June 15, 2016: Persons travelling from Trinidad and Tobago are advised to carry their International Immunization Card with proof of their updated Yellow Fever vaccination when travelling.
The International Immunization Card may be obtained at the following County Medical Offices with proof of immunization: St. George East John Shaw Avenue
Arima
667-6688/667-4142 St. George Central 21 Third Street
Barataria
675-1983 St. George West 3-5 Jerningham Place
Jerningham Avenue
Belmont
625-4151/623-0724 Caroni Southern Main Road
Couva
636-5066 St. Andrew/St. David Cor. Blake Avenue & Eastern Main Road
Damarie Hill
Guaico
668-5987/668-2055 St. Patrick Spiaria Administrative Complex
Siparia
649-1227 Nariva/Mayaro Narine Ramrattan Building
Naparima Mayaro Road
Rio Claro
222-5005 ext. 3003 Tobago Robinson Street Scarborough
639-3751/600-7000 ext. 4280 Victoria 160 Pointe-a-Pierre Road
San Fernando
652-2016 ext. 3 Please click here to view the Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinic Schedule Please click here to view the countries requiring the Yellow Fever Vaccination
For more information on the countries requiring proof of the Yellow Fever vaccine and for Trinidad and Tobago’s Yellow Fever Vaccination Schedule, please visit the Ministry of Health’s website at www.health.gov.tt.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris
Like PM Harris, PM Chastanet stresses people-centred governance.
VIEUX FORT, ST. LUCIA, JUNE 15th, 2016 (PRESS SEC) –Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris attended the swearing-in ceremony of St. Lucia’s Cabinet of Ministers yesterday, Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, a town located near the southernmost point of the country.
The departure from the usual custom of holding the ceremony at Government House was taken to reinforce the themes that the United Workers’ Party, led by Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, had campaigned on, specifically that opportunities would be created for all and the economy would be transformed. According to the UWP, this economic transformation would be achieved, for instance, through the expansion of tourism in Vieux Fort, which has become plagued by rising crime and unemployment. The expansion plan would entail building a new cruise ship terminal in Vieux Fort, Mr. Chastanet has said and reiterated yesterday at the swearing-in ceremony.
“I felt that it would have been wrong of us as a new government to forget where we came from,” Prime Minister Chastanet said yesterday. “We would all not be standing here today, taking the oath of allegiance to St. Lucia, if it were not for you, and I thank you. It was also important that this ceremony take place here in the South. The South has suffered for a very long time. It has the highest level of unemployment and the highest level of poverty, but yet the greatest opportunity for growth. I am here and my government is here to say to you that we see you, we hear you, we are with you, and we will make this thing change together.”
This people-centred philosophy – grounded in hope and change – is redolent of the statement that Prime Minister Harris of St. Kitts and Nevis gave on February 19th, 2015, the day after he was sworn in as the country’s third prime minister. “We always had contended that the people wanted change,” Dr. Harris said, adding that, “Ultimately, the people delivered that in an overwhelming way. We have an agenda, which is people-centred, and we want the transition to be smooth and quick.”
Prime Minister Chastanet said yesterday that, “We must try a new approach. Like the economic zones that we have outlined in our manifesto, we want to govern with a focus, so I hope that you recognize today that we have cut the number of Ministries from 14 to eight, and we have created clusters of teams to be able to focus and deal with the critical issues facing our country.” The Prime Minister of St. Lucia added that, “I hope you also would have appreciated that the number one issue facing our country is unemployment. So we felt it was important to name my ministry the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.”
As for St. Kitts and Nevis, the country experienced four consecutive years of negative growth until 2013, according to the IMF. Growth became resurgent from 2013 and has registered since then at or above the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s target for GDP growth, which is 5%. According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, GDP growth as at December 2015 in St. Kitts and Nevis was 6.64% compared to 2.62% in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.
In relation to job creation, Prime Minister Harris said last summer that, “There is an obvious need for business expansion so that decent jobs can be created in the economy to absorb the excess capacity in terms of the supply of labour. We must then work together so that the private sector can play the vital role of creating jobs, as job creation is one of the main drivers of economic growth.”
At his monthly press conference on January 19th, 2016, Dr. Harris mentioned the 6.6 percent growth that the economy recorded in 2015. The Prime Minister said this 6.6 percent growth accounted for 24,677 jobs from the period January to October 2015 compared to 24,530 in 2014. “It facilitated an average of $72.32 million in wages and salaries being pumped into the economy each month up by a significant 7% over $67.50 million per month on average over the comparative period in 2014,” Prime Minister Harris said. Dr. Harris also noted that the total wages and salaries increased by 6 percent in public administration and defense, 14 percent in the hotel and restaurant sector, 6 percent in the wholesale and retail sector, and 14 percent in the construction industry.
“Most heartening for us is that we are off to a good start in realizing the enhanced quality of life for all our people. Prosperity for all is a work in progress,” Prime Minister Harris added.
(Press release courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary)
Port Security personnel complete training in Cargo Security.
Customs officers as well as police and port security personnel completed a one week workshop last Friday, June 10th on national cargo security.
The training was funded by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Organization of American States.
Benoit Bardouille is CEO of the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority.
“We think that retraining and retooling our officers is key We also believe that given the exposure which they’ve gotten this week to several aspects of air cargo security, their resolve will be strengthened to ensure that Dominica complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization standards and recommended practises.”
Bert Williams represented the US Transportation Security Administration at last week’s closing ceremony.
“As we know, we are not in this fight alone. We can’t do it alone; it has to be a collective effort if we have to fight terrorism in aviation and transportation,” she said.
OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA, Tuesday, June 14 – The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) has announced the appointment of Omar Robinson as their new President.
Robinson will succeed Nicola Madden-Greig who served in the role for two years. Robinson has been part of the JHTA executive team for over 5 years and is currently the General Manager of the Round Hill Hotel. This was announced at the Association’s Annual General Meeting which was held on Saturday, June 11 at Sandals Ocho Rios Beach Resort.
Robinson, in his inaugural address, vowed to continue on the foundation laid by Madden-Greig and will continue to engage Government on key issues which affect the industry such as safety/security, taxation, licensing and environmental practices among others. He also mentioned strengthening the linkages with local manufacturers and suppliers.
“I look forward to continuing the mandate of the JHTA, by working closely with both private and public stakeholders to ensure the advancement and sustained growth of the Jamaican tourism industry. As we enter into this new chapter, the JHTA will continue to leverage our relationships around the world as we look to help not only our members, but all players in the sector to achieve increased market presence, profitability and most importantly growth. I am very humbled by this appointment and look forward to the journey ahead” said Robinson.
Robinson has worked in the industry for over 20 years and has held executive management positions at Sandals Resorts and Round Hill. He presently holds the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and is ccurrently pursuing doctoral studies in Organizational Leadership at Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska, USA.
Commenting on the new appointment, Camille Needham, Executive Director of the JHTA said “Omar brings valuable know-how to the JHTA and will be an asset to the executive body. His knowledge of tourism and his broad experience in the industry will be invaluable as we look to and grow our presence globally.”
OAS and private sector to boost digital connectivity in the Americas.
The Organization of American States (OAS), several leading companies in the field of information and communications technologies (ICTs), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and a group of universities from across the region today signed the “2030 ICT Alliance for the Americas” to expand connectivity in the region and to democratize the preparation of young people for participating in the modern economy.
The 2030 ICT Alliance for the Americas initiative is to be implemented by the OAS’s Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). The agreement is a corollary to the forum “ICTs and the eradication of poverty in the Americas: The role of public-private partnerships,” organized by the OAS and the government of the Dominican Republic in its capacity as Chair of the Permanent Executive Committee of CITEL on the occasion of the OAS General Assembly.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, emphasized that “it is vital that we give our young people the opportunity to compete, that our citizens are able to access high-technology services. At the present time, democratizing access to them is an essential mechanism for expanding more rights for more people.” The project is aligned with the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and it seeks to provide internet access to
1.5 billion people across the world by the year 2020; to ensure that all public schools in the Americas are connected to the internet over the coming 15 years; and to strengthen democratic participation in the Americas through ICTs.
The companies participating in the project are, to date, Millicom, CISCO, América Móvil, and Telefónica. ECLAC has also joined the initiative.
COMPANIES’ COMMITMENTS UNDER THE 2030 ICT ALLIANCE
The commitments entered into by the companies as a part of the ICT ALLIANCE include:
Cisco:
• Providing technological training for a million young people over the next six years.
Telefónica:
• Establishing, on its platform, an area for strategic training in education and digital democracy.
• Organizing, in conjunction with the OAS, a competition for young mobile app entrepreneurs.
• Certifying, in conjunction with the OAS, teachers’ digital education skills.
• Providing digital suitcases with materials for unconnected rural schools.
Millicom:
• Developing a sustainable digital education program for vulnerable groups in all the countries where it does business.
• Organizing educational programs about on-line security for children and adults.
• Providing network connectivity to 2,100 educational establishments in Latin America.
América Móvil:
• Expanding broadband access with rural coverage in cities with more than 5,000, 20,000, and 50,000 inhabitants.
• Through the OAS, opening up the Carlos Slim Foundation’s e-training platform to the member states and creating country-specific job banks.
• Providing the American states, through the OAS, with access to free on-line training in technical trades.
For further information, visit CITEL’s web page www.citel.oas.org
Assistant PS in the Ministry of Agriculture, Natasha Daniel, (3rd from left) and other stakeholders at the media launch of the St. Kitts and Nevis Coral Reef Report Card
Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 14, 2016 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged to do more to protect marine life and its coastal territory as it seeks to introduce better practices of sustainable development.
The twin-island federation marked World Oceans Day on June 08, along with countries around the world, and used the occasion to launch the St. Kitts and Nevis Coral Reef Report Card. A press release forwarded from the Ministry of Agriculture, which has responsibility for marine resources, indicated that the report card “tracks the health of coral reefs; highlight the ability of fully protected areas to support more fish; and raise awareness on the need to protect coral reefs.”
“It is incumbent on our government to ensure the requisite systems of management and protection are fully established to provide and maintain the livelihood of our citizens and the sustainability of the resources present in this area,” said Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Natasha Daniel, adding that the report card is vital in the process as it highlights areas for focus.
Management recommendations from the St. Kitts and Nevis report card include: “adopting and designating the proposed Marine Managed Area (MMA) to help reefs recover; protecting parrotfish and other herbivores to reduce seaweed; and to create more fully protected replenishment areas to let fish grow larger and produce more fish for the future.” Additionally, it suggested “protecting reefs with healthy elkhorn and staghorn corals to help these endangered species to recover; and to improve nearshore water quality to help reefs prosper.”
Report cards were also produced for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda. The report cards were funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. The initiative is part of the Climate-Resilient Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network (ECMMAN) project, which aims to build a subregional network of MMAs.
All of the data and the report cards are accessible online at www.caribnode.org. The theme for World Oceans Day 2016 was “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet.”
Hillsborough, Carriacou, June 14th, 2016 – Members of the Carriacou Fisher Folk Inc., led a different kind of fishing expedition over the weekend of June 11th and 12th 2016.
Their mission was not to catch fish, but rather, to create new fishing aggregating sites to respond to the depleting fishing grounds caused by climate change and overfishing.
On both days the fishers headed out to sea from the Harvey Vale area carrying skilfully made hand crafted devices including anchors made up of old oil drums laden with concrete and boulders, many miles of ropes, tarpaulin and different kinds of buoys.
From the Thursday June 8th the fishers came together in a special training to build what is referred to as Fishing Aggregating Devices (FADs).
FAD is the new craze amongst fishers which is a device that is anchored in the middle of the ocean to attract fishes of all sizes.
The local FAD expert from Petite Martinique, Mr. Howard Mitchell conducted the building and deployment of the FADs.
Two FADs were deployed on the western end of Carriacou on the Saturday and two more were deployed on the Sunday on the eastern end of Petite Martinique. They were equipped with radar reflectors and lights to warn other maritime users and the locations were approved by Fisheries Division and Ports Authority.
The Carriacou Fisher Folk Cooperative is based in L’Essterre and is aimed at increasing resilience to Climate Change by improving fishing techniques in Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Their FAD project is one of the 29 community climate change projects that received funding through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and the Environment Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (ICCAS) Projects.
The ICCAS project, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) within its International Climate Initiative (IKI), it is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, UNDP and GIZ
1. Allen Chastanet: Minister of Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service
2. Gale Rigobert: Education, Innovation, Gender Relations, Sustainable Development
3. Ezechiel Joseph: Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives
4. Stephenson King: Infrastructure, Energy and Labour
5. Guy Joseph: Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation
6. Lennard Montoute: Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports, Culture and Local Government
7. Hermangild Francis: Home Affairs, Justice and National Security
8. Mary Isaac: Health and Wellness
9. Edmund Estaphane: Minister in the Ministry of Equity,Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports and Local Government
10. Bradley Felix: Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Industry, Commerce, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs
11. Dominic Fedee: Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Tourism and Information and Broadcasting
12. Jimmy Henry: Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives
13. Fortuna Belrose: Minister in the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports and Local Government
14. Ubaldus Raymond: Minister in the Ministry for Finance Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service
15. Herod Stanislaus: Minister in the Ministry of Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation
Bishops College Cuts the Ribbon to Complete Flood Mitigation Project.
St. George’s, June 13th, 2016 – Bishops College Secondary School in Carriacou held their ribbon cutting ceremony on June 10th 2016 on the school compound to officially bring to completion a Climate Change Resilience and Flood Mitigation Initiative at the school.
This project was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Project (ICCAS) which is being funded by German Government through the UNDP Community Climate Change Adaptation Fund (CCCAF).
This project will now successfully allow the school to maintain a sustainable drainage system to effectively dispense water from around the school compound.
Bishop’s College is located in an area of high vulnerability and it poses a risk to disaster management and public health.
Over the years the school has been severely affected by the persistent and debilitating problem of flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
The occurrence of these flooding incidents impacted the ability of the school to function, due to multiple closures.
The issue was further compounded by contamination of the school’s sole water supply by flood water seepage.
This flood mitigation initiative will increase the schools ability to significantly reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to health and property.
The project is an example of community climate change adaptation where the drain was constructed to create a safer environment for learning and less time will now be spent on disaster management.
The construction of a 284 foot drainage system has enhanced the school and the surrounding community and will increase the schools resilience to the effects of climate change.
The ICCAS project is part of the International Climate Change Initiative funded by the German Government to assist Grenada to adapt to climate change and is executed through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and the Environment.
Barbadian and Guyanese youth are being urged to create a “revolutionary and interconnected Caribbean”.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, gave this encouragement as he addressed several young people at the beginning of a workshop on civic engagement, held at his Ministry’s headquarters, Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, on Monday.
The workshop was held as part of a cultural exchange programme between Barbados and Guyana, which saw 10 young people from Guyana visiting Barbados for 10 days.
He told the participants: “Remind yourself of the very close relationship our countries share…we are very mindful of the historic linkages between Barbados and Guyana.”
The Youth Minister cautioned the youth that the decisions they make today can determine how their country repositions itself. He implored the young persons to be the change the Caribbean needs and to think about how they can transform the technological landscape to make a difference, while also improving on what currently exists.
“The internet is now reshaping how we live…how many of you ever thought of creating a social media engine that will take Facebook to an even more revolutionary stage than it is now?” he queried.
In April of this year, 24 Barbadian students from the Haynesville Youth Club visited Guyana in an effort to present cultural art forms to their hosts.
