Head of the Delegation of the European Union Ambassador Mikael Barfod addressing the gathering.
Cooperation and Integration still important – European Union Ambassador.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Eastern Caribbean Countries, OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Ambassador Mikael Barfod said Friday was a difficult day to work out what the British exit from the European Union means and what effect it will have on the well-being of all the citizens of the European Union. He also stated that there could be some consequences for the Caribbean too, such as renegotiations of trade deals with the United Kingdom (UK). Ambassador Barfod noted that the UK is a major trading partner for many CARICOM Member States. He was speaking on Friday in Barbados at the opening ceremony of a Regional Technical Meeting on the implementation of the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) CSME and Economic Integration Programme (EIP).
The Ambassador says the EU is better off together than standing alone and is counted in the global arena because of this cooperation. Through the EU many small countries can make their voices heard, he added. This is why there is support from the EU for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. The Ambassador stated that the EU knows firsthand how integration can benefit small countries although the process is not a quick achievement. He said the challenges related to regional integration is well worth taking even though it at times has a gloomy reputation.
He commended the CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Manorma Soeknandan for taking the initiative in having the regional technical meeting and reminded that the EU stands with CARICOM on the important endeavor of regional integration. The one day meeting took place at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados.
A three-day workshop enabled government ministries and agencies to dialogue on developing a policy for broader national ocean governance.
The Division of Maritime Affairs of the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) recently facilitated a three-day workshop organized by the International Maritime Organization and the World Maritime University.
The workshop aimed to provide assistance to IMO member states in formulating a national maritime transport policy.
A the workshop, government ministries and agencies dialogued on developing a policy for broader national ocean governance.
The Director of Maritime Affairs, Christopher Alexander, said the initiative will nurture better inter-relations among maritime departments.
“This will enable Saint Lucia to develop economics that are linked to maritime; to formally establish our open ship registry and give us advice along those lines; and to get advice and guidance as we proceed with our maritime boundaries and limitations.”
He added that the first maritime partnerships had already been made.
“We have already signed an agreement with Barbados and now we are hoping to have an agreement signed with Saint Vincent. So those are highly certified persons at the IMO who will be bestowing on our local persons the expertise and knowledge to ensure our maritime industry has the requisites to move forward.”
IMO Maritime Policy Development Officer, Jonathan Bace, said the organization has embarked on a project that will lend assistance to small island developing member states, to create a policy that will stand for years ahead.
The construction of the Argyle International Airport continues to open pathways for business and investment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
At a press conference on Tuesday 21st June, Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Invest SVG, Mrs. Bernadette Ambrose-Black; and representatives from National Properties Limited; hosted Trinidadian investor, Mr. Derek Chin, to continue talks about the proposed new city at the site of E. T. Joshua Airport, upon completion of the Argyle International Airport.
Also in attendance was the technical team from China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), who is collaborating with Mr. Chin to construct two MovieTowne entertainment centres in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, respectively. In light of this, CHEC’s technical team will begin talks with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Port Authority on the proposed modernisation of the Kingstown deep water harbor.
Prime Minister Gonsalves met with Mr. Chin and representatives from CHEC at Cabinet room. According to the Prime Minister, the Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with Mr. Chin and he wanted him to share some of his ideas in respect of the MOU, although there has not yet been a fully hammered out agreement.
In his introduction Mr. Chin, who became popular after creating the MovieTowne chain of entertainment centres in Trinidad and Tobago said MovieTowne developed from an idea he had to see a higher quality of entertainment and recreation in his country; this idea has grown to three MovieTowne entertainment centres in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chin admitted that his plans for the proposed new city at Arnos Vale are still in the preliminary stages. These plans, explained Chin, will be determined by the land space and other technical assessments. He disclosed that the possibility exists for a wholesale store, restaurant, conference, cinema, and shopping mall, among others. The Trinidadian investor noted that the new entertainment centre will have a Vincentian identity, offer high quality entertainment and amenities, and will be family friendly.
In reference to Invest SVG’s Chief Executive Officer, he stated, “Bernadette has been very hard working. She is very persistent. I appreciate that and l like that. I told her at the end of the day, we are going to do something. We are now here to put that together and see whether we can make it happen, probably next year”.
Mrs. Ambrose-Black explained that when she joined the company in 2013, she conducted a needs assessment not just of the organisation, but also of the island itself, and what we can bring to the island to enhance the livelihood of Vincentians. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, but of Vincentian descent, Ambrose-Back said that she was familiar with MovieTowne and felt that it would be an appropriate development for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
After conducting the needs assessment, she met with Mr. Chin a year later. The initial meeting, stated Ambrose-Black, was a fruitful one and I asked the Hon. Prime Minister if he would consider meeting with Mr. Chin himself and that began the courtship of MovieTowne and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. To this end, the Invest SVG’s CEO is very positive about this investment. “Mr. Chin is a credible investor, his track record speaks for itself,” she further stated.
Ambrose-Black also said that she looks forward to the enhancement of socio-economic well-being of Vincentians and that the investment will generate employment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She added that it is something that is needed here and I think it will aptly complement the opening of Argyle International Airport.
As Mr. Derek Chin has a partnership with the CHEC and the Government is discussing plans for the new Kingstown harbour, Business Manager of the CHEC Guyana Branch, Mr. Xiaoshuai (Peter) Sun, introduced the company. According to Sun, CHEC is a wholly state owned company by People’s Republic of China with more than 70 branches all over the world.
In the Caribbean, CHEC has projects in Guyana and Jamaica; and in the Americas, in Costa Rica, Cuba, and Colombia, explained Sun. “We are looking forward to finding out what we can do here,” stated Sun.
In his concluding remarks, the Business Manager of CHEC said that they wanted to do something in the country to help the local people and to provide infrastructure development as well.
Deputy Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat Dr. Manorma Soeknandan
CARICOM should have all Members States on board – DSG.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Manorma Soeknandan says that CARICOM should not go through the recent EU experience whereby the United Kingdom decided to leave that grouping. She was speaking at the opening ceremony of a Regional Technical Meeting on the implementation of 10th European Development Fund (EDF) CSME and Economic Integration Programme on Friday 24 June.
Dr. Soeknandan said “we need all to be on board, CARICOM Members must stand in integration together and be committed together, struggle together and together achieve.” She was speaking after the delivery of remarks by the Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Eastern Caribbean Countries, OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Ambassador Mikael Barfod. Ambassador Barfod stated that Friday was a sad day for him.
The CARICOM Deputy Secretary General says that if “CARICOM has challenges, hurdles…together putting our shoulders under those will only make us stronger…losing one is not the answer” She hopes that CARICOM will never have to deal with what the European Union is now undergoing. She opined that is another reason for the regional technical meeting to solve certain issues.
Labour Minister, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo. (FP)
For the last three years, the Ministry of Labour has been assisting several public, private and non-governmental organisations with the development of programmes aimed at providing this country’s youth with the critical skills needed to shape their thinking and approach to work.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the 16th Annual Career & Life Management (CALM) Programme last Friday at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Open Campus, Labour Minister, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, said her Ministry recognised that there was a big demand for these types of initiatives.
She told her audience: “Too often employers complain that ‘this person is bright,’ ‘this person has come from University with a First Class Honours degree’, and yet they are not prepared for the work place. They don’t have the skills to cope with other people or cope with the demands of work, even though they have that First Class Honours from University. So, it is a different skill from what you acquired from school.”
Senator Byer Suckoo further stated that Government recognised the need to strengthen the career counselling services in secondary schools, so that today’s youth would be exposed not only to comprehensive career guidance, but also to information on essential life and employability skills.
“Our career guidance is not necessarily up to par with what is demanded in the work place. So, our career guidance counsellors need to, and must be able to prepare you (students) for the world of work; to tell you what work is out there; what you need to do in terms of academics to get there; and also what other skills you might need, and we believe that career counsellors are ideally placed for that,” she pointed out.
The CALM Programme was a two-week course offered by the Pinelands Creative Workshop and its partners – The UWI Open Campus, the National Employment Bureau, the National Productivity Council and Higher Heights. It is one element of a broader initiative entitled: Youth Beyond Expectations, funded by the Maria Holder Trust.
The primary objective of CALM is to enhance the capacity of students to respond to the demands of the changing work environment, by way of developing essential abilities, attitudes and the correct mindset that is crucial for success in the modern work place.
Gingerland Nevis to benefit from OECS Community based tourism development exercise.
Castries, June 27th , 2015- The OECS Commission’s Tourism Desk continues its series of regional Community Based Tourism development exercises to the district of Gingerland in Nevis, the sister island of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The OECS Commission says this event from June 27, 2016 to 30th 2016, will deliver training, advisory support and technical assistance to Youth Path Nevis Inc. in developing human resource capacity and a viable and appealing community-based tourism product.
TheGingerland community is named after the valuable ginger crop that grew there. This parish which supplies most of Nevis with fresh fruits and vegetables is situated in a region which has high regard for tourism and is seeking to capitalise on opportunities in tourism towards accomplishing positive outcomes such as a reduction in youth unemployment in Nevis. Tourism Education Officer Vanessa Webb says the support of the OECS Commission has boosted efforts to rehabilitate the Gingerland Public Market as a Cultural Heritage Site by partnering with Youth Path Nevis Inc: “One of the ideas is to establish business labs on the site where young people especially the unemployed can get seed grants to set up creative businesses at the public market and we are hoping that this workshop will help us to move forward. It is a dream in that we have in Gingerland to help our young people become entrepreneurs in tourism. So this intervention by the OECS Commission through its OECS Community Based Tourism development programme is very timely and we are very thankful.”
The four day exercise will include a site visit and self assessment of Gingerland’s community based tourism products to help ensure a better understanding of their potential viability with a view towards sustainable market access. The OECS Community Based Tourism workshop in Gingerland Nevis will also update the participants on marketing strategies including the use of Social Media for promoting their community-based products. The OECS Commission expects the participants to understand the basics of formulating a marketing plan, including working up a profitable pricing structure which takes into consideration gross and net rates, fixed and variable costs, commissions and implications of VAT.
The OECS Commission’s tourism desk believes that through this Community Based Tourism exercise in Gingerland Nevis,participants will be better poised to host visitors and understand and interpret the value of personal/family/community oral and written histories as they engage foreign and national visitors.
The OECS Commission adds that participants in the Community Based Tourism workshop in Gingerland Nevis will discuss strategies for minimizing the potential bottlenecks and barriers, in promoting their community based tourism products. The 10th EDF is supporting the activity.
Barbados stands ready to share its technical expertise on the cultural industries with its regional counterparts.
This declaration was made today by Minister of Culture, Stephen Lashley, as he addressed the start of a UNESCO Regional Workshop on the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church.
It brought together cultural experts from across the region to collaborate, network and brainstorm on matters pertaining to the diversity of cultural expression within the region
Mr. Lashley noted that in Barbados, great progress has already been made with regard to developing various areas of the cultural sector.
“The diligent efforts of the Cultural Industries Development Authority have resulted in cultural practitioners benefiting from training in sourcing finances, mentoring, pitching for investment and business development, as well as cultivating productive relationships for employment and commercial opportunities,” he stated.
However, while the Minister pledged that Barbados would freely share all information gathered on the development of its cultural industries, he insisted that there was a need for participants to have a larger scope of vision.
“While we focus on using the information gleaned from this workshop to advance the promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions in our respective countries, I would like us also to keep focus on the regional agenda to facilitate the growth and sustainability of our cultural industries,” he urged.
Mr. Lashley pointed out that the Caribbean should take every opportunity to use its cultural industries as a way to develop its economic and global positioning. Referring specifically to the upcoming Caribbean Arts Festival (CARIFESTA 2017), he advised participants to see it as more than a show of the region’s artistic capabilities.
“We have to see CARIFESTA as an opportunity for the export of Caribbean cultural content and to take advantage of the major opportunities within the international market for leveraging the positing of our cultural goods and services,” he stated.
The workshop, which ends on Wednesday, is being attended by officials at the UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, as well as from eight countries across the region, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and St. Lucia.
Current research has shown that Zika can be transmitted via sexual intercourse with an infected man.
The Ministry of Health has cautioned that persons infected with the zika virus should practice safe sex.
Current research has shown that not only can zika be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her foetus but can also be transmitted via sexual intercourse with an infected man.
“The virus actually stays alive and viable quite long in a man’s semen. If a man has been infected with Zika Virus Disease, he may have no symptoms, and may recover from the rash in about a week, but the virus can actually live in the sperm for weeks and some say possibly up to six months; so it hangs around a bit in men.” Medical Officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks said.
The zika virus spreads primarily through the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Its symptoms include rash, fever, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eye).
According to the Chief Medical Officer, the World Health Organisation (WHO), is taking advantage of this new opportunity to thoroughly examine a new disease in the region.
TTBizLink staff interacts with members of the public. (Photo courtesy Ministry of Trade and Industry)
MTI showcases TTBizLink during the UN Public Service Week 2016.
June 24, 2016: The Ministry of Trade and Industry’s TTBizLink department participated in the commemoration of the UN Public Service Week 2016 at the National Library and Information Services Authority (NALIS), Corner Hart and St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain on Tuesday 22 June, 2016.
The week long commemoration which concludes on Friday June 24, 2016 was hosted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Communications and sought to highlight the achievements and services within the Public Service. Several organizations such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Administration and Communications, Environmental Commission and Parliament also showcased their services to the Public at the event.
The TTBizLink department showcased several modules which include e-company registration module and the e-permits and licences module among others. The e-company registration module is an e-service which allows for the online name reservation, registration of businesses and incorporation of Companies. Another module showcased was the e-permits and licences modules which covers Licence and Permits Approvals. A trader must obtain licence approval for regulated goods before he or she can import or export also, a trader must obtain a Permit Approval before he or she can import or export certain classes of goods. To learn more about the TTBizLink and the services they offer, visit their website www.ttbizlink.gov.tt.
