Tag: Caribbean Community

Canada Announces Major Funding for Reconstruction and Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Region

November 22, 2017

CARICOM is a 15 member body. It also has five associate states and eight observer states. Of the 15 states, two were significantly affected by the recent hurricanes (Antigua/Barbuda, and Dominica). Three Associate Members were impacted (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands). I assume that it is primarily the first-named countries … More Canada Announces Major Funding for Reconstruction and Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Region

Foreign Affairs Minister’s Statement in the Upper House on the OAS and Venezuela: May 26

May 27, 2017

It’s fair to say that the ongoing disintegration of social and political life in Venezuela has thrown most of the countries in the English-speaking Caribbean into something of a quandary. There is no doubt that these islands (with the exception of Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Montserrat) have benefited greatly from the PetroCaribe arrangement with … More Foreign Affairs Minister’s Statement in the Upper House on the OAS and Venezuela: May 26

Eco-Foam, Our Plan for Forests and Bad News for the EPA: Environment News, February 17, 2017

February 18, 2017

There is a lot happening. Well, that’s an understatement! But here are my latest articles from Jamaica, the Caribbean and further afield, for your interest. Just click on the links for more information. P.S. I am looking forward to returning to C-CAM in Salt River next week!  Jamaica The Forestry Department warned on World Wetlands … More Eco-Foam, Our Plan for Forests and Bad News for the EPA: Environment News, February 17, 2017

Your Fuel Cost and You: CARICOM Energy Month Continues with Knowledge Webinar

November 15, 2016

We may think theres is nothing at all we can do about the price we pay for gas at the pumps. Well, this may well be true to some extent – but on the other hand, we can get ourselves better informed on the topic. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is currently hosting an energy month … More Your Fuel Cost and You: CARICOM Energy Month Continues with Knowledge Webinar

Small Islands, Big Ambitions for Better Land, Water and Biodiversity Management: UNEP’s Largest Ever Caribbean Project

September 25, 2016

I am a little late in sharing this September 19, 2016 press release from our friends at the United Nations Environment Programme – Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP) about a very important project that opened very  recently (on September 20-21) in Kingston. Topics such as International Waters, Land Degradation, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Forest Management are of … More Small Islands, Big Ambitions for Better Land, Water and Biodiversity Management: UNEP’s Largest Ever Caribbean Project

“A Formidable Team”: The CARICOM Review Commission Holds Its First Meeting

July 5, 2016

Since the “Brexit” referendum, there have been mutterings in social media about whether Jamaica should leave the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – especially in light of the recent concerns over the treatment of Jamaican travelers at some Caribbean airports. How about a “CARICOMexit,” they ask? Well, be that as it may, plans for a Commission to … More “A Formidable Team”: The CARICOM Review Commission Holds Its First Meeting

Climate Change in the Caribbean: Talking, Planning and What NOT to Be Doing After the Paris Agreement

April 30, 2016

Earth Day came and went very quickly. A tremendous crowd of political leaders signed the Paris Agreement, and some fifteen countries (including five Caribbean islands) have already ratified it. I understand Jamaica will be ratifying the Agreement very soon. Some cynics have observed: “Oh, Jamaica is signing yet another international agreement! What difference does it make?” or words to … More Climate Change in the Caribbean: Talking, Planning and What NOT to Be Doing After the Paris Agreement

CARICOM Election Observer Mission Preliminary Statement on Jamaican General Elections 2016

February 26, 2016

At the invitation of the Honourable Mrs. Dorothy Pine-McLarty O.J., Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mounted an eleven member CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to observe the General Elections of Jamaica held on 25 February 2016. The team arrived in Jamaica over the period 21 to 22 February 2016. … More CARICOM Election Observer Mission Preliminary Statement on Jamaican General Elections 2016

The Paris Agreement at COP 21: CARICOM’s Official Statement

December 26, 2015

As I observed earlier in this blog, reactions to the conclusion of COP21 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, within and outside the Caribbean, have been decidedly mixed. Somewhat belatedly, I am sharing with you CARICOM Chairman Freundel Stuarts’s Statement, which seems to say all the right things. Will the Caribbean be able to … More The Paris Agreement at COP 21: CARICOM’s Official Statement

Coral Reefs, Fish and People: More Thoughts on the Portland Bight Protected Area

March 28, 2015

I wrote recently about the 2014 assessment of the coral reefs in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA) (including several sites around Goat Islands, which are threatened by a transshipment port development). The University of the West Indies survey, funded by the Waitt Foundation, concluded that the reefs are in fairly good shape, although their … More Coral Reefs, Fish and People: More Thoughts on the Portland Bight Protected Area