuous oversight of unfolding developments in the crisis-stricken nation, according to an official public statement.

    Over recent weeks, group members have held frequent, structured virtual consultations with a wide range of Haitian stakeholders, drawing input from across the country’s political and social divides. These conversations have included direct dialogue with sitting government representatives, leaders of opposition and other political organizations, and a diverse array of civil society advocates. The outreach is part of the EPG’s ongoing mandate to build a comprehensive, nuanced understanding of the layered challenges that have plunged Haiti into instability.

    Through these remote engagements, the EPG has succeeded in staying up to date on breaking developments and collecting firsthand perspectives from the key actors shaping Haiti’s political and social future, the group noted in its statement. But despite the value of remote consultations, the EPG emphasized that in-person, on-the-ground engagement remains a critical uncompleted step in its monitoring mission.

    Citing the irreplaceable value of direct, on-site observation and face-to-face dialogue, EPG members confirmed their intention to deploy a delegation to Haiti as soon as logistical and security conditions allow. The upcoming visit will create space for the delegation to hold in-person meetings with government officials, national political leaders, and civil society representatives, creating opportunities for deeper, more candid discussions than can be held virtually.

    These in-person talks are expected to help the group refine its grasp of the interconnected economic, political, and security issues confronting Haiti, and allow for more accurate, context-rich assessments of the current situation that can inform future regional mediation and support efforts. Parallel to its visit preparations, the EPG is continuing its diplomatic push to encourage all Haitian stakeholders to pursue collaborative, dialogue-centered solutions to the country’s ongoing crises, stressing that collective cooperation is the only path to lasting stability.

    Preparations for the visit are already moving forward, the group confirmed, and the trip will be launched as soon as all logistical and security arrangements are finalized, clearing the way for the EPG to resume direct engagement with Haiti’s key national stakeholders.

  • Dominica-based Sickle Cell Cares Foundation launches Caribbean’s first digital health platform for Sickle Cell patients

    Dominica-based Sickle Cell Cares Foundation launches Caribbean’s first digital health platform for Sickle Cell patients

    To mark World Sickle Cell Day, the Dominica-founded Sickle Cell Cares Foundation Inc. (SCCF) has made history by launching the Caribbean region’s first dedicated digital health platform for people living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), filling a long-standing gap in specialized care access across the Eastern Caribbean. The new platform, named SickleConnect, is built to give SCD patients user-friendly, on-the-go access to condition management tools via any smartphone or internet-connected device, according to an official press release from SCCF.

    As defined by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that cause genetic mutations resulting in red blood cells taking on a rigid, sickle shape. Unlike flexible, round healthy red blood cells, these misshapen cells cannot move easily through blood vessels, often blocking blood flow and leading to debilitating health complications including recurring extreme pain crises and persistent chronic fatigue. This genetic trait is most common among populations of African descent; interestingly, carriers with one sickle cell gene and one normal gene do not develop the full disease, and the trait is linked to natural resistance against malaria.

    For SCCF Founder and CEO Kellyn George, the launch of SickleConnect is deeply personal: George lives with HbSS sickle cell disease, and shared in a statement that the platform is exactly what she needed when she was growing up managing her condition. Every feature of the platform was designed specifically around the unique daily challenges SCD patients face, rather than adapting general health tools to fit their needs.

    One of the platform’s core tools is a customizable pain monitoring system that lets users log every pain crisis, rate its severity on a standardized scale, and track potential environmental or lifestyle triggers that may precipitate episodes. For female patients, the tool adds the ability to map pain symptoms against menstrual cycles, helping identify consistent patterns and correlations that can inform long-term management.

    SickleConnect also includes comprehensive medication management functionality: users can build personalized medication schedules, track their adherence to treatment plans, receive automatic reminders for prescription refills, and access evidence-based warnings about dangerous drug interactions common to frequently prescribed SCD medications including Hydroxyurea and Penicillin. To address the well-documented role of consistent hydration in reducing SCD complication frequency, the platform also includes a visual hydration tracker that guides users to hit the recommended daily intake of three liters of fluid, with clear progress indicators to help build sustainable habits.

    A standout innovation is the platform’s AI-powered clinical reporting tool, which aggregates a user’s 30 days of self-tracked health data into a structured, clinician-friendly summary that can be directly shared with a patient’s haematologist. SCCF confirmed that this feature will remain completely free for all users during their first 30 days on the platform. Beyond self-management tools, SickleConnect also connects patients to direct care and support: users can book private one-on-one video consultations with SCD-specific counselors and advisors with lived experience of the condition. For emergency situations, the platform includes a one-tap Crisis SOS feature that sends an immediate alert with the user’s location to pre-designated contacts.

    To foster peer connection and shared learning, SickleConnect hosts six moderated community chat rooms, where patients from across the Caribbean and the global Caribbean diaspora can connect, share personal management tips and experiences, and access curated educational resources.

    SCCF emphasized the urgent public health need for this initiative: across populations of African and Caribbean descent, approximately one in every 500 people lives with Sickle Cell Disease, a condition that carries a high risk of severe pain crises, permanent organ damage, and drastically reduced life expectancy. Across Dominica and much of the Eastern Caribbean, access to specialized haematology care for SCD patients has long been extremely limited. Before SickleConnect’s launch, there was no regional digital health platform purpose-built to address the unique needs of this patient population.

    SCCF anticipates that the new platform will transform care across the region: it is expected to improve individual disease management outcomes, strengthen fragmented patient support networks, and close critical gaps in access to specialized care for underserved communities. SickleConnect is available immediately at no cost to users, accessible via any web browser at app.sicklecellcares.org. It can also be saved as a native-style app to both iPhone and Android devices without requiring a download from traditional app stores.

  • STATEMENT: Message from NCCU Chief Operations Officer (COO) on Ethics and Speak Up Culture Day – Risk & Compliance Week 2026

    STATEMENT: Message from NCCU Chief Operations Officer (COO) on Ethics and Speak Up Culture Day – Risk & Compliance Week 2026

    As the global financial cooperative community marks Compliance Week, leadership at NCCU Credit Union has delivered a message centered on elevating integrity as the foundational pillar of its member-focused mission. In an audio address released to the credit union’s membership, organizational leaders framed common conversations around integrity as more than just a box-ticking exercise for regulatory rules and compliance protocols.

    At its core, the address argues, integrity is inextricably tied to the trust that forms the backbone of every successful member-owned financial institution. Every single day, NCCU’s thousands of members place immense faith in the cooperative: they entrust the institution with their hard-earned savings, sensitive personal financial data, and long-term goals that range from homeownership to retirement planning. This entrustment, NCCU leadership emphasizes, carries a non-negotiable responsibility that sits at the top of the institution’s priorities. Upholding that responsibility ensures members can always feel secure knowing their credit union acts first and foremost to advance their individual and collective financial well-being.

    Importantly, the address frames integrity as a shared commitment rather than an obligation placed solely on institutional leadership. For the credit union itself, upholding this value means maintaining strict confidentiality around member data, full transparency around fees, policies and operations, and unwavering accountability to the membership that owns the cooperative. For individual members, upholding shared integrity means submitting accurate personal information when accessing services, proactively safeguarding their account credentials against fraud, and using the cooperative’s financial products responsibly to protect the entire community’s financial health.

    As the credit union observes this year’s Compliance Week, NCCU called on both leadership and members to reaffirm their commitment to this core value. Rather than positioning integrity as a mandatory regulatory requirement to satisfy, the message reminds all stakeholders that it is a living value that protects members from harm, strengthens the cooperative’s long-term stability, and ensures NCCU remains an institution that every stakeholder can be proud to be part of.

    Closing the address, leadership thanked the NCCU membership for their ongoing trust and collaborative partnership, noting that collective commitment to integrity will remain the driving force behind building a stronger, more resilient credit union for years to come.

  • OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    As the official implementation phase of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (PEARL) approaches its June 30, 2026 end date, regional education leaders are shifting focus to cementing the initiative’s decades of progress and embedding transformative change into local education systems across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To guide this critical transition, the OECS Commission has announced the launch of a new Communication for Development (C4D) initiative named “The OECS PEARL Legacy.” The campaign marks a deliberate shift away from centralized regional project management, moving into a new era centered on local ownership and community-led progress for education across the bloc’s eight participating member states.

    Over the course of PEARL’s implementation, the programme delivered sweeping improvements to education across the Eastern Caribbean. Key achievements included targeted investments in school infrastructure, comprehensive updates to outdated curricula, landmark policy reforms for early childhood education (ECE) and special education needs (SEN) support, and the rollout of regional digital learning infrastructure to boost classroom teaching and remote learning access.

    The PEARL Legacy campaign is built on the foundation of these gains, with a core goal of transferring long-term stewardship of the programme’s improvements from regional project teams to national and local education stakeholders. The initiative engages a broad cross-section of the education ecosystem, from cabinet-level policymakers and school administrators to classroom teachers, parents, and primary caregivers, to mobilize continued action at every level of the system.

    Beyond simply preserving existing progress, the campaign frames its work as advancing “educational regeneration” — a long-term vision that lets local leadership, community innovation, and broad public participation drive continuous evolution of regional education systems. To advance this mission, the initiative centers on six clear priority areas designed to strengthen PEARL’s lasting impact:

    First, the campaign will support regional education leaders to translate overarching PEARL policy frameworks into actionable national education policies and on-the-ground initiatives. Second, it will prioritize educator wellbeing, pushing for the elimination of non-essential administrative tasks that contribute to widespread teacher burnout across the region.

    Third, the campaign will expand the role of the OECS Learning Hub, home to the bloc’s Harmonized Primary Curriculum. Leaders are positioning the platform as a culturally responsive, locally tailored alternative to generic global AI learning tools, designed specifically to meet the unique needs of OECS students and classrooms.

    Fourth, the initiative advocates for sustained long-term public and private investment in three core areas: early childhood education, special education needs programming, and curriculum and assessment infrastructure, to guarantee equitable access to opportunity for all students across the region. Fifth, it aims to reframe public perception of national and regional diagnostic assessments, shifting the narrative from these tools being seen as high-stakes evaluations to diagnostic “educational health checks” that drive student growth and systemic improvement. Sixth, the campaign will highlight the value of the MyPD teacher professional development platform, demonstrating how ongoing upskilling for educators directly translates to broader social and educational progress across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To reach diverse stakeholders across the region, the OECS Commission has developed a full suite of multi-channel outreach tools and engagement activities, including branded posters, data infographics, explanatory videos, live virtual broadcasts, stakeholder surveys, regular newsletters, and press updates. The three-month campaign will run through June, July, and August 2026, leveraging a mix of traditional and digital channels: from in-person community meetings and regional broadcast programming to social media, email campaigns, and local print newspapers, to ensure broad public access and participation.

    The launch of the PEARL Legacy initiative coincides with the upcoming OECS PEARL official close-out conference, scheduled to take place in Saint Lucia from June 24 to 26, 2026. The OECS Commission is encouraging education stakeholders and members of the public to follow official social media channels of the Commission and national education ministries across the region for the latest updates. It has also extended an open invitation to media organizations and community members to join this historic transition from a time-bound regional project to permanent, community-owned education transformation across the Eastern Caribbean.

  • CDB launches regional initiative to explore Caribbean renewable energy grid integration

    CDB launches regional initiative to explore Caribbean renewable energy grid integration

    The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has officially launched a groundbreaking regional technical assistance initiative designed to transform the Caribbean’s energy landscape by scaling up renewable energy adoption and integrating national electricity grids across neighboring nations. Dubbed the Caribbean Regional Electricity Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Technical Assistance Project (CREGI-RES), the effort marks a critical turning point in the region’s decades-long fight to break free from costly, carbon-intensive dependence on imported fossil fuels.

    At the project launch ceremony, key stakeholders including Dr. Sherine Ibrahim, Sustainable Energy Specialist at CDB, and Kyle Farnum, Energy Programme Manager for the European Union, gathered to mark the start of what planners hope will become a blueprint for sustainable energy transition across the small island developing states of the Caribbean. L. O’Reilly Lewis, Director of CDB’s Projects Department, emphasized that collective regional action is the only viable path to solving shared energy challenges that no single nation can tackle alone. “Regional cooperation through this Technical Assistance unlocks opportunities individual countries cannot achieve alone. The potential benefits could be significant and now must be tested through rigorous analysis,” Lewis noted at the event.

    For years, Caribbean nations have faced some of the highest retail electricity prices in the world, a burden directly tied to their overwhelming reliance on imported petroleum and coal to meet domestic power demand. Despite the region holding enormous untapped renewable energy potential—including abundant geothermal reserves, strong offshore wind resources, consistent solar irradiation, and viable hydropower sites—clean energy currently makes up only a small fraction of the region’s total installed generation capacity. CREGI-RES was developed specifically to address this gap by laying the groundwork for coordinated regional action.

    Over the course of the project, technical teams will conduct a comprehensive feasibility assessment of a range of integrated energy solutions. Key areas of analysis include the potential for cross-border submarine electricity interconnections, targeted upgrades to aging transmission infrastructure, and strategies to speed up the deployment of utility-scale renewable energy technologies across the region. The assessment will also quantify how integrated regional energy systems could deliver tangible benefits to consumers, including lower monthly electricity bills, more reliable power supply, reduced vulnerability to volatile global fossil fuel price swings, and strengthened resilience to extreme climate events that increasingly threaten small island energy infrastructure.

    To guide the initiative, CDB will appoint a dedicated full-time Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Advisor, who will lead the development of a detailed actionable regional roadmap. The roadmap will address core barriers to progress, including inconsistent regulatory frameworks, gaps in institutional capacity, and challenges in building competitive regional power markets. The project will also establish cross-cutting thematic working groups and host a series of inclusive stakeholder engagement activities, including regional workshops and country-level dialogue sessions, to identify and resolve regulatory and policy barriers that have historically deterred clean energy investment. A central priority of these efforts is to create an enabling policy and market environment that can attract large-scale long-term private sector financing for renewable energy and grid projects.

    Total funding for the $1.5 million technical assistance project comes from multiple global development partners, aligned around shared climate and energy goals for the Caribbean. CDB is contributing core financing through its Special Funds Resources, with additional support coming from the European Union Caribbean Investment Facility (EU-CIF) Geothermal Risk Mitigation Programme, France’s Agence Française de Développement, and the Government of Canada through its Sustainable Renewable Energy Generation (SuRGE) programme. Implementation of the project is scheduled to run through early 2028, with the first draft of the comprehensive regional roadmap expected to be released for public consultation in 2027.

    CDB officials note that the ultimate success of the initiative will depend on the findings of rigorous technical, environmental, financial, and social assessments, as well as subsequent buy-in and investment commitments from participating Caribbean governments and international funding partners. If realized, the project’s recommendations are expected to deliver widespread benefits including expanded renewable generation capacity, reduced regional carbon emissions, more affordable electricity for households and businesses, improved climate resilience, and new job opportunities in the fast-growing clean energy sector.

    CREGI-RES is a flagship initiative under CDB’s Accelerated Sustainable Energy and Resilience Transition 2030 (ASERT-2030) Framework, and aligns directly with the development bank’s core strategic priority of expanding green energy investment across all its Borrowing Member Countries. The project also aligns with the broader energy transition agenda of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and supports the region’s collective climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, reinforcing the Caribbean’s ambition to take a leading role in the global transition to low-carbon sustainable energy systems.

  • Castle Bruce Police strengthen community ties through district patrols

    Castle Bruce Police strengthen community ties through district patrols

    Law enforcement teams based at the Castle Bruce Police Station are pressing forward with targeted community-focused programs designed to lift public safety standards and build closer, more collaborative bonds with local residents and business operators across the district.

    A public statement released by the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) confirmed that two serving officers – Corporal Earl George and Constable Valmond – recently conducted a highly visible uniformed mobile patrol throughout the Castle Bruce area. This patrol formed a key part of the station’s long-term proactive strategy, which prioritizes pre-emptive crime reduction and consistent engagement with the communities it serves.

    Over the course of the patrol, the officers stopped at a wide cross-section of local commercial establishments, ranging from retail stores and casual dining spots to local bars and independent street vending operations. They held face-to-face discussions with business owners and on-site managers to address a range of safety concerns, walk proprietors through practical enhanced security protocols, and refresh operators on the mandatory operating hours outlined in their official business licenses.

    In a move to strengthen long-term partnerships between police and local commercial stakeholders, the officers distributed up-to-date emergency contact details to every business they visited. This step ensures that proprietors can reach law enforcement directly and without delay should a critical incident or emergency arise on their premises. Beyond community outreach, the team also provided critical operational support to two bailiffs from the neighboring Roseau District, Bailiff Emmanuel and Bailiff Hector. The assistance included helping to locate individuals named in court documents, serving official legal summonses, and executing a series of outstanding warrants within Castle Bruce’s jurisdictional boundaries.

    The CDPF reported that the proactive outreach effort was met with overwhelmingly positive responses from the local business community. The majority of proprietors who interacted with the officers welcomed the increased visible presence of law enforcement in the area, and openly expressed their gratitude for the ongoing support and consistent engagement from the Castle Bruce Police Station.

    Per the police force’s official statement, initiatives of this kind deliver far-reaching benefits to the entire district. They create a solid foundation for ongoing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and members of the public, help cultivate mutual trust between police and community members, and contribute to measurable improvements in overall public safety for everyone who lives, works, and visits Castle Bruce.

  • DAA to hold elections for club and school representatives on June 20

    DAA to hold elections for club and school representatives on June 20

    The Dominica Athletics Association (DAA) Inc. has formally launched preparations for a key electoral process to fill critical governance positions, announcing that voting for new Club and School Representatives will take place before the end of this month.

    Per the official scheduling released by the governing body, the election will commence at 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, June 20, 2026, hosted in the conference facility of the Dominica Olympic Committee. The association confirmed in a public statement that the nomination period for all open positions formally concluded at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with a robust slate of qualified candidates successfully securing spots on the ballot for the available roles.

    Four contenders are in the running for the multiple open Club Representative seats, each hailing from one of Dominica’s active local athletic clubs. The candidates include Natasha Jervier-Carbon, representing the Aithons Athletics Club; Smith Telemacque, nominated by the Wesmar Rangers Athletics Club; Caryl Andrew from the Aspirers Athletics Club; and Charles Joseph, put forward by the Striders Athletics Club.

    In contrast, the single open School Representative position has already been finalized without contest. Joel Hamilton, a representative from Dominica Grammar School, will take up the role automatically after no other candidates submitted nominations before the deadline.

    The DAA has issued a call to action for all registered voting members to make an appearance at the venue and cast their ballots, framing the electoral process as a foundational exercise that underpins the ongoing growth and sound administration of track and field across the island nation. Senior DAA officials emphasized that broad, active engagement from association members is non-negotiable for guaranteeing that all stakeholder groups receive robust, responsive representation, and to keep the sport moving forward on its positive development trajectory.