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Public Access to Beaches across Antigua and Barbuda

Beach in Antigua

Public Access to Beaches across Antigua and Barbuda is for locals and visitors.

It has been an area of much concern for members of the public, as the summer vacation sets in that locals and visitors alike will be visiting the 365 beaches around the twin island state, but access to some beaches will not be allowed.
Recent actions have forced many to seek answers and ask questions of those in authority, as to what rights do members of the public have in accessing the beaches around Antigua and Barbuda.
Below you will find information which was taken from the government website at www.laws.gov.ag It states as follows: No. 6 of 2003. The Physical Planning Act, 2003. 5 Section 50
50. (1) There shall be at least one public landward access to and right of way every beach in Antigua and Barbuda.
(2) Where there is no alternative public access, traditional public use of a private landward access through an existing private development shall be sufficient grounds for establishing a public right of way over that access for the purpose of access to the beach by the public.
(3) Where the only landward access to a beach is through an existing private development where traditional public use pursuant to subsection (2) of this section has not been established, the Crown may acquire the right to public use of that beach access by gift, negotiation, contract, purchase or lease, compulsory acquisition ‘in exchange for other property, interest, or financial exemption, or by such other means as the Minister may recommend, as a condition of issuance of any permit or licence required under ‘the provisions of any Act.
(4) Where land is acquired by way of compulsory acquisition for a beach access the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act shall apply in respect of such acquisition.
(5) Where a proposed development is likely to adversely affect the public’s ability to access a beach from the landward side, any development permit shall require as a condition a landward public access through the development at all times free of charge.
(6) In this section “traditional public use” means peaceable, open and uninterrupted enjoyment for a period of twenty years.

Changes in petroleum prices – July 2016

Pumping Gas

The General public is hereby informed that, effective, Monday July 18, 2016, the retail prices of petroleum products (Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and LPG ) in the State of Grenada will be as follows:

Grenada:
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $13.91/IG $13.67/IG
Diesel $12.56/IG $12.55/IG
Kerosene $7.01/IG $7.02/IG
L.P.G (Cooking Gas):
20 lbs Cylinder  $42.00  $42.00
100 lbs Cylinder $183.25 $183.40
Bulk $1.90/lb $1.90/lb

Carriacou
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $14.09/IG $13.85/IG
Diesel $12.74/IG $12.73/IG
Kerosene $7.20/IG $7.21/IG
L.P.G (Cooking Gas):
20 lbs Cylinder $51.00 $51.00
100 lbs Cylinder $206.25 $206.40
Bulk $1.90/lb $1.90/lb

Petite Martinique:
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $8.59/IG $8.35/IG
Diesel $7.24/IG $7.23/IG
Kerosene $7.20/IG  $7.21/IG

The new Retail Prices are computed based on the average FOB costs: that is; (Ex-refinery prices), for the period, 13th June, 2016 to 12th July, 2016.
It important for the public to understand that petroleum prices are likely to remain high since Grenada imports nearly all of its fuel.  Consumers are, therefore, urged to act wisely by conserving and using energy efficiently.

Embassy of México in Belize

Mexico Embassy in Belize

Mexican expert for independent report on events in the Belize – Guatemala adjacency zone

The Embassy of México to Belize informs that at the request of the governments of Belize and Guatemala, Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), undertook to deploy a team of experts with the purpose of integrating an independent report on the incident of April 20th, 2016, in which a Guatemalan minor Julio René Alvarado Ruano died, and his father and brother were injured.
The independent commission will consist of specialists in the fields of criminal investigation, legal (criminal law) and forensic affairs, with knowledge of the mandates of the OAS and fluency in English and Spanish, will have duration of approximately two weeks. However, depending on the circumstances, it might be considered to have a complementary mission of two additional weeks.
The report is intended to collect, according to technical criteria, relevant information for the verification of facts in the adjacency zone between Belize and Guatemala and present to the SG-OAS a single report, detailed and independent investigation into the facts. There is much generated expectation on the report, and on many occasions an appeal was made for completion at the earliest. Additionally, Belize requested the work of expert investigations of other cases in which Belizean security officers were injured.
The measure is part of the efforts to facilitate dialogue and generate measures of enhancing trust, particularly in the escalation of accusations and tensions involving the governments of both countries and the increasing involvement of non-state actors and forces of political opposition.
Due to the lack of financial resources and personnel with the required profile, the Secretary General sent invitations on May 20th, to Brazil, Chile, United States and Mexico, so that within their national budgets, they would nominate experts to develop the requested investigation; in the case of Mexico, the request was made for an expert in criminal investigation.
Originally, the United States and Brazil confirmed their willingness to join this arrangement, but later on Brazil withdrew, therefore, the OAS Secretary General would seek the support of other State Members.
Considering the importance of integrating the investigative team the appointment of an expert was negotiated with the Mexican Federal Police (PF); on the 27th of June the department of International Affairs of the Federal Police confirmed the availability and informed the appointment of head commissioner, Doctor Patricia Rosa Linda Trujillo Mariel, Head of the Coordination of Criminology of the Scientific Division. It is worth noting the high profile of the Mexican contribution, which reflects the commitment of our country to support the solution of the differendum and ensure the quality of the requested report.
The activities of Doctor Trujillo will be:

  • Carry out site visits, (including the area where the incident took place)
  • Interviewing of witnesses
  • Verifying topics of facts and law
  • Require, through the SG-OAS, reports to authorities of the governments of Belize and Guatemala that are considered conducive to the investigation and analyzing them;
  • Check processes or protocols to obtain evidence or means of proof, including expertise and forensic reports.

Launch of the National Trade Policy Framework

WTO

The Directorate General for Foreign Trade invites you to attend the following:
Event: Launch of the National Trade Policy Framework
Date:  Friday, July 22, 2016
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Where:  Cahal Pech Room, Radisson Fort Hotel and Marina, Belize City

Message of Condolence

Andy Delmar
Andy Delmar (Photo Credit: St. Lucia News Online)

The OECS commission would like to register its deep shock and sadness on the untimely passing of Mr. Andy Delmar, the Managing Director of 1st National Bank of Saint Lucia and the Commission’s primary Bank. Mr. Delmar died in a tragic car accident on 17th July 2016.

Director General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules described Mr. Delmar as “a Banker of extraordinary vision, sensitivity and imagination who viewed his profession as a facilitator of financial opportunity for persons from all walks of life. Andy was a professional of unmatched competence and a passionate person drive. To excellence in all that he did… But above all he was a wonderful, gentle, joyful person, a loving husband and dedicated father.”
The OECS Commission will miss his financial advice and we extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Wendy, his sons and his entire family.
May he rest in peace and we give thanks for the Laughter and the Light that he brought us all.

Value chain approach in fisheries

CRFM

CRFM to host meeting in Suriname on value chain approach in fisheries.

Belize City, Monday, 18 July 2016 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) will convene a regional workshop for Senior Fisheries Officers from its 17 Member States on applying the value chain approach to maximize fisheries earnings in a week-long event scheduled to run from Monday, July 18 to Friday, July 22, 2016 at the Torarica Hotel, in Paramaribo, Suriname.
The workshop will be conducted with the assistance of experts from the United Nations University-Fisheries Training Program (UNU-FTP) and other partner universities in Iceland, such as the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri, which will be sharing their expertise in value chain development in fisheries and aquaculture.
The CRFM is also partnering with the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, to implement the upcoming training, which will kick off after a formal opening ceremony scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 18.
CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, notes that the initiative is designed to help key government and private sector representatives who operate small and medium-sized fisheries and aquaculture enterprises to become more efficient through capacity-building.
The CRFM, through this initiative, is also partnering with stakeholders to promote the value chain approach and to maximize the use of this approach to unlock the Caribbean’s full potential. The CRFM expects that the key actors in the sector who are being targeted will better understand the value chain approach and use it to assess the primary constraints that affect them. They should also be able to identify opportunities for investments and other interventions to generate greater returns for the sector. Ultimately, this initiative aims to improve the overall profitability and sustainability of the industry.
Furthermore, the CRFM will lead and support the development of action plans for member countries, after pilot studies are conducted at selected locations.

CARICOM and Hague Conference SGs hold fruitful talks

Hague Conference
CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque (2nd left) makes a point during discussions with (from left) Safiya Ali, General Counsel, CARICOM Secretariat; Charmaine Atkinson-Jordan, Chef de Cabinet, CARICOM Secretariat; Cristophe Bernasconi, Secretary-General, Hague Conference on Private International Law; Ignacio Goicoechea, representative, Hague Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.

CARICOM and Hague Conference SGs hold fruitful talks; important to integration arrangements

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)      Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque met on Monday with Mr. Cristophe Bernasconi, Secretary-General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
The Secretaries-General held fruitful discussions on areas of mutual interest and possibilities of formal cooperation, as the Hague Conventions and their implementation are particularly relevant in the context of the integration arrangements under CARICOM, which contemplates cross-border trade and the movement of people across borders.
The CARICOM delegation included Ms Safiya Ali, General Counsel and Ms Charmaine Atkinson-Jordan, Chef de Cabinet. Mr Bernasconi was accompanied by Mr Ignacio Goicoechea the representative of the Hague Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mr Bernasconi and Mr Goicoechea are in Guyana for the regional conference, being hosted by the Hon. Basil Williams, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Guyana in  partnership with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Guyana under the theme International Family Law, Legal Cooperation and Commerce; Promoting Human Rights and Cross-Border Trade in Guyana through the Hague Conventions (13-15 July 2016).
CARICOM Member States are represented at this Conference by Attorneys-General, Ministers of Legal Affairs and the Judiciary as well as members of the legal profession. The Hague Conference administers a number of international conventions which address issues such as jurisdiction of the courts, applicable law, and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in a wide range of areas, from commercial law and banking law to international civil procedure and from child protection to matters of marriage and personal status.

 

Tourism Destinations to Launch Destination Plans

COROZAL

Key Emerging Tourism Destinations to Launch Destination Plans

 
Over the next few weeks, stakeholders in the tourism destinations of Toledo, Caye Caulker, Corozal and the Mountain Pine Ridge/Caracol/Chiquibul area will launch Destination Plans that reflect the collective vision for tourism development, in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA). The Destination Plans identify key tourism infrastructure projects and priorities that are considered critical for further sustainable development of tourism in the respective destination.
The Plans are the culmination of a process started over a year ago with the support of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), that brought together multiple community, private and public stakeholders to craft a common, integrated approach to tourism development. This approach follows the recommendations of the National Sustainable Tourism Masterplan 2030 (NSTMP), which highlights the need for greater involvement of multiple stakeholders in destination coordination and management, and encourages local stakeholder leadership within all facets of tourism development including planning, branding and promotion, and quality management.
A number of the activities identified within the Plans will be supported through investments under the Sustainable Tourism Program II (STP II), a five-year program for sustainable and resilient tourism development being implemented by the MTCA with the support of the IDB.
The USD 15.5 million STP II aims to increase income and employment from tourism and stimulate private sector investment, while recognizing the significance of the natural assets and cultural diversity upon which each local tourism product is based. As with the Cayo Welcome Center developed under the first STP, investment will be made in new infrastructure to create centers for leisure and recreation for tourists and locals alike as well as for business opportunities.
Each of the destinations face unique challenges from climate change and disaster risk – ranging from erosion of shorelines, sea-level rise, storm threat, and sargassum in the coastal areas, to increased fire risk in the Mountain Pine Ridge and limited water availability at the archaeological sites. STP II will fully integrate ecosystem health and environmental and disaster risk management within its program for tourism development, and is the first of its kind in Belize Details on the specific local investments of STP II will be presented at each respective Destination Plan Launch.
The launch of the Destination Plan for Corozal is scheduled for Saturday July 22nd at Corozal Town Hall (3pm-5pm) prior to the monthly Art in the Park event. Similar launches will be held in Punta Gorda Town on Friday July 22nd (10-12 noon); in Cayo (the tourism plan for the four protected areas) at Center for Employment Training on Thursday July 28th (2pm-4pm); and in Caye Caulker on Monday August 1 on the new beach in the Palapa area from 6pm-8pm. All with an interest in the sustainable development of tourism in Corozal, Toledo, Caye Caulker and the Mountain Pine Ridge/Chiquibul/Caracol are encouraged to attend.
For more information on the Destination Launch or the STP II project please contact theMinistry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA) at mtca.project@gmail.com or visit the new(10-12 noon); in Cayo (the tourism plan for the four MTCA website www.tourism.gov.bz

Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity

IDB and SIB

Statistical Institute of Belize and Inter-American Development Bank sponsor workshop to enhance the National Statistical System

The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently conducted a workshop to apply the ‘Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity’ (TASC), a self-assessment exercise, to identify strengths and weaknesses of and determine the requirements for the development of Belize’s National Statistical System. Participants included SIB staff, and officials from 20 agencies that collect and use national statistics, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Belize Tourism Board, Central Bank of Belize, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Fisheries Department, Belize City and Belmopan City Councils, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Immigration, Directorate of Foreign Trade, the Customs and Excise Department, and private sector participants.
The SIB, Belize’s lead agency in the production and dissemination of statistical information, continues to work to develop and improve the country’s production of reliable statistics provided by censuses, sample surveys, and administrative records. The TASC, designed by the IDB in collaboration with the United States Census Bureau, to provide detailed diagnoses of the specific strengths and weaknesses of national statistical production and has been applied across the region.
The exercise highlighted that Belize performs comparatively well, in procedures for field operations and systems for data dissemination and moderately in questionnaire design and evaluation and planning and management of censuses and surveys. Areas which require particular attention include documentation, sampling and data analysis and evaluation.
The workshop was the first phase of a three-part program funded by the IDB to support the SIB’s work to strengthen the National Statistical System. Its findings will be used for the design of the second phase of the program – a series of workshops over the next nine months to bring together all the relevant agencies to design and implement an appropriate, strongly coordinated and sustainable National Statistical System. In the third phase, the IDB will be working with both the SIB and the University of Belize to put in place training and education programs in statistics to meet the needs of the country’s National Statistics System in the future – and by doing so, provide the information required for the effective implementation of Belize’s Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy.

NCPC Productivity Ambassadors Motivate Graduates

Graduates

Long, regal academic gowns and caps! Hues of blue, grey, green and red. A simultaneous feeling of euphoria and trepidation fills the air.

Proud parents, family, faculty and supporters look on in admiration.  Graduation is here and everybody is in a celebratory mood. Years upon years of hard work and sacrifice have culminated in this long-awaited moment and the ensuing ceremonies are full of pomp and circumstance, and rightfully so!
Graduation is undeniably one of the most important milestones in the journey from childhood to adulthood. It signals the end of an era of certainty and the beginning of another era characterized by limitless possibilities, significant responsibility and the “great unknown.”
When the NCPC was established in 2013, its main purpose was to facilitate the enhancement of levels of productivity and competitiveness in Saint Lucia. As part of this thrust, the Council has identified young people as critical in cultivating a new generation of productive, self-driven and success-oriented citizenry.  
With this in mind, in June 2016 as thousands of secondary school leavers island-wide prepared to cross the threshold, Productivity Ambassadors from the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) had a moment in the spotlight at their graduation ceremonies.  Their role was to offer some encouragement to new graduates and remind them of their individual roles in improving their own and ultimately Saint Lucia’s levels of productivity and competitiveness.
As the CCSS 2016 Graduation Ceremony opened under the theme “Rising to New

Queens Young-Leader -Tevin Shepherd with CSS Graduates
Queens Young-Leader -Tevin Shepherd with CSS Graduates

Possibilities from One Foundation,” NCPC Productivity Ambassador/Council Member, Janai Leonce, Deputy Chief Economist in the Ministry of Finance asked graduants to let productivity guide their thoughts, “If you develop a mindset of making maximum use of your resources you will become more thoughtful and deliberate in your actions and this will helpful you through life.  You will also quickly realize that one of the most valuable resources that you have is time. Be mindful of it, be crafty with it.”
In similar fashion, at the Corinth Secondary School Graduation, Queen’s Young Leader, Youth Enthusiast and Productivity Ambassador Tevin Shepherd, chronicled the obstacles he faced growing up and how he did not allow them to determine his future. Addressing the graduants he said, “This graduation’s theme, “I am not a product of my circumstances, I am a product of my decisions” is very fitting. I know all too well how easy it is to let challenges prevent us from realising our full potential. I want to implore you to be the owners of your destiny! Never give up! The world needs vibrant young minds like yours.”
Managing Director of Algas Organics and young entrepreneur Mr. Johanan Dujon also had the opportunity to share his own story of finding and nurturing his passion and eventually living his dreams to a group of over 100 students of the Leon Hess Comprehensive School 2016 Graduating Class. Mr. Dujon cautioned the students not to expect anything to be handed to them on a platter. He further encouraged them to find what they loved and to passionately and relentlessly invest in it and make a career out of it.
The transition from Secondary School to the real world can be very daunting for students. The Inaugural NCPC Schools’ Graduation Tour, aims to promote an awareness and understanding of the notions of productivity and competitiveness and help the youth to understand how powerful they are as agents for change. Through this commitment to increasing knowledge and re-shaping mindsets, we will continue to see improvements in all facets of society.

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