The 19th edition of Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival will be officially launched on Wednesday, 22nd June 2016 at the Anchorage Hotel.
Last year, what would have been Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival 19thedition was cancelled due to the passage of Tropical Storm Erika. Chief Executive Officer of the Discover Dominica Authority, Colin Piper, hopes that patrons will be pleasantly surprised with this year’s line-up.
“I think the Dominican people are ready. We’ve had Jazz and Creole and carnival and now we have World Creole Music Festival the first since the cancellation in 2015. What we want to do is just get out there and give people the reason to come to Dominica. I think as Dominicans we all need to evangelize that it is happening and it is here. The line-up is great and come for one night, come for three nights, come for not only the festival but anything that is happening around the festival leading up to the independence.”
Piper revealed that rigorous preparation has been on-going since the storm in 2015.
“A band selection committee have been meeting since November 17th to come up with a number of names of artistes that are available. As you know last year we had worked with some artistes and we need to look at the terms and conditions to see if everybody can come back based on the programming and some of the things we are trying to do differently. I believe that everybody will be pleasantly surprised with the line-up…”
The World Creole Music Festival will be held from October 28th to 30th 2016.
UNDP-Global Fund (GF) New Funding Model HIV/AIDS and TB grant 2016-18.
The Ministry of Economic Development, on behalf of the country of Belize, was granted US$3.4 million for HIV/AIDS and TB prevention and mitigation by the Global Fund for 2016-18. This is the first GF grant to include TB interventions to lessen the incidences of all forms of TB and TB-HIV co-infections in key populations. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was again selected to serve as Principal Recipient (PR) under this new funding model grant. Although a new project cycle, the grant is considered transitional, since stakeholders will build efficiently and sustainably upon previously identified good practices in-country and the Latin American and Caribbean regions.
Under this grant, UNDP is handing over to the Ministry essential health equipment, including: two project vehicles for monitoring of TB activities and community outreach; 25 bicycles for community health workers servicing HIV and TB patients in local communities across the country; laptops; Gene Xpert machinery; lab equipment and other health products and consumables.
Remaining funds will be used to strengthen national health systems through infrastructural development and multi-level capacity building for healthcare workers. In addition to heath systems strengthening, the grant seeks to promote human rights for all, particularly among key populations most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and TB. Implementing partners include Ministry of Health, Belize Family Life Association (BFLA), Hand in Hand Ministries (HnH) and Productive Organization for Women in Action (POWA). Together, these organizations will work in Belize City, Cayo and Stann Creek, the three districts with heaviest burden of HIV/AIDS and TB in Belize.
With the launch of the MOH Surveillance Report 2015 and the development of the TB Strategic Plan in 2014, the status of HIV/AIDS and TB continue to raise concerns for family, community and societal development. Much success has been achieved since the first diagnosis of HIV in 1986. Still, as WHO and UNAIDS sounded the call for achievement of the 90:90:90 targets by 2020 and the UN High Level meeting for HIV/AIDS held last week in New York, there needs to be heightened efforts for innovative, collaborative and strategic planning for the halting and reversal of the two diseases.
MOH statistics for 2015 show general population prevalence rate at 1.4%, and MSM prevalence rate at 13.9%. Young women between the ages of 20-24 years and men 40-44 years account for peaks in infection over the last couple years. The TB prevalence rate is estimated at 51 per 100,000 (2012), and incidence is about 120 cases per year (2014). In order to change the trajectory of the diseases, barriers to access to healthcare systems, stigma and discrimination, low adherence rates and risky sexual practices all need to be addressed, and this grant aims to effectively achieve those goals.
UNDP Belize continues its mandate to promote human and national development for all and stands firmly by its commitment to “Empowered Lives. Resilient Nations.” The GF grant in Belize will provide life-saving and life-changing assistance to those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and TB in Belize.
CARICOM representatives say there is need to urgently address business constraints like that of more direct transportation links.
A meeting of representatives of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System was held recently at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, with the aim of addressing the importance of trade, investment and cooperation between Mexico and Caribbean countries.
At the meeting, representatives analyzed the network of cooperation, economic and trade agreements in the region covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and discussed possibilities for coordination, convergence and the mechanisms to promote and diversify economic and trade relations.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Guyana’s Minister of Business, the Hon. Dominic Gaskin pointed out that increased cooperation with Mexico could increase trade diversification among other partners and create opportunities for businesses.
Assistant Secretary General of Trade and Economic Integration at CARICOM, Mr. Joseph Cox,
referred to the creation of opportunities for the private sector.
He pointed out that if greater strides were to be made, issues to be addressed had to include a more informed private sector across the region. He explained that there was also need to urgently address the biggest constraint in doing business with each other –that of more direct transportation links. Language differences between countries, he added, should be embraced rather than treated as a constraint.
European Union (EU) Announced Signing Of Contracts To Disburse Money For Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) Program.
Projects under the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM), program will soon commence with the disbursement of EC$18 million.
Projects include: the construction of a greenhouse facility and improvement of the feeder road at Montreal, upgrade of the Langley Park banana packing facility, construction of on-farm infrastructure for banana and livestock, and a food science laboratory at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
Plans to implement these projects were disclosed at a press conference at Cabinet Room on Tuesday, 21st June. In attendance at the press conference were: Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; European Union (EU), Ambassador to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Barbados, His Excellency Mikael Barfod; Minister of Economic Planning, Hon. Camillo Gonsalves; Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Saboto Caesar; Director of Planning, Mrs. Laura Anthony-Browne; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Raymond Ryan; Co-ordinator of the BAM program, Mr. Ricardo Frederick; and other staff of the Ministry of Agriculture.
His Excellency Mikael Barfod, stated that it was a pleasure for him to be in the country to “announce the signing of contracts” for the projects under the BAM program. According to Ambassador Barfod, the disbursement of the funds meant that St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in collaboration with the EU, have utilised ninety-eight (98) percent of the 9.93 million Euros originally allocated under the program.
Furthermore, Ambassador Barfod described the plans of the Ministry of Agriculture as both challenging and ambitious, especially in regards to the greenhouse park. He stressed that the EU has provided strong support and will continue to work with the Government to ensure that structural changes are made to unleash the agriculture potential to create wealth and jobs, and ensure good nutrition for the benefit of the nation.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, said that he is happy that the allocation of funds under the BAM program has come this far. He noted that these tendering processes have several challenges. To this end, Dr. Gonsalves paid recognition to Co-rdinator of the BAM program, Mr. Ricardo Frederick, who, according to the Prime Minister, is the person who, over the past several months, has been really pushing this, and who has gotten a lot of work done.
The main objective of the BAM program, stated Prime Minister Gonsalves, is to reduce the levels of poverty in our country through increased production, investment, exports and employment in the agricultural sector. These, he said, will be done through strategic interventions under the program by increasing banana, livestock, fruit, and vegetable production.
In his comments at the press conference, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Saboto Caesar, called the announcement of the disbursement of funds under the program a great day for farmers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the agriculture sector on a whole. Minister Caesar assured Ambassador Barfod, that the funds under the program will be put to good use.
Minister Caesar used the opportunity to mention plans to recommence banana exports to the United Kingdom (UK). According to the Minister, currently, we are over producing for the regional market in terms of bananas and it is time for us to set the framework as to how we are going to export to the extra-region. He added that the Ministry has started to address certification issues. He further stated that this is going to put the farmers in great stead for us to return to the UK market. He expressed his appreciation for the BAM projects, which he said has been pushing to return to the UK market. He emphasised that farmers will be the beneficiaries under these upcoming initiatives under the project.
Additionally, the Minister referred to a conversation he had with the Chief Executive Officer of WINFRESH, Mr. Bernard Cornibert, about a study which will be conducted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to lead to the cultivation of some 250 acres of bananas.
The operational period of the financing agreement for the BAM is 60 months. It began on 19th March 2013, and will end on 18th March 2018.
The St. Kitts National AIDS Secretariat under the banner of the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV, along with Scotiabank and the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) is inviting residents to find out their HIV status on Friday, June 24 on Princes’ Street, Basseterre from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As customary, there will be free and confidential HIV testing, using the Point of Care (POC) finger-prick method, that returns results in 15 minutes.
Are you positive, you are negative, come find out your status on June 24, Princes’ Street, Basseterre St. Kitts.
At OAS, Belize and Guatemala begin negotiations to cooperate in the Sarstoon River.
The delegations of Belize and Guatemala, headed by their respective Foreign Ministers, met Tuesday at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC with Secretary General Luis Almagro to begin to negotiate the terms of a cooperation mechanism for the Sarstoon River, as had been agreed by the Parties in Istanbul, Turkey, where they met within the framework of the World Humanitarian Summit May 23-24, 2016.
In this regard, the General Secretariat of the OAS is pleased to inform that good progress was made during the meeting, which concentrated on the development of best practices for the de-escalation of tensions in the Sarstoon River.
The meeting was held with the full participation of the Secretary General of the OAS and his staff and was attended by the relevant institutions in the process. The Ministers were accompanied by the Commanders of the Belize Defense Force and of the Guatemalan Army, the countries’ Ambassadors to the White House, and the Permanent Representatives to the OAS, among other high ranking diplomats.
Director of Tourism, Colin Piper, is reporting great benefits to Dominica from discussions held at the first Caribbean Aviation Meetup conference hosted in Dominica earlier this month.
From June 13th to 16th, the Government of Dominica through the Ministry of Tourism and the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) hosted the three-day regional conference which drew regional and international speakers and guests as well as representatives of the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Caribbean Tourism Association (CTA).
The intention was to bring likeminded people to discuss matters of aviation with a view to strategizing better air access to the region.
Piper says discussion surrounded the use of private jets, training in the industry, and route rights.
The Tourism Director says Dominica was able to grasp some concepts from the conference, especially the use of the Canefield airport to increase commercial activity in Roseau.
“The benefit to Dominica was that in a number of the examples, Dominica would have been utilized and so we got some ideas. At the end of it Dominica Air and Seaport Authority (DASPA) is taking the lead on what was proposed for Canfield because that was a specific study that I can say that all the experts that went to Canefield [airport] realize the importance of Canefield and felt that if there was more commercial activity that it would all go well for the destination because of its proximity to Roseau and in particular the business people.
So I am sure that is something DASPA will take on board. There were suggestions about really trying to get the OECS and CARICOM to look at the tax structure, for pricing as we mention there were discussion about Canefield and Winair featured at the conference because they took the opportunity to reannounce their interline agreement with British Airways that would facilitate flight coming from Antigua.” Piper said.
He says the conference also brought exposure to the island as a destination that it is serious about solving aviation challenges.
Piper says the dialogue about easier air access to Dominica will continue.
“The business of aviation plans in two and three year cycles, so even if we come up with as great idea to chat with the people and get all the details and get all the certification and the approvals it is going to take some time. This is something we have been working on since the last conference in 2012 and we have been continuously working on things. What you see happening now is as a result of work happening on the ground and we will use this input to continue to improve the process of air access into Dominica.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs convenes Meeting with Fishermen.
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Wednesday 22nd June, 2016 –GIS: Recent incidents at sea where fishermen were robbed and threatened were discussed at two urgently convened meetings on June 16th and 17th 2016. The meetings, which were held at the Gouyave and Melville Street fish markets, were well attended by fishermen and people involved in the industry.
The meetings were facilitated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen, and Hon. Roland Bhola, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, together with senior officials from the Fisheries Division and Ministry of Foreign affairs.
The Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Grenada, Mr. Jorge Guerrero Veloz and staff from the embassy also attended.
The aim of the meeting was to get from the fishermen pertinent information in relation to a reported series of incidents, in which they had been accosted and robbed, while engaged in their livelihood in waters off Grenada.
The two Ministers stressed Government’s commitment to addressing the concerns of the fishermen, as the marine environment is of great benefit to our economy, and holds tremendous potential for our economic growth.
The fishermen welcomed the commitment by Government in facilitating the discussions, and their response to act in a purposeful and innovative manner.
Venezuela’s Ambassador, in addressing the meetings, stressed the need for collaboration and cooperation between the two nations as being critical to successfully addressing this challenge.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has requested urgent talks with her counterpart in Venezuela to hold further discussions aimed at resolving the situation diplomatically.
A high level delegation will leave Antigua and Barbuda this Thursday (June 23, 2016) for the United States of America to promote the nation’s visionary and innovative strides in the development of cricket.
The delegation participating in the five day tour is being led by Antigua and Barbuda’s National Hero and International Cricket Icon, Sir Vivian Richards.
While in the US, the delegation will visit Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Florida to meet with key cricket, media and community stakeholders where they will promote the first test match of the upcoming West Indies vs India tour which takes place at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
In addition to promoting the July 21- 25 test match, Sir Viv will also introduce the Asian Cricket Festival which will be hosted annually in Antigua beginning in 2017. The progress of the Four Knights Academy, which was launched in 2015, along with plans for its continued development, will also be featured.
The highlight of the tour will occur on Saturday June 25, when Sir Viv will address the 27th Convention of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin under the theme, “Come Visit Me At Home: Enjoy Cricket and Carnival.” Ambassador Dr. Walton Webson, Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will attend the convention along with the delegation.i
This gathering, the largest of Indians residing in the US, will provide a singular opportunity to market both the July 2016 test match and the Asian Cricket Festival which has already garnered widespread interest and support from the international cricket community. Those in attendance will include India’s Minister of External Affairs, Hon. Sushma Swaraj along with a number of US Governors, Senators and Congressmen.
As part of the tour, Sir Viv will also be featured as a guest on a primetime TV Asia USA interview before a live studio audience and will visit the Ayra Dance Academy along with several Bollywood superstars. He will also attend a luncheon with supporters and participate in presentations with fellow cricketers.
Minister of Sport, the Hon. E. P. Chet Greene, speaking ahead of the departure of the Antiguan representatives, noted the unique opportunity created by the overlap of the July test match with Carnival 60.
“Antigua and Barbuda has been given a great chance to encourage tourists to choose our islands with this fantastic ‘2 for 1’ celebration of Carnival and Cricket. We want residents living abroad, as well as tourists, to come for the cricket and remain with us for our Carnival 60 celebrations. The essence of our efforts is captured perfectly by the theme for the delegation’s tour, ‘Come Visit Me in Antigua,'” said Greene.
Minister Greene added that he was very pleased that Sir Viv had agreed to utilise his international appeal and overwhelming popularity among the Indian community to promote Antigua and Barbuda and endorse the annual Asian Cricket Festival.
The United States tour is supported by the Ministry of Sports and the Antigua and Barbuda Sports Tourism Authority.
(Left) Prime Minister of St. Lucia Hon. Allen Chastanet, (Right) Director General of The OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules
Prime Minister Chastanet welcomes OECS Director General Dr. Jules.
Castries, Saint Lucia, June 21st, 2016 – Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, The Honourable Allen Chastanet on Monday June 20th 2016, welcomed the Director of the OECS Commission, His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules for joint discussions on areas in which both the Government and Commission could forge closer collaboration. The Prime Minister and Director General exchanged views on strengthening and consolidating cooperation in the face of regional and global economic challenges, with the Prime Minister being briefed on key OECS activities and events.
Dr. Jules again congratulated the Prime Minister and his Cabinet on their emphatic victory and assured the incoming Chastanet Administration of the OECS’s utmost support to the Government in addressing the unique issues and opportunities facing the region: “The OECS Commission stands ready to support the Government across a number of socio -economic areas such as youth unemployment, GIS delivered statistics for better decision making and addressing the very real issue of climate change as but some examples. We are already seeing sound headway with the launch of the new OECS Youth Empowerment Strategy in engaging previously marginalized youth into valuable internships and work experience. I believe we are living in the most exciting time in history with innovation and technology being able to leverage previously unseen social, cultural and economic opportunities and we look forward to working with the Government to realise these opportunities for all OECS citizens.”
It was agreed that another meeting would be held in the near future to examine areas of programme convergence that would help underpin the policies of the Government and the mandate of the OECS Commission.
