Those Barbadian businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have climate-related projects concept can now get some necessary assistance in developing their proposals.
Interested persons should call Senior Economist in the Economic Affairs Division, Kelly Hunte at 535-1354, or Economist, Richelle Gaskin, at 535-1323, who will connect them to Barbados’ National Climate Finance Adviser.
The Commonwealth Secretariat, under its Climate Finance Access Hub pilot programme, has assigned the adviser to assist in preparing projects and facilitating the required institutional reforms for accessing climate funds, as well as aid in building capacity through training of stakeholders in the public and private sectors and NGOs.
Within recent years, developed countries have provided financing to developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. However, access to these funds has been difficult for developing countries due to many reasons. The aim of the Hub, therefore, is to facilitate improved access to climate finance resources by these small vulnerable countries to meet their development needs.
Assistance being given to develop climate-related projects
Parade to mark 51 years of Independence
Pomp and pageantry will be the order of the day when the annual Independence Day Parade is held on Thursday, November 30.
The culmination of activities to mark Independence celebrations, the parade will see several armed and unarmed detachments assembled at the Garrison Savannah for the 8:00 a.m. ceremony.
Acting Governor General, Sir Philip Greaves, will inspect the detachments on parade, which will include the Mounted Troop of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), the Barbados Cadet Corps, and the bands of the BDF and RBPF.
Several uniformed organisations will also be represented, among them the Barbados Prison Service, the Barbados Red Cross Society, the Barbados Landship Association and the Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders.
At the end of the ceremony, troops will march from the Garrison Savannah to Bay Street, where Prime Minister Freundel Stuart will take the salute in front of Government Headquarters. The parade will culminate in Independence Square.
Soursop Initiative launched by the Ministry of Agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Preservation Fund and the Richmond Vale Academy launched a new school based Soursop Planting Initiative at the Diamonds Government School on Thursday 10th November.
The initiative, which is part of a nationwide effort by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Rural Transformation, to introduce one million new trees to our “island-scape,” is aimed at combating the vagaries of climate change, as well as providing another avenue for agricultural diversification.
In this phase of the project, an estimated 6000 soursop seedlings will be available for distribution through the Richmond Vale Academy, which has been specifically chosen for the task on account of the institutions’ award winning achievements in tree planting, and other accolades for organic farming and promoting climate change adaptation measures.
Speaking at the project’s launch, Ms. Louise Mitchell, one of the founders of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Preservation Fund, said that her organisation is keen on sensitising the primary school students on the many benefits of the soursop plant. Ms. Mitchell said that she was pleased to learn that the children were already well acquainted with the soursop, as responses indicated some knowledge of the plant’s use for medicinal purposes or a snack beverage.
She encouraged the youngsters to become custodians and guardians to protect the future of the environment of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Ms. Stina Herberg of the Richmond Vale Academy, expressed her delight with the new soursop initiative and reaffirmed her institution’s commitment to supplying thousands more soursop seedlings within the near future. Ms. Herberg also commended the Ministry of Agriculture for prioritising tree-planting and agricultural diversification on their agenda.
Delivering the feature address, the Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Labour, Industry and Bureau of Standards, noted that the Soursop initiative forms an important new pillar in the diversification strategy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and thanked the Saint.Vincent and the Grenadines Preservation Fund for their injection of USD$20,000.00 towards the effort.
Minister Caesar also thanked the Richmond Vale Academy for their involvement with the project, noting that it is considered one of the most reputable institutions for agro-related initiatives in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Soursop Planting Initiative will also be implemented in all schools across Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as to registered farmers within the coming months.
SVG Celebrates Caribbean Tourism Month
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines Celebrates Caribbean Tourism Month.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins the region in celebrating Caribbean Tourism Month from 1st – 30th November, with its slogan ‘Tourism is Everyone’s Business: Live it, Love it, Embrace it’.
From one the oldest Botanical Gardens in the western hemisphere, to locally produced Vincentian Chocolate, the majestic Vermont Nature Trail, to our numerous dive sites. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines offers a very rich and diverse tourism package.
Tourism Month is an opportunity to raise the level of tourism awareness and education among our students, stakeholders and general population.
The Month allows the nation to reflect on the industry that has the transformative ability to improve lives and communities and to appreciate just how important the industry is to the sustainable development of the country.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism in the Caribbean accounted for a higher share of the gross domestic product than in any other region of the world, and contributed to about 15% of the region’s total GDP in 2016.
“As Minister of Tourism, I wish to impress upon our students, the private sector, community groups, government departments and the general public the need for an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to tourism development,” Minister Mckie said.
Tourism is about people meeting the needs of other people, who are away from places they normally reside and is intended to provide an environment so satisfying that the visitors would be eager to return, as well as being ambassadors for the destination.
The industry involves many key stakeholders. From tour operators, to restaurants, taxis, resorts, communities to government agencies. As Vincentians, we must take responsibility for protecting and preserving our little paradise and ensure the sustainability of the destination. As our slogan says: Tourism is Everyone’s Business. We can reflect this by continuing to improve our hospitality and by providing better products and services.
Visitors to our shores come for a variety of reasons: to escape, explore, understand our culture, and to participate. But at the core of the visitor experience is the destination.
In May, it was announced that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was added as one of Air Canada Rouge six new routes for the airline’s winter season. The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority also announced that from November 2017 to January 2018 charters with Sunwing Airlines would commence and recommence in April 2018 through to August 2018. It is anticipated that both carriers will continue to service the destination after summer 2018.
It is estimated that at the end of the first six months of 2017, cruise passenger arrivals to the Caribbean region had reached 15.3 million – 4% more than in the corresponding period of 2016. This performance represents the largest number of cruise passengers in the region at this time of year.
In 2017 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will welcome over 220,000 cruise ship passengers from October 2017 through to April 2018. This figure represents about three times the 2015 figure.
Since the passage of the recent hurricanes, it is expected that the destination will benefit from inquiries for additional calls. It is projected that along with the recent operationalisation of the Argyle International Airport, total visitor arrivals to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will increase by 6.5% over the 2016 figure of 227,230.
We have much to be thankful for as we enter the 2017 Cruise Season and Tourism Month. The Caribbean tourism industry has faced its share of challenges with the recent passage of hurricanes.
These storms have made significant impacts on the economies of our sister islands, many of whom are still in recovery mode and trying to get their lives and industry back to normal. Thankfully, 75% of the region escaped the storms unscathed and many tourism operations in the affected areas are reemerging.
This dedicated month, as a Ministry, we encourage citizens to embark on leisure activities and experience being a tourist in your own destination. There is indeed ‘No Place Like Home’.
Paradise is right on our doorsteps. Familiarise yourself with the many sites and attractions and enjoy the rich diversity of our 32 islands and cays.
As Minister of Tourism, I cannot emphasized enough that our citizens at home or in the diaspora can better sell the product if, first, they know it well. In this crucial sector, it is so important that the players understand the industry and remain closely involved with the Ministry of Tourism to improve on what we are offering.
The Ministry will host several exciting activities to celebrate Tourism Month. These include:
- Careers in Tourism School Talks – 15th November
- Craft Exhibition and Souvenir Showcase – 16th and 17th November
- Know Your Country Media Tour – 21st November
- Tourism Walk – 29th November
- Tourism Awards – 2nd December
I would like to wish Vincentians far away and at home, every tourism agency and those engaged, either directly or indirectly, in tourism, a wonderful Tourism Month. Join us by participating in our initiatives throughout the month.
I challenge every Vincentian to tell the story of the wonderful product offerings in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and that visitors will indeed find the ‘Caribbean they’re looking for’. Happy Tourism Month!
SLTA supports fifth annual Tri Saint Lucia
The fifth annual Tri Saint Lucia will kick off on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 a.m. from The Landings Resort and Spa.
The triathlon features three race distances catering for varied fitness levels with participants able to enter each distance individually, or as a relay team consisting of two or three people covering the individual distances.
Tri Saint Lucia supports the growth of the triathlon discipline in the Caribbean and attracts athletes regionally and internationally. This year, regional athletes from Grenada, Barbados, Martinique and Trinidad will attend. The event is organized with the help of race ambassador United Kingdom’s double Olympic goal medalist, World and European Decathlon Champion Daley Thompson.
Tri Saint Lucia is proudly sponsored by Digicel, The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia Distillers, Paradise Water, the Windward and Leeward Islands Brewery, the Landings Resort and Spa, Cap Maison and British Airways.
The Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sporting disciplines worldwide and encourages cross discipline cooperation and development.
For more information on Tri Saint Lucia, and to sign up, racers, cross fit enthusiasts, and aspiring athletes should visit: http://www.tristlucia.com/enter
Over 300 Officials Expected for IMF Caribbean Forum
More than 300 officials are expected in the island for the sixth International Monetary Fund (IMF) High Level Caribbean Forum slated for Thursday, November 16 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
Among these are current and former regional heads of government, finance ministers, central bank governors and private-sector representatives, as well as senior staff of the IMF and other international organisations.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, and IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, are the keynote speakers for the opening ceremony.
The conference is being held under the theme ‘Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience in the Caribbean’ and will focus on issues impacting the region and the potential opportunities within the context of an ever-changing global landscape.
Four discussions have been scheduled featuring presentations by a wide cross section of local, regional and international stakeholders.
The first will focus on ‘The Caribbean Growth Challenge: Crime and Youth Unemployment’.
The others will cover ‘Fiscal Policy and Political Cycles’, ‘The Financial Sector: Stability and Growth Trade-offs’, and ‘Challenges and Opportunities in the Caribbean’.
The latter will feature presentations by Mr. Holness and the Prime Ministers of St. Lucia, Hon. Allen Chastanet; Grenada, Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell; and Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Dr. Keith Rowley.
Jamaica previously hosted the IMF Forum in 2014 in Montego Bay.
Guyana assumes Chairmanship of CFATF Forum
Guyana assumes Chairmanship of CFATF Forum for Heads of Financial Intelligence Units.
As day one of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) came to a close, Guyana’s Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Matthew Langevine was appointed Head of the CFATF Forum for Heads of the FIUs.
Langevine, in his remarks, said he looks forward to working with all the FIUs and is reasonably assured of the support mechanisms in place. These mechanisms, he noted, will help in the global and regional fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
The Guyanese FIU Head assured that he will serve in this new capacity with diligence and a high level of commitment. Langevine was appointed Head of the FIU in Guyana in September 2016.
The immediate past Chair of the august body is Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) – Turks and Caicos Islands, Dwayne Baker, who is also the Outgoing Co-chair of the CFATF Working Group on Risks Trends and Methods (CRTMG), which will now be chaired by Guyana’s Senior Compliance Officer of the FIU, Alicia Williams.
Earlier in the day, several key issues were addressed during the meetings of the Working Groups, including the work of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for the Caribbean (ARIN-CARIB).
Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Jamaica, Grenville Harris in his presentation during the 27th Forum of the Heads of the FIU, stressed the importance of coordination and cooperation among member countries of the CFATF in strengthening mechanisms in recovering state assets.
ARIN-CARIB was established in June 2017 in response to a recommendation of the Group of Experts for the Control of Money Laundering of the Organisation of American States (GELAVEX/OAS).
The Regional Security System (RSS) was identified as an agency with the expertise to take forward the initiative drawing on the RSS Asset Recovery Unit’s (ARU) innovative approach to tackling serious organised crime in the Caribbean common law jurisdictions, through partnerships and the robust application of proceeds of crime and money laundering legislation.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines will assume the Presidency of ARIN-CARIB for 2018 for a period of one year, followed by Jamaica. Williams assured countries that assumption of the Presidency will not result in any additional financial burdens.
Guyana’s State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) is headed by Professor Clive Thomas.
Head of the FIU – Turks and Caicos Islands, Dwayne Baker said that Guyana has adopted a “determined posture” in strengthening its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.
His comment followed a presentation by Guyana’s FIU Head, where he outlined several steps taken by Guyana to ensure full compliance with international standards, following a national risk assessment.
Law Enforcement Advisor of the CFATF, Pedro Harry provided an overview of Immediate Outcome Six (IO 6), which forms part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Methodology for Assessing Compliance with the FATF Recommendations and the Effectiveness of AML/CFT Systems.
The FATF Fourth Round of Assessment involves two inter-related components for technical compliance and effectiveness.
The Technical compliance component will assess whether the necessary laws, regulations or other required measures are in force and effect and whether the supporting AML/CFT institutional framework is in place.
According to the Advisor, effectiveness looks at whether the AML/CFT system in a particular country is working and how well it is achieving the objectives which it sets out to do. Effectiveness, he noted, focuses on outcomes, not output.
Representatives for Guyana, Jamaica, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago and others were afforded the opportunity to highlight measures being taken by their Governments, through their FIUs and other supporting agencies to strengthen their AML/CFT legislation.
The day came to an end with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago to establish procedures which will allow the Heads of the FIU in the two countries to share relevant information in a timely and effective manner.
The MOU was signed by Head of the FIU- Trinidad and Tobago, Susan Francois and her Venezuelan counterpart, Antonio Jose Morales Rodriguez.
OECS-PPS drives down cost of medicines
The OECS Commission is working to continue to drive down the cost of medicines via the OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement Service (OECS-PPS) which in 2016/17 purchased approximately $25 million worth of medical products, which resulted in aggregate cost-savings of $5 million for OECS member states.
Financial savings in the health sector was just one topic raised at the fourth Council of OECS Health Ministers meeting convened in Martinique from Nov. 10 – 11, to examine ways to share resources, drive down health costs and improve access to health services for all citizens across the OECS.
OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules at the formal opening said the Caribbean had changed dramatically post Hurricane Maria and there were natural opportunities to collaborate to deliver better health outcomes across the OECS.
“We are meeting here in Martinique at this critical time and Martinique has deliberately been chosen for this meeting because your health system is the most sophisticated in the OECS and there are many lessons to be learned from your practices. A lesson learned from [our experiences with] Irma and Maria is that alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Our geographic proximity is both a common vulnerability but it also enables us to respond with neighborly urgency,” said Dr. Jules.
Key agenda items being discussed include OECS Member States and International Health Regulations; Evaluation of OECS Member States Response to Non-Chronic Communicable Diseases (NCDs); Health Human Resource Sharing in the Eastern Caribbean; Regional Health Information Strategy; and Health Services Cooperation in Martinique.
Ministers and technical personnel discussed the annual work program of the OECS-PPS and will also explore expanding the OECS-PPS product portfolio to include the pooled procurement of laboratory supplies, particularly viral load reagents for monitoring people living with HIV/AIDS.
The meeting also tabled the OECS-PPS Annual Report which confirms that the availability of medicines in OECS member states is satisfactory and citizens have reliable access to essential medicines to sustain their health care.
The OECS commitment to solidarity in health will be formalized at the conclusion of the gathering with the Fort-de-France Declaration on Health.
The fourth Council of OECS Health Ministers meeting convened in Martinique on Friday, Nov. 10.
CARICOM Secretariat Staff Association contributes
CARICOM Secretariat Staff Association contributes to Barbuda and Dominica Hurricane Recovery efforts.
President of the CARICOM Secretariat Staff Association Mr. Timothy Odle on Friday presented cheques of EC$10,000 each to Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Trade, Industry, Commerce, Sports and National Festivals Hon. E. P. Chet Greene and Dominica’s Director of Trade Mr. Matthan J. Walter to support the countries’ post hurricane recovery efforts.
Minister Greene and Mr. Walter were in Guyana for the 45th Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) which ended at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown on Friday. The Minister made a presentation to the Meeting on “Unprecedented Hurricane Disasters – Impact on Barbuda and Dominica Requiring Urgent Help”.
Mr. Odle advised that the CARICOM Secretariat had three and nine staff members from Antigua/Barbuda and Dominica respectively, and as a family, all staff felt the loss, pain, distress and suffering of the Members of the Community who were affected by the Category Five Hurricanes Irma and Maria which visited the region during September 2017.
As a consequence, staff started a relief effort and have so far contributed in excess of US$ 6,000, from which the EC$10,000 donations were made to Barbuda and Dominica.
With respect to the Dominica relief effort, plans are underway to provide vouchers to 40 households: 20 in the Kalinago Territory, 10 in Petit Soufriere, 9 in Good Hope and one in Belles.
Mr. Odle advised that the relief effort was on-going and staff were planning to make another contribution during the Christmas season.
The Meeting was reminded that GOD blesses those who reach out to their neighbours who fall in need.
Barbados dollar not on way to devaluation
The Barbados dollar is not “on its way to a devaluation”!
This assurance came today from Minister of Finance, Christopher Sinckler, as he addressed the Annual Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Acknowledging that a healthy reserves position was the bedrock of maintaining the desired peg against the US dollar, Mr. Sinckler again said that the reserves had declined to less than comfortable levels.
“However, the reserves, just above eight weeks of imports, are yet enough to defend the local currency. Even with this, Barbados still possesses access to second tier reserves which are held by other financial and commercial institutions externally, which we can tap into if necessary.
“We do not anticipate that such a move will be necessary and to ensure that this will not be the case, the Government is working with the Central Bank on a number of fronts to boost the reserves in the short to medium term as we move forward,” he disclosed.
The Minister identified the first of these initiatives as the completion of the sale of the Hilton, which he pointed out was at an advanced stage. Secondly, he stated, it was hoped that the Fair Trading Commission would soon issue its final decision on the sale of the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited, since it was now long overdue.
According to him, that decision must be taken expeditiously, whatever it might be. “It is simply, in my view, taking a bit too long and frustrating all the parties involved and potentially jeopardising our economic plans….
“Let me make it abundantly clear that at this stage, I am less concerned with the decision that will be issued, than I am with the pace at which that decision is issued. Whatever the decision is we just need to have a decision. Everybody involved in this process needs to know where the Commission stands so we can all move on,” he stated.
Mr. Sinckler stressed that these asset sales, together with current efforts being discussed with a few lenders for a short-term US-denominated loan, if executed timely, would give a one-time major injection to the reserves. He added that these initiatives would also give the country the breathing space to address the medium and longer term challenges with foreign exchange earnings.
