ST. KITTS: (NATCOM) – Basseterre, 22 April 2016: The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has ratified the
UNESCO 2003 Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression, thereby gaining empowerment to utilize the resources and expertise of UNESCO in protecting the same.
Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO Mr. Antonio Maynard and Permanent Representative of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to UNESCO, Dr. David Doyle, presented the Instruments in Paris last week thereby giving the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis access to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. The benefits would be accessible to the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, Cultural organizations and NGOs which now have an opportunity to conceptualize and submit project proposals in their various fields.
Secretary General of the National Commission For UNESCO Mr. Antonio Maynard said he was pleased to have reached this far in the process adding that this is only the entrance to a doorway of possibilities. He stated specifically in relation to the 2003 Convention “We can now submit a request for up to US$100, 000.00 any time after June 30th of this year from the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (IFCD). By March 31, 2017 we can submit another request for funds greater than US$100,000.00as part of the nomination process.
In particular, the St. Kitts-Nevis National Commission will envisage a capacity-building project for the Federation aimed at safeguarding of intangible heritage via the Intangible Heritage Fund.
Mr. Maynard who was full of praise for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Hon. Shawn Richards said that the Minister had been very supportive of activities leading to the ratification of the Conventions. Mr. Maynard further revealed that generally, it takes an average of 3 to 6 months for an international assistance request to be conceptualized, developed, processed, examined, and approved.
Specific to the 2003 Convention St. Kitts and Nevis intends to create institutional and professional environments for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage by way of redesigning institutional infrastructures, revising cultural and other policies and legislation, developing inventory methods, developing effective safeguarding measures and participating in international cooperation mechanisms.
Discussion at the Paris meeting in relation to the 2005 Convention included the possibility of St. Kitts and Nevis hosting meetings and conferences for the Caribbean Sub-Region which will entail applying for additional funds that are available in the convention programme mechanism specific to this convention.
The National Commission for UNESCO revealed that there are several proposals that can be submitted that will gain momentum, and approval, given the ratification of the conventions. These include: Developing a framework for Inventorying the Living Heritage; strengthening the capacity within the masquerades and other indigenous dance and folklore groups and Launching of the National Cultural Policy.The Secretary General said that he greatly encourages such proposals to be submitted by local stake holders.
The IFCD supports projects that are consistent with the main objective of the IFCD and cover the introduction and/or elaboration of policies and strategies that have a direct effect on the creation, production, distribution of and access to a diversity of cultural expressions, including cultural goods, services and activities; as well as; the reinforcement of corresponding institutional infrastructures, including professional capacities and organizational structures, deemed necessary to support viable local and regional cultural industries and markets in developing countries.
All projects related to tangible and/or intangible cultural heritage can be made to the World Heritage Fund or Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Projects that deal solely with the production of cultural and artistic works and events can be directed to the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture.
Information and guidance concerning proposals and submissions can be found at the following links:
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00184)
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/requesting-assistance-00039
(Press release courtesy of the St.Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO)
St. Kitts and Nevis Presents Ratification Instruments for 2003/2005 UNESCO Cultural Conventions
Vacancy: Director of Public Prosecutions, St. Kitts and Nevis
ST. KITTS: The Human Resource Management Department (HRMD) on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, wishes to invite persons to apply for the position of Director of Public Prosecution on a full-time basis on contract for a period of two (2) years.
The candidate must possess at least the Bachelors of Law degree and the Legal Education Certificate from one of the regional Law Schools.
He/she must be a Barrister-at-Law with no less than ten (10) years and call at the bar in a Commonwealth jurisdiction; have extensive experience in criminal prosecutions and knowledge of legal principles, practices and proceedings; have strong leadership and management competencies; have excellent advocacy skills and be able to interpret legislation, rules, regulations, agreements and draft legal documents including indictments and pleadings; and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Applications should be submitted to:
Permanent Secretary
Justice, Legal Affairs and Communications
Government Headquarters
Church Street
Basseterre
St. Kitts
The deadline for the receipt of applications is Friday, May 13, 2016.
‘Our people want to see results’ – CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General on CSME
Ministers of Trade of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have been encouraged to provide their perspectives on how they see the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) working and how it could be improved to make a greater impact on the people of the Region.
he Ministers are in Georgetown, Guyana for the Forty-Second Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). The CSME is on the agenda of the two-day Meeting underway at the Marriott Hotel. The CSME and its implementation are key agenda items of the COTED Meeting.
At the Opening Ceremony of the Meeting on Thursday morning, CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General, Ambassador Manorma Soeknandan PhD., reminded delegates that the CSME was a key element of integration and was the bedrock of the Community’s economic resilience.
The acceleration of implementation and use of the CSME, she pointed out, was one of the high-priority areas which CARICOM Heads of Government had singled out for focused implementation during the period of the CARICOM Five-Year Strategic Plan.
This meeting will have the opportunity to assess how we are positioning ourselves to derive the optimum benefit from the implementation of the CSME to drive growth and development within our Member States. It is important that, as Ministers, you give your perspectives both on the extent to which the current CSME framework has been fulfilling the objective and how it can be enhanced to have a greater impact on the lives of the population at large,” the Deputy Secretary-General said.
In other words, how do we achieve a more effective and efficient operation of the CSME remembering that it is a tool to be fashioned and used to benefit the people of our Community. Our people want to see results. The consolidation and enhancement of the operations of the Single Market will also allow for a more coherent approach in our External Trade Negotiations,” she added.
Education Ministry and TTUTA agree on supervision of S.E.A 2016
TRINIDAD: April 22, 2016: The Ministry of Education and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Union (TTUTA) have reached an agreement to ensure the effective and smooth execution of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) 2016.
The assurance comes from the Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education at a news conference held on Wednesday 20th April, 2016 at the Ministry’s Head Office in St. Clair. According to Minister Garcia, the agreement does not violate a decision taken at TTUTA’s Annual Conference of Delegates, where teachers were told that the supervision of National Examinations is not part of their job description, and it does not fall within theirTerms and Conditions of Services.
He says it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to ensure that all students who will be writing the examination on May 5th, 2016 do so without any unnecessary burden,“When this was communicated to us, we felt that we had an obligation as the Ministry of Education, to the parents, teachers in the system, students, and to one of our major stakeholders TTUTA, to find some way of compromise, some way of erecting bridges, instead of having division.”
Also speaking at the news conference, TTUTA’s President Devanand Sinanan praised Minister Garcia for his approach in engaging the Association on a wide range of issues in the education sector. He said, “The Minister of Education did contact yours truly and he expressed his concern that he would not like anything to disrupt the smooth running of SEA 2016 and he invited us to sit with him and engage in dialogue and discussion with a view to finding a common ground, which will not compromise the decision of our highest decision making body in TTUTA.”
The agreement made with TTUTA is as follows:
1. The Supervision of the SEA 2016 Examination by teachers will be on a voluntary basis.
2. Vice Principals and Senior Teachers will be required to go to other centres, but those teachers who volunteer to supervise on that day, will remain in their schools.
3. Those teachers who are not involved in the supervision of the SEA Examination can remain at home.
4. Those members of staff who supervise the SEA Examination will be given a subsequent day off.
5. The Principal, in collaboration with the School Supervisors, will prepare the roster for the school.
6. There will be further discussions between the Association and the Ministry of Education to reach a permanent agreement.
According to Minister Garcia, the Ministry of Education sought the advice of the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) on this matter and was advised that stakeholders input must be considered in the process of ensuring the smooth administration of the SEA exams, thus the process was above board.
Discussions on a permanent arrangement for the supervision of National Examinations will be reactivated following the completion of this year’s SEA.
Minister of National Security concludes meeting with senior command of security forces
BELIZE: With the conclusion of the meeting this morning between Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar and the senior command of our security forces, all security forces have been placed on high alert and a short term strategy has been devised to deal with further possible incidents along the border areas and in the Sarstoon.
A meeting of the National Security Council is to be held later this afternoon and the Council will be briefed on our military readiness.
The Ministry of National Security assures the public that the security forces of Belize will take any and all actions appropriate to preserve our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
TO SERVE AND PROTECT
UTRINQUE PARATUS
Foreign Minister Brantley hosts the Fourth Meeting of the Caribbean Development Roundtable
ST. KITTS: Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22 – Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation is hosting the Caribbean Development Roundtable addressing The Debt Overhang: balancing adjustment with sustainable development in the Caribbean. This event is being hosted at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.
The main objective of the Roundtable is to develop a strategy for addressing the vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS, through identification of integrated policies for building resilience. It is expected that this will facilitate a cross-fertilisation of ideas that will support the development of a strategic vision designed to bolster the resilience of Caribbean SIDS.
At the Opening Ceremony chaired by Ms. Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Hon. Mark Brantley gave the Welcome Address. He expressed satisfaction with the topic of discussion which he intimated is particularly timely given the high debt profile of a number of Caribbean countries. This he further opined constrains the ability of governments to provide a full suite of social services for its citizens.
The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Ms. Alicia Bárcena, presented ECLAC’s proposal on debt for climate change adaptation swaps. The strategy was put forward for growth and economic transformation of Caribbean economies. The proposal promotes consideration of a strategy to address the debt overhang of Caribbean countries while encouraging investment in climate adaptation and structural transformation that can contribute to changing the economic fortunes of the sub-region.
Her presentation was set out in such a way so as to answer key questions with regard to the high debt burden of many Caribbean economies: what is the current situation? How did the sub-region get here? What is the challenge moving forward? What in ECLAC’s view are possible opportunities for or solutions to remedying the situation? How do we proceed? In so doing we will be able to deconstruct the various elements of the ECLAC proposal and also identify the composition of the debt and the myriad related economic challenges facing the sub-region. This provided a sound basis for the town hall discussion and the two panel presentations that will follow as the Roundtable continues.
Acting Prime Minister of the Federation, Hon. Vance Amory in giving the Caribbean’s Response looked at issues facing Caribbean SIDS which included our reliance on tourism and financial services and the migration of our Human Resource. He further spoke of the importance of Caribbean countries to be able to provide the opportunities for economic growth, employment and the provision of Healthcare and Social Services to meet the demands of our people and the need for cooperation and collaboration to design and implement common policies.
The Roundtable ended on 21st April and was followed by a meeting of the Caribbean Development Cooperation Committee on Friday 22nd April.
CSEC Visual Arts Exhibition next week
ST. LUCIA: The exhibition displays the best work of the students over the past few years during the CXC exams.
The annual CSEC Visual Arts Exhibition will commence in Saint Lucia on Monday.
According to Carmelita Mathew CXC Local Registrar of Examinations, the last Visual Arts exhibition held in Saint Lucia was in 2005; thus the Ministry of Education and the Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) Unit are happy to see the event return to the island.
“We are excited to host, once again, the visual arts regional exhibition. It displays the best work of the students over the past few years during the CXC exams, including SBAs, and it serves to set a standard for other students who are attempting the examination. It gives them something to aim for, and to surpass.”
It is important, Ms Matthew added, that both students and parents attend the exhibition.
“We have had the experience where children want to do something in the creative arts and parents are a bit reluctant because they think it is a waste of time, so a showcase like this is encouraging. We would like to encourage parents to come in – especially parents of form two and form three students who are about to choose their subjects because they might feel inspired.”
The exhibition will be open to the public from 1 -3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25; and and from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
The exhibition will be held at La Place Carenage in Castries.
CRFM and UNOPS seal agreement to advance small- scale fisheries in the Caribbean
BELIZE: Special emphasis directed at flyingfish fishery in the Eastern Caribbean
Belize City, Belize, 22 April 2016 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) this week sealed an agreement with a UN agency to strengthen governance arrangements for the flyingfish fishery in the Caribbean, with special emphasis on maximizing the long-term potential of the fishery, which employs several thousands in the region and feeds many more.
Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the CRFM, signed the Memorandum of Agreement for Caribbean States; while Kirk Bayabos, Senior Cluster Manager, signed on behalf of the project executing agency, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a subsidiary of the UN.
The agreement is under a 5-year umbrella project, the UNDP/GEF Catalysing Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) Project, designed to catalyze the implementation of a 10-year Strategic Action Programme (SAP), focused on the sustainable management of shared living marine resources harnessed from the large marine ecosystems in both the Caribbean and the North Brazil Shelf. The SAP was endorsed by the ministers of CARICOM responsible for fisheries and/or environment in 2014.
The Caribbean Sea is described as a semi-enclosed sea adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south to the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the largest salt water seas with a diverse marine life that is fundamental to the livelihoods of coastal communities, project documents detail.
It is within this expansive marine space—spanning more than a million square miles—that the flyingfish, a species of fish which has a life-span of less than one year, but which spawns as many as 7,000 eggs several times between November and July, is known to thrive in a zone spanning from Dominica to Trinidad and Tobago.
The wider area known as the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (jointly called “CLME+”) is bordered by 35 states and territories, including the 17 CRFM Member States.
Due to its vast socio-economic value, the CLME+ buttresses two of the region’s economic pillars: tourism and fisheries. However, these ecosystems are today being adversely impacted by pollution, habitat degradation and unsustainable fisheries and fishing practices. The 10-year SAP created under a forerunner CLME Project is aimed at tackling those threats, while also combating the threats which climate change poses to sustainable fisheries.
In March 2015, a US$ 12.5 million grant was released by the GEF to support the execution of a 5-year project (the CLME+ Project), to advance the implementation of the SAP. The CLME+ Project is being implemented by the Project Coordinating Unit in Cartagena, Colombia in collaboration with a number of regional partners.
In January 2016, three Regional Fisheries Bodies, the CRFM, the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano, OSPESCA), and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations – Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (FAO-WECAFC) signed a fisheries agreement, to improve their coordination under the CLME+ project through an interim coordination mechanism. The work being undertaken to improve the Caribbean flyingfish fishery will test the effectiveness of this region-wide mechanism.
The parties to this week’s accord—the CRFM and UNOPS—will work together over the next four years to implement a CLME+ project funded by the United Nations Development Program/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF). The Caribbean sub-component is expected to wrap up in August 2019.
Blue Coral Jazz
ST. LUCIA: Young talented Saint Lucian musicians will descend on downtown Castries next week – April 27th to 30th – for the 2nd annual Blue Coral Jazz. Under the theme “Celebrating Youthful Exuberance”, the event will herald the start of the daytime jazz activities for this season. Blue Coral Jazz will provide music lovers with one-of-a-kind live performances from a variety of young and budding local artistes throughout the Four days.
“This year’s lineup is a culmination of our commitment to bringing a diverse and unique group of exciting new and upcoming artists, all connected around a special custom set up on three floors, that is sure to create a unique musical and shopping experience”, says Blue Coral Manager, Allison Pascal. “Live performances will take place on the ground and third floors, an exhibition featuring the history of dance icons on the third floor, while the first floor will be set up as a flea market with an opportunity for patrons to sample treats from new or familiar brands”, Pascal added.
This year’s event is being supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, Risk Consultants and Insurance Brokers Limited, Courts, Dr. Freezers, Leathers & Scents and Felly Belly.
The official opening of Blue Coral Jazz will be held on Wednesday April 27th at 10:30 am.
New Advisory Town Planning Panel (ATPP) appointed
TRINIDAD: Aprill 22, 2016: Congratulations to the newly selected Advisory Town Planning Panel, who received their instruments of appointment on April 20th, 2016. The board, in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 35:01 was established for advising the Minister on any matter within their knowledge or on which the Minister may seek advice.
From a policy level the board has a key stake in the spatial development and therefore impacts meaningfully on the Ministry of Planning and Development’s mandate towards national development. The newly appointed Chairman, Ms Lynn Hiliare assured all present of her competence and willingness to do the work that is ahead, understanding that it is not an easy task and extended this position to represent other appointed members.
The full panel includes:
• Ms Lynn Hilaire –Chairman
• Ms Nathalie Atkinson
• Mr Jamel Reid
• Ms Gitanjalie Gopeesingh
• Mr Micheal Jerome Keens-Dumas – Representative from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA)
To the above mentioned, Mrs Camille Robinson- Regis, Minister of Planning and Development projected the ground breaking work the task of the board promises to bring to the development of Trinidad and Tobago, and the selfless service of the position . She emphasised that one of the critiques of our governance model over the past few years, was “the apparent penchant for ad hoc decision making, and the creation of policy on the hoof.” She goes on to mention that equity and equality must be ensured at all levels, especially as land use and space is important to ensure environmental sustainability and structurally enriching regulated space of our Small Island State.
Also present at the ceremony were the Ministry of Planning and Development’s Permanent Secretary Mrs. Joanne Deoraj and Mrs Ayleen Ovid, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.
