Antigua
Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne has pointed to the uneven benefits of integration within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) body. He says that some nations prioritize their economic advantages while neglecting the needs of smaller member states like Antigua and Barbuda.
Speaking on a local radio station, Browne recently highlighted the disparity in trade benefits among CARICOM nations, emphasizing that while some countries, such as Trinidad and Tobago, have reaped substantial economic rewards from regional trade agreements, smaller nations have essentially become consumer markets with limited production capacity.
He argued that this imbalance undermines CARICOM’S economic cooperation’s intended spirit.
“There are those within the integration movement who take a brutal approach, essentially saying there are winners and losers,” Browne said.
“Some of the larger economies benefit immensely, while smaller states like Antigua and Barbuda are left primarily as consumer markets without sufficient production to balance the trade equation.”
The prime minister also said certain CARICOM nations are reluctant to contribute to the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF), which was established to support disadvantaged member states by providing financial assistance to build economic capacity and mitigate trade imbalances.
He called for a more collaborative approach, where all Caricom nations actively support economic balancing measures to ensure that smaller economies are not marginalized.
Barbados
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley is among three people recently named as the winners of this year’s international Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.
Mottley was recognized for her work as a climate change champion and was named alongside the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef José Andrés, and 15-year-old health innovator Heman Bekele, the award’s first youth honouree, who developed a cost-effective soap to prevent and treat early-stage skin cancer when he was 14.
The annual independent international award recognizes “people and entities of all backgrounds, anywhere in the world, who are working selflessly and tirelessly across divides to advance the timeless values of solidarity, integrity, fairness, and optimism and create breakthroughs towards peaceful coexistence.”
The awardees were announced at a news conference, and Mottley, speaking via video, accepted the award, saying she was honored but unexpected.
“We do things every day to make lives easier and to make them sleep easy at night. I, therefore, never expected this kind of award,” said Mottley, an attorney who is into her second five-year term as her country’s prime minister. “I think it’s a validation that we are doing the right thing for the right reasons. This is the only planet we have that can sustain life”.
She repeatedly says, “We have to see people, hear people, and feel people.”
“If we do that, we then begin to understand how they become victims, not just to the climate crisis, but continue to be victims to a very unfair and unjust world that has not created a level playing field sufficiently, either for the 193 countries that we have globally, or for the occupants of those countries.“ Mottley said there is still very much “a sense of first-class and second-class citizens.
“And you know that that is unacceptable. It is our common humanity that binds us together.”
Caribbean
Caribbean economies have been among the best performing in Latin America and the Caribbean, and this success has opened opportunities for Caribbean countries to invest in key priority areas.
This was discussed when the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) held its XIII Annual Consultation with the governors of IDB Caribbean member countries from Feb. 2-3 in Nassau, Bahamas.
The annual consultations provide a platform for dialogue between the IDB and the region’s ministers on how to take advantage of these opportunities and how the bank can support them through financing, knowledge, and technical assistance.
The IDB said in a statement that the discussions featured representatives from the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
After the proceedings, IDB President Ilan Goldfajn said, “The IDB has been a steadfast partner for the Caribbean for over half a century. Our consultations with Caribbean governors ahead of our annual meetings in Chile provided an opportunity to discuss how our regional initiatives like ONE Caribbean can boost growth and resilience and, more generally, how our IDBImpact+ reforms can deliver more scale and impact for our membership as a whole.“
Guyana
The Guyana government says its priority remains on the completion of the gas-to-energy (GTE) project “in the shortest possible time“ following a ruling by the Dispute Avoidance and Adjudication Board (DAAB) late last month.
The DAAB issued its ruling on Jan. 31 in the dispute between the government and the contractor, Lindsayca/CH4, regarding the GTE 300 MW Integrated Plant after the matter was referred to it on Sept. 19, 2024.
Following the DAAB ruling, the parties have 28 days to determine if they wish to refer the decisions, or any part thereof, to arbitration, which would be the next stage in the dispute-resolution process.
The government said that Exxon Mobil executed certain aspects of the project on its behalf. The Irfaan Ali administration said it will, therefore, in the next few weeks, consult with its partners, including Exxon/Mobil, as well as relevant legal and technical advisors, to determine the best course forward for GOG.
It is also said that the completion of the project would facilitate other benefits, such as a reduction in the cost of LPG cooking gas to households and businesses and the realization of domestic self-sufficiency with a significant surplus for the export market.
St. Lucia
One day after striking airport workers caused significant delays and cancellations at St. Lucia’s main international airport, Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling on stakeholders to implement long-term structural changes to improve the island’s aviation sector.
According to reports, approximately 80% of the staff at the airport’s only ground-handling provider called in sick, disrupting operations.
Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), which manages UVF, confirmed the disruptions in a late-evening release.
It said, “The Hewanorra International Airport experienced flight disruptions as a result of what appeared to be industrial action by staff of the Ground Handling Service Provider at the airport. Through a collaborative effort by the airlines, senior management personnel of the ground handler, airport stakeholders, and SLASPA, most flight operations were facilitated. However, some delays were experienced and there were three flight cancellations as a result.“
The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority also apologized to all passengers inconvenienced by the industrial action.
Passengers affected were expected to be re-accommodated on flights departing the following day.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves believes the deportation of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals from the United States will be discussed at the upcoming summit of regional leaders in Barbados. CARICOM leaders are due to meet in Barbados from Feb. 19-21, and the summit will also be attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Of course, heads and other officials are communicating with one another on this particular subject, naturally. You’ll be silly not to be communicating either at the political level or both cases at the level of officials who would have to administer any particular matter arising from any possible deportation,“ Gonsalves said.
He said his administration had not received any information from the United States regarding plans to deport Vincentian nationals as part of President Donald Trump’s clampdown on illegal immigrants.
Gonsalves, however, said his government is concerned that Washington does not supply the country to which it deports people with information about the deportees’ criminal and other history.
A document circulating on the Internet, purportedly from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), states that as of Nov. 24, 2024, 1,445,549 non-citizens were on ICE’s non-detained docket with final orders of removal.
The list includes 127 Vincentians.
— Compiled by Devika Ragoonanan
