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May is local government month

Team

DOMINICA:  The Department of Local Government and Community Development celebrates its 27thanniversary under the theme ‘Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals’.

Hon. Acting Minister for Social Services, Family and Gender Affairs, Roselyn Paul, addressed the nation on Tuesday, May 3rd, on the occasion of Local Government Month.
“Let me from the onset recognize the role played by Local Government practitioners, community-based groups, the numerous volunteers who on a daily basis contribute to nation building. I need at this juncture to applaud the contributions made by various publics, individuals, organizations, and institutions in the response and recovery efforts post Tropical Storm Erika.”
Hon Paul noted that Government is tasked to localize the sustainable development goals. She referenced the ground breaking ceremony of the West Bridge as one of the ways the Government is responding to that goal.
“In terms of responding to this goal many persons witnessed the groundbreaking ceremony by the Government of Dominica on Friday 22nd April to commence work on the West Bridge across the Roseau River. In terms of safety in the city, it is expected that dredging will take place to allow for easier flow of water inclusive of retaining walls which will control the flow.
“This is just one practical example of making our cities safer, resilient and sustainable. One can also add the urban renewal plans for the city of Roseau and the town of Portsmouth which will assist us in meeting.”
The Minister says the issue of climate change should be taken very seriously.
“Goal number 13 which is ‘take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact’ must be brought to the fore. Tropical Storm Erika taught us a lesson that the effects of climate change is real and it should be everybody’s business. Increase in vectors and disease such as Zika and Chikungunya is also an identified climate change associated issue that we most continue to take proactive action against.  I am very happy with the feedback from numerous publics with regards to mainstreaming risk reduction and mitigation and initiating adaptation measures to combat climate change effects which is inkeeping with the Central Government’s thrust.”
The Government of Dominica makes tremendous financial contributions to local authorities for development projects and programmes in communities.
Also, over $2m is given to councils annually in the form of subvention. The Government of Dominica is committed to moving local government reform forward.

JetBlue Inaugural Flight From Fort Lauderdale

JetBlue
BTMI Director of the U.S. Market, Petra Roach cutting the ribbon to signal the commencement of the jetBlue's service from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Barbados while jetBlue CEO, Robin Hayes and other officials look on. (N.Browne/GP)

Barbados’ tourism industry is set to get a major boost with the new daily JetBlue direct flight between this country and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Additionally, many Barbadians can now access this service to shop and visit family and friends living in south Florida, as the new service offers cheaper flights.
That was the consensus as Jet Blue’s Flight 385 left Gate 9 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, bound for the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados.
It did so amidst the fanfare of steel pan music; instrumentals by saxophonist Elan Trotman; and appearances by the Bajan Forever Crop Over Band based in Miami, Florida, as well as Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders.
During the festivities, Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Management Inc., Alvin Jemmott, pointed out that he was especially pleased to have the new Jet Blue service operating out of Fort Lauderdale. According to him, his organisation started a relationship with Jet Blue back in 2009, and, since then, the relationship has experienced phenomenal growth.
“We have doubled, tripled, quadrupled and keep growing. We started out at JFK and we have now moved service from JFK to Boston. We’ve added the mint service out of Boston and here we are in Fort Lauderdale,” the Chairman explained.
He added that the relationship with Jet Blue contributed to the record breaking arrival numbers of visitors to Barbados over the past year. “Their airlift to the destination continues to allow us to achieve our strategies in terms of growing business to the destination, and we want to say a big thank you to Jet Blue and our partners in the diaspora,” Mr. Jemmott remarked.
Chief Executive Officer of Jet Blue, Robin Hayes, who flew to Barbados onboard the inaugural flight, explained that the decision to operate a flight out of Fort Lauderdale had been a long-term dream of his, coupled with numerous requests for such a service. He said that he was “extremely happy” to have the service.
Also voicing his pleasure at the new flight route was Vice President of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Carlos Molinet.
He pointed out that with more than 240,000 residents from the Caribbean living in Broward Country, the Greater Fort Lauderdale area continued to have a growing appeal for the Caribbean, not only for its diverse population, but for business travel.
He added that he expected the increased airlift to facilitate an increase in visitor arrivals to Fort Lauderdale for events like the One Caribbean Festival, Caribbean Premier League T20 Cricket and the upcoming 3rd Caribbean Style Week at Westfield Mall in Broward.
Jet Blue’s Flight 385 exited the tarmac after workers at Gate 9 staged a march past holding a large Barbadian flag and a water salute.
kim.ramsay-moore@barbados.gov.bb

APC hosts training workshop

APC

ST. LUCIA:  The workshop was held in observance of Administrative Professionals Day.

The Administrative Professionals Committee (APC) of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, established in Sep. 2015, last week held a training workshop in Memo and Letter Writing in observance of Administrative Professionals Day 2016.
The workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Juliette Courer-SevenSeals, Human Resource Officer at the Ministry of Education, Human Resource and Labour.
The main objective of the APC is to identify methods to build each members skills and improve overall performance in the work place. The training therefore seeks to develop and build on the skills of secretaries at the ministry and to provide quality service to customers.

Blue Growth Investment Conference

Blue Growth

GRENADA: Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepares for the Blue Growth Investment Conference

St. George’s, 26th April 2016: The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment will be hosting Blue Week 2016: The International Conference to promote Blue Growth and Investment. This Conference will be held at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, St. George’s, Grenada, from May 14-22, 2016.
The Conference is supported by the Blue Network which comprises various government and international agencies such as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the World Bank, FAO, the Global Ocean Forum, the Clinton Climate Initiative, etc.
Blue Week 2016 promises to bring together ocean–related investments into a coherent package of bankable projects.
It will also contribute to additional sustainable initiatives through investment in Blue Growth and Food Security. It is expected that promotion of Blue Growth will increase the economic benefits of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from the sustainable use of marine resources, including sustainable management of ocean resources and tourism.
Grenada hosted its first Global Blue Growth Network Conference in March 2015 and a major outcome of that conference was the launch of the Global Action Network on Blue Growth and Food Security.
Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique have a land mass of over 400 square kilometres. Our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is over 26,000 square kilometres. In other words, Grenada’s ocean space is 75 times larger than its land mass.
Given our extensive coastline and ocean space, we have a tremendous opportunity to advance the Blue Economy concept as it will bring benefits to all stakeholders involved in the various sectors of our national economy. This will help us as a country to realize the Blue Growth vision for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, that is “to optimize the coastal, marine, and ocean resources and to become a world leader and an exemplar in Blue Growth and Sustainability”.
Grenada has made a commitment to conserve at least 20% of our near-shore marine space by 2020. To that end the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment looks forward to a fruitful week of activities which will bear new investments and collaborative partnerships.
 

Banana and plantain sensory test gets consumer feedback

Bananas

DOMINICA:  The Ministry of Agriculture, which has collaborated with the Caribbean Development Bank, (CDB) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) to implement an integrated disease management program for the Black Sigatoka disease, conducted taste tests on new banana varieties.

An exhibition took place on the grounds of Government Headquarters on Friday, April 29th.
The purpose of the exhibition was to conduct a research on five varieties of bananas tolerant to the disease which have been introduced in Dominica.
On display were the Fair1, Fair3, Fair18 and Fair23 bananas and Fair21 is plantain.
In an interview with GIS News, research assistant, Gregory Linton, expounded on Friday’s activity.
“The whole purpose of the exercise was to conduct a taste test and get the public’s feedback. We may have a variety which is very productive and disease tolerant but if [consumers] do not like it, it doesn’t make sense [to produce it.]
“The hope is to substitute these varieties as good alternatives for the traditional Cavendish. That would reduce the disease inoculums in the environment and reduce the cost of managing the disease.”
He said the data collected in the field has met their expectations. Linton noted that these varieties are more tolerant to the Black Sigatoka disease than the traditional Cavendish.
“There are six stages of Black Sigatoka. At stage three, spraying is a no-no because fungicides don’t work. We have found that in the tolerant varieties, the disease doesn’t reach stage three. The disease affects them but the life cycle cannot be completed.”
Linton stated that this research was requested by the Ministry of Agriculture in a continued effort to manage the Black Sigatoka disease.
He assures that the management programme is active: monitoring officers go out weekly and regular spray cycles continue.
Linton hopes to get a positive feedback from the public. If favorable responses are received, these varieties will be planted on a large scale in Dominica.

Lashley Gives Kudos To Volunteers

Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley. (FP)

BARBADOS: Minister of Culture, Stephen Lashley, has praised the many ‘unsung heroes’ in the Ministry’s Parish Ambassadors’ programme.

Speaking at a Community Independence Celebrations (CIC) cocktail reception at Gun Hill Signal Station, St. George, last Wednesday, Mr. Lashley recognised the efforts of those individuals who may not officially hold an office but who worked behind the scenes assisting with parish projects or participating in fund-raising activities.
The Minister told those gathered: “We recognise you as exceptional men and women who shine through your high standard of service, your volunteerism and the invaluable contribution that you make to society…Your dedication over the past year is greatly valued by the Ministry and the community alike.”
The Minister of Culture encouraged the volunteers to continue their dedication as they were “creating a positive change on many fronts”, and described them as “heroes and heroines” who continued to make a sterling contribution to Barbados at the community level. “You are, in some cases, the only role models that some of our young people see in the area of civic engagement,” he remarked.
This year, the Community Independence Celebrations Secretariat will host a special introductory ceremony for Parish Ambassadors on Saturday, May 14, at Gall Hill playing field, St. John, at 5:30 p.m. under the theme:Celebrating Who We Are!  This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Community Independence Celebrations, which were first introduced in 1995.

Dr. Fletcher addresses RCCCC

James Fletcher

ST. LUCIA: The Regional Coordinating Committee on Climate Change met to review the progress made in the implementation of the region’s climate change plan.

The Regional Coordinating Committee on Climate Change (RCCCC), under the chairmanship of Hon. Dr. James Fletcher, the Minister for Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology met in Saint Lucia last week to review the progress made in the implementation of the region’s climate change plan.
The Hon. Dr. James Fletcher delivered a much-anticipated address that not only spoke to the the work carried out by the RCCCC over the last few years, but also of the achievements gained by the Caribbean while at COP 21 in Paris in 2015.
“We went into Paris with our ministers better prepared for any COP than they have ever been. We also went into Paris with a closer knit relationship between Caribbean countries, as one Caribbean delegation understanding what role each of us would play, and what part of the Paris agreement we would take as out own and ensure that our red line issues were attended to and received prominence,” Dr. Fletcher said.
The Minister went on to comment on some of the successes which were attained.
“A good thing happened in Paris that I was asked to be one of Laura Fabiosis’ facilitators on an issue that was of critical importance to us: the question of our mission on the long term temperature goal and that resulted in the Caribbean receiving a more sympathetic ear towards having 1.5 degrees celcius reflected in the Paris agreement. At the end of the day the reference to 1.5 degrees is not as strong as it could have been but it is certainly alot stronger than we thought it would have been. We also got things like loss and damage, red plus, the preservation of the special and unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States, issues related to climate finance and equally importantly, the COP decision a commitment to review the level of climate finance in the post 20/20 period using 100 billion dollars as a floor.”
The Regional Coordinating Committee on Climate Change comprises of representatives from a wide range of regional organisations.

Collaborative approach taken to improve security, grow economy

St. Kitts
(left to right) (seated) the newly installed Chamber of Industry and Commerce President, Mr. José Rosa; Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, and CIC Executive Director, Mrs. Brenda John. Shown standing from left to right are Immediate Past President of the CIC, Mr. Damion Hobson; Adviser to President Rosa, Mr. Mark Wilkin; Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins; Attorney General, Honourable Vincent Byron, Jr., and Chairman of the CIC's Manufacturing Division, Mr. Keithley Phillip.

ST. KITTS:  BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MAY 3RD, 2016 (PRESS SEC) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and members of his Cabinet met with officials from the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce on Thursday, April 28th for a roundtable discussion on the economy and other matters of national interest.

Attorney General, Honourable Vincent Byron, Jr. and Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins joined the Prime Minister for the discussion with the Chamber officials at Government Headquarters. Representing the Chamber were the newly installed President, Mr. José Rosa; Immediate Past President, Mr. Damion Hobson; Executive Director, Mrs. Brenda John; Chairman of the Manufacturing Division, Mr. Keithley Phillip, and Adviser to President Rosa, Mr. Mark Wilkin.
Mr. Hobson, the immediate past president, initiated the meeting, which served as a formal introduction of Mr. Rosa in his new official capacity. Mr. Rosa was elected president in late February at the 67th Annual General Meeting of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
The roundtable discussion came a day after the Income Tax (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2016 was passed in Parliament, allowing businesses to claim tax deductions for salaries paid up to a new threshold of $90,000.00 per annum. Since 1982, the threshold was set at $60,000.00 per annum and, in 2012, it was increased to $75,000.00. The threshold of $90,000.00 per annum will take effect from June 1st.
“We are hoping that the adjusted threshold would assist private sector entities with attracting and retaining personnel with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary for building competitiveness in the private sector,” the Honourable Prime Minister said on Wednesday, April 27th in Parliament.
Their discussion also came on the heels of Cabinet’s removal of all duties and customs service charges on all surveillance equipment to be used by households and businesses, effective April 1st until December 31st, 2016.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce had advocated for the Government to consider those two matters.
In the second matter, the Chamber wrote to the Ministry of Finance requesting concessions after its consultation with the police high command had found broad support for stepping up the nationwide use of surveillance systems to facilitate crime detection.
“If more people enhance their dwellings with security cameras, the footage becomes useful in a criminal incident,” Prime Minister Harris said during last Thursday’s meeting with the Chamber. “So we were prepared to forgo all the revenues that otherwise could have been had, from VAT, customs service charge and of course the duty up until December 31st, to give businesses and every household an opportunity to do something to enhance their security.”
The Prime Minister added that, “We want more people to become security conscious. We believe that every commercial entity, especially of a certain size, every bank and every supermarket must have these surveillance systems in order to play a responsible role in society.”
Prime Minister Harris said the Financial Secretary, Mrs. Hilary Hazel would send a formal letter to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce soon, encouraging its members to take advantage of the waiver period.
“We hope that you would publicize this letter and send it around to your established entities, so that more persons become aware and can take advantage of the removal of all duties and customs service charges on all surveillance equipment up to December 31st,” the Prime Minister said.
(Press release courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary)
 

GIZ Introduces Climate Change Toolkit to Primary School Teachers

GIZ

GRENADA:  St. George’s, 03rd May 2016: A series of four (4) teacher training sessions to introduce teachers of primary school aged students to the “Greenz Climate Champions” toolkit came to a close last week.
This toolkit will enhance the development of environmentally conscious, climate smart practices of the younger generation.
The toolkit is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) as part of the Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Programme (ICCAS) which is funded by the German Ministry for the Environment (BMUB).
The “Greenz Climate Champions” toolkit will be introduced to schools as part of the regular extracurricular curriculum in the form of environment clubs.
It will be the base of climate change teaching for children at young age, and hence lay the groundwork for a thorough understanding of the crucial importance of making environmentally conscious decisions for the survival of a small island developing state like Grenada.
There were twenty six (26) schools represented in the training sessions held in Grenada and eight (8) in Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
The final teacher training workshop was held in Grenville St. Andrew’s, where Mrs Aria St. Louis, Head of the Environment Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry Fisheries and the Environment, addressed the teachers to thank them for their participation and interest in climate change, the environment and the sustainability of adaptation practices.
Mrs St. Louis stressed the importance of collaboration and cooperation between the schools and the ministry for further support in the education of our young people.
The day ended with a field trip to various environmentally significant sites such as the mangrove replanting site in Telescope, the composting area of the Belmont Estate in St. Patrick’s where the teachers were given a demonstration on climate smart agriculture techniques using compost and the NAWASA dam and treatment station in Mama Cannes.
The teachers present expressed the keen interest of the students in implementing the strategies learned in earlier modules as they have begun to use the toolkit resources in their classrooms. The climate change toolkit is comprised of components that span subject areas such as social studies, agricultural science and geography and has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education.
The “Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (ICCAS)” Program is funded by the German Ministry for the Environment, Building, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) as part of their International Climate Initiative (IKI), and implemented jointly by the Environment Division of Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, UNDP and GIZ.

Training for trainers to commence soon for ICT Centre for Excellence

ICT Centre For Excellence

DOMINICA: A team from India is currently in Dominica with the intention to accelerate the process for the commencement of training at the ICT Centre for Excellence at the Dominica State College.

The centre for the development of information communication technology is the collaboration between the Indian Government and the Dominica State College.
The almost $300k  project began in March 2015.
The Hon. Minister for ICT, Kelver Darroux told a National Broadband Consultation on April 18th, “The Indian team is expected to be here for two years [in the first instance] undertaking a training programme for trainers. Ten goals have been proposed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network directed by the Broadband Commission to further enhance the development of broadband services.”
He continued, “These goals include bringing an end to extreme poverty and hunger; ensuring effective learning for children and youth for life and livelihood; achieving health and well-being at all ages, and improving agriculture systems while raising prosperity for all underserved areas in our respective communities.”
Meanwhile, Hon Darroux says broadband and ICT are critical to the process of developing both human and institutional capacity to take full advantage of ever emerging technological trends.
“At the 33rd ECTEL Council of Ministers Meeting in St.Lucia, the Council gave approval for the Electronic Communication Bill to be approved. This is a Bill which will replace the Telecommunications Act of 2000 which is outdated.
“The telecoms sector is very diverse and dynamic and therefore amendments had to be made…to ensure greater flexibility in the telecommunication sector,” he explained.

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