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CDB provides funding to help Haitian entrepreneurs

Haiti

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has announced that it will contribute USD500,000 to give female and male entrepreneurs in Haiti better access to business loan and savings products.

The Bank’s funding will specifically focus on underserved and unserved micro, very small and small enterprises (MSEs) on the island.
In Haiti, few financial institutions cater to the needs of the country’s MSEs, whose average financing needs range from USD6,000 to USD23,000. Overall, these businesses face an aggregate financing gap of USD1.9 billion.
The Bank’s contribution will be made through the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The funds will be used to establish a specialised MSE business financing assessment unit, Centre Financier pour Entrepreneurs (CFE).The unit will be set up within Le Levier, a financial institution which has a network of 43 savings and credit cooperatives across Haiti’s 10 departments and 72 branches.
This initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of the financial institutions within Le Levier’s network to better appraise credit applications from MSE clients. With this process in place, MSE owners are expected to have better access to financing instruments that best suit their needs.
The project has two components. The first provides technical assistance for the establishment of the CFE within Le Levier, which take gender equality considerations into account. The second consists of a loan to Le Levier for onlending to first-tier savings and credit cooperatives that utilise the CFE’s capacity to create an MSE portfolio.
Through the initiative, CDB will also:

  • support the development of standardised financial products and services across the network’s geographical coverage area;
  • increase access to resources that would not be easily obtained by individual savings and credit cooperatives;
  • facilitate the pooling of financial resources and sharing the risk for larger loans, through syndications; and
  • enhance collaboration among the savings and credit cooperatives of Le Levier’s network.

CDB’s country partnership strategy with Haiti 2013−2016 identifies micro, small and medium enterprise development as a priority area for the Bank’s support.  CDB, through its Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services Network (CTCS), has also been a partner in improving the capacity of SOFIHDES, one of Haiti’s leading development finance institutions, to introduce innovative lending products to MSMEs.
Haiti is one of the Bank’s newest member countries, having joined the Bank in 2007.

Permanent Council Approves Declaration on Situation in Venezuela

OAS - Venezuela

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today approved by consensus a declaration in which the member states make an offer to Venezuela “in order to identify, by common accord, a course of action that will assist the search for solutions to the situation through open and inclusive dialogue” among political and social actors in the country “to preserve peace and security in Venezuela, with full respect for its sovereignty.”

The declaration also offers support for the initiative of the former presidents of Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Panama to reopen an effective dialogue between the government and the opposition, “in order to find alternatives to promote political stability, social development and economic recovery” of the country; the support of the Council “to the different initiatives of national dialogue that will lead, with adherence to the constitution and full respect for human rights and in a timely, prompt and effective manner, to the solution to the differences and the consolidation of representative democracy;” and its support to “all efforts of understanding, dialogue and constitutional procedures.”
The complete text of the declaration is available here Download

OECS hits the Road in Germany

Germany

OECS Destinations hit the Road in Germany for another Joint Promotion Event

The OECS Commission is once again coordinating another joint promotion activity for its Member States to promote their respective destinations. The OECS Road Show in Germany follows three successful joint promotion activities coordinated by the OECS Commission, to showcase the region’s sector in the yachting sector in the United States, Canada and Germany.
The joint presence of the OECS at what is dubbed to be arguably the world’s largest boat show in Germany earlier this year, unveiled the tremendous potential of the European market, Germany in particular, to enhance the performance of the Tourism sector in our region. Formal surveys conducted at the Eastern Caribbean Village at the Boot Dusseldorf Boat Show as well as informal interactions with residents revealed a high level of desirability for the region by Germans; and strong alignment of the Caribbean product with their interests and travel trends and patterns. It was very clear that from the Germans’ fascination by the beauty, heritage and culture of our region, they were an ideal market to target. They are savvy, and are keenly interesting in enriching, engaging, adventurous, and educational activities, which are all available in the OECS region.
Germans also have longer vacation periods compared to visitors from North America, and are higher spenders. According to the latest statistics from ITB 2016, 77% of all Germans travel. In 2015, Germans spent 71.5 billion Euro on travel and stayed an average 10 days. They are also interested in the spectrum of available accommodations, from guest houses to high-end boutique hotels.
The German Travel Association’s President, Norbert Fiebig designated the year 2016 as:  “The Year of the Caribbean,” referring to the opportunities for growth for the Caribbean from German travellers. This declaration is mainly because the appeal of several of the traditional popular travel destinations for Germans such as Egypt and Turkey have declined due to recent events that have triggers concerns related to safety and security.
These promising trends have compelled the OECS region to intensify marketing efforts in the German market via an OECS Road Show. The OECS Commission administered a survey to determine the preferences of the marketing personnel in all OECS Tourism  Boards/Authorities in respect of the modalities for joint promotion by OECS Member States. One hundred (100%) of survey respondents reported preference for an OECS Road Show, compared to participation in a general tourism trade show such as ITB or World Travel market, primarily because the Road Show was more cost-effective and more focused. The results of the survey were endorsed by the OECS Council of Minister (Tourism) at their Meeting in Grenada in July 2015, where the Ministers agreed for the OECS Commission to undertake a European Road Show in 2016 as a pilot exercise.
The OECS destinations of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia will be showcasing their respective destinations to travel agents, tour operators, travel bloggers and other travel media from June 6th to 6th to 9th 2016, with an intense promotion of our region in the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Cologne.

TEPA, SBDC merge

TEPA

The merge into Trade Saint Lucia will streamline the processes of the two organizations and help avoid duplication.

The launch of Trade Saint Lucia took place on May 23. An initiative of the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, the core of the enterprise is a merger of  the skills and services of the Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) and the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC).
Director of TEPA, Jacqueline Emmanuel Flood, said the  merger gives the undertaking  a core strength.
“TEPA is quite a young organization. We focus primarily on export promotion but we depend to a large extent on the work that is being done in the SBDC. Many of our exporters are still what we call emerging or potential exporters, which means that they are still growing businesses that need to have a strong foothold domestically to be able to do well globally.
“Oftentimes, TEPA and the SBDC are working within the same client space. This merger will streamline what we do, help avoid duplication, and provide businesses with the services they need to make them competitive and successful global players.”
Mrs. Flood added that Trade Saint Lucia will provide both entities the opportunity to evaluate the services which they offer.
“It also gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate our processes and become more innovative. This is an era when technology is being used all across Saint Lucia and the Government of Saint Lucia has been working to make services accessible electronically. So we are going to be moving into that kind of space.”
Trade Saint Lucia is designed to tackle the depth and scope of future business development in Saint Lucia.

Free Passports for Senior Citizens

Passports

Implementation of free passports for senior sitizens

June 1, 2016: The Ministry of National Security Immigration Division wishes to inform that effective today, June 1, 2016, citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who are sixty (60) years and over will be exempted from paying the application fee of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) for a Trinidad and Tobago Passport.
This announcement is pursuant to Government’s commitment as presented in the 2015/2016 budget statement.
The public is asked to note that this exemption does not apply to expedited requests or replacement of lost or mutilated passports which will be subject to the fees applicable to those services.

De-risking banking issue

Hilary Hazel - Banking
Hilary Hazel, Financial Secretary in St. Kitts is appealing to the general public to do all in their endeavour individually and collectively to ensure that the Federation maintains a very strong and robust financial services sector.

Financial secretary addresses de-risking banking issue

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 31, 2016 (SKNIS): The threats to the region’s banking sector due to de-risking could have disastrous implications for the Caribbean region and as such Hilary Hazel, Financial Secretary in St. Kitts, has shed some light on the issue as it pertains to the Federation during the prime minister’s monthly press conference on Monday, (May 30).
A news release on http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com revealed that the threat relates to the possible loss of access to international financial markets by mainly the regional indigenous banks. Several international banks mainly in the US and Europe have signaled to client banks in the region an unwillingness to continue carrying their business.
It further states that the so-called ‘de-risking’ by the global banks threatens to impact several critical services including remittance transfers. International trade and the facilitation of credit card settlements for local clients are among the other effects the region faces.
“St. Kitts and Nevis is actually a part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) advances towards dealing with this critical problem that affects the region as a whole,” said the financial secretary. “We continue to be very robust in the interim in St. Kitts and Nevis to have proper management of the financial services sector. We have continued to look at modernizing the laws, making sure that they are appropriate for our modern times and also to keep up-to-date with the changes as they affect the financial services sector.”
The financial secretary stated that the Federation’s active monitoring of licensed entities was also stepped up by the local regulatory body called the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC). She used the occasion to reach out to citizens and residents.
“I want to use this opportunity, however, that whilst we are waiting on the solutions that would be eventually devised at the regional level, every one of us here in St. Kitts and Nevis has the opportunity to ensure that the general public cooperates with banks in terms of knowing their customer procedures,” she said. “We also have to be conscious of the fact that once we are engaged with the banks we have a duty to each other, to the banking system and to the health of our financial services system to ensure that whatever business engagement that we have that they are proper, that they are fit and that they do not expose our country to any allegations [and] to any proven facts that we have used international financial systems to assist terrorism and to assist with money laundering.
Hillary Hazel advised all to pay attention to the present issue and to do all in their endeavour individually and collectively to ensure that the Federation maintains a very strong and robust financial services sector.
Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, said that this is a work in progress and that the government has “galvanized a regional response of CARICOM coming together and attempting to do a single response to this challenge.”
Dr. Harris noted that the Federal Government held conversations with officials from the United States Treasury Department, as well as with other entities to gain a clearer understanding as it relates to their concerns and how best the government can provide a solution to the problem.

Don't be complacent this hurricane season

Hurricane Season
Damage from Tropical Storm Tomas in 2010. (FP)

The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season has opened with renewed calls for Barbadians to be prepared and not be complacent.

The reminder that “it only takes one major event making landfall to significantly impact the island” was again emphasised by Acting Deputy Director of the Department of Emergency Management, Captain Robert Harewood.
Speaking during the Department’s annual press conference at its Warrens, St. Michael location today, Captain Harewood said that one of the major challenges facing Barbados was the level of complacency about the threat of a hurricane.
“I want to encourage people to recognise that it would only take one event to impact us. Preparedness starts at the individual level and we need people to understand that they each have a major role to play,” he emphasised.
Noting that historically Barbados was spared from the devastating impacts of tropical weather systems in the past, Captain Harewood called on residents to remember with trepidation the damage and displacement left in the wake of Tropical Storms Emily in 1987; Lili in 2002; Ivan in 2004 and Tomas in 2010, along with numerous flooding events which collectively impacted over 5,000 people.
“It is therefore important for all of us as individuals, businesses and Government entities, to recognise the particular hazard vulnerabilities within our scope and the value of the Comprehensive Disaster Management approach in treating to them.
“We all have a role to play in reducing those vulnerabilities and ensuring that we are adequately prepared for, and can respond to their impacts,” he stated.
Captain Harewood stressed that Barbados’ social, physical and economic development should strengthen the need for residents to make their communities more resilient, particularly as the island prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
He also noted that the Department was continuing its drive to implement the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme, which encourages partnerships and cooperation among public and private sector entities, non-governmental organisations and communities, in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for all types of hazards.
Meanwhile, Acting Deputy Director of the Barbados Meteorological Service, Sonia Nurse, said though the season started today, two systems had already passed – Alex in January and Bonnie last week.
Adding that there were other “out of season” developments in previous years, she said: “We urge people to prepare for the hurricane season as usual. Listen to the weather reports and don’t be complacent.” She also encouraged residents to protect their properties by getting the necessary insurance.
DEM is hosting a range of activities during the month of June to highlight the hurricane hazard under the theme: The Next 50 Years: Making Our Communities Resilient to Natural Hazards.

Procom challenge deadline extended

ProCom

The PROCOM challenge invites businesses to apply for co-financing of up to EC$100,000.00 in selected areas.

The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) has extended the deadline for applications to the ProCom Challenge to June 30.
The PROCOM challenge invites businesses to apply for co-financing of up to EC$100,000.00 in selected areas.
Launched in April, the initial closing date for the submission of proposals was May 27, but due to an overwhelming positive response from the business community, the deadline has been extended.
“The response has been very encouraging,” NCPC Communications Specialist, Taluah Girard, said. “We’ve been receiving calls and emails from people from the manufacturing industry, from the agricultural sector, and even from technology companies. Initially we will provide technical assistance in regard to the design and the pilot implementation of their project but what we also want to do is to team up with TEPA and the SBDC and see how they also can help these agencies in terms of giving them business advice.
“We want this to be successful so we want to ensure  that everything is going according to plan, and that we have a successful project.”
The NCPC hopes to repeat the initiative in the near future.
“We want to ensure that we have successful projects or solutions so that when it comes time for the second round we can say yes this is something that we can definitely go ahead with. So we are hoping that we get success stories out of this.” The ProCom Challenge is not designed to fund start ups but is open to micro and small enterprises from any business sector.

Health and Environment Assessment

Minister for Health - Dr Kenneth Darroux
Minister for Health - Dr Kenneth Darroux

Dominica presents Health and Environment Assessment to CARICOF

The Honourable Minister for Health and Environment, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, presented the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CARICOF) with a Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment which was completed last year.
CARICOF is intended to identify gaps in information and technical capability; facilitate research cooperation and data exchange within and between regions, and improve coordination within the climate forecasting community.
The forums are critical building blocks in the Global Framework for Climate Services of the World Meteorological Organization.
The assessment is collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Environment, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and Health Canada.
The concluded Climate and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment is considered by the Hon. Minister for Health as the cornerstone for mainstreaming climate change adaptation in the health sector.
“The study has put in focus the overwhelming vulnerabilities of the local population to the impact of climate on vector-borne diseases.
Food safety, food security and water quality and the necessity to build adaptation measures into health programme, planning and implementation. It draws on the need to be climate smart when building health systems and providing health services,” Dr. Darroux stated.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Johnson revealed that the Ministry of Health also conducted a review in December with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) based in Trinidad.
“The after-action review which was done in September in addition to the formal assessment focused on different elements of emergency response including preparedness, alerting, response, recovery and rehabilitation. It examined what was expected to happen, what actually happened, what went well and why and what can be improved and how.
“With the expected increases in the these events, the country therefore needs to position itself to better respond to public health threats associated with climate variability and change by incorporating systems to provide better information for decision-making in health service delivery.”
Dr. Johnson stated that Dominica must establish the resources to continue the study on the country’s vulnerability to climate variability and climate change.
These studies will assist the Government in establishing systems which will inform decisions on adaptation to reduce public health threats which are expected to arise as a result.

Reconfigure Community Groups Says Blackett

Community Development, Steve Blackett.
Minister of Social Care Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steve Blackett. (FP)

Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett, believes that Barbadian youth have strayed from community groups and instead “are now assembling on social media”.

Speaking at the launch of the 45th Anniversary Celebrations of the Community Development Department this morning at the Warrens Office Complex, Mr. Blackett urged: “We need to reconfigure our thrust in terms of reaching out into the communities, because groups are no longer assembling…and we ought to target our thrust in that area”.
The Minister, however, acknowledged the work which the Department has done in communities throughout Barbados, and congratulated it on reaching its 45-year milestone.
“We ought to congratulate the Community Development Department, for staying their course over the years, and for achieving what they have achieved, sometimes with little resources,” he affirmed.
The duties of the department were previously executed under the Welfare Department; however, as a result of an increase in community activities, the Community Development Department was established as a separate entity in 1971.
“Forty-five years later, the agency continues to strive to be the leading provider of high quality professional social work and community services and works towards building strong, vibrant cohesive and sustainable communities,” Mr. Blackett noted.
He then highlighted three of the department’s programmes – the Community Technology Programme, the Community Arts Programme and the Community Dance Fest – which he believed “fall squarely within the theme of sustainable development”.
To mark its 45th anniversary, the Community Development Department will host a Community Development Day on Saturday, July 9, and a Community Contact Day on Saturday, July 16.
The department will also stage a community day in St. Lucy entitled: A St. Lucy Affair, on Saturday, October 22, as well as the Inter-Centre Games Finals and Song of the Jubilee.

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