Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called for a regional approach to tackle what he termed the “pernicious scourge of crime and violence” in the Caribbean.

Addressing the second Regional Symposium on Crime and Violence as a Public Health issue, Browne said, “There has been an escalation of crime and violence throughout the region which requires a holistic collaboration, approach, strategy especially not limited to regional judiciary and governments.”

He identified among the challenges the emergence of a lack of civility, the need for intensifying strategies to encourage drug demand reduction, the need to increase public education programs, the reduction in access to firearms, and the proliferation of youth gangs, which he said: “must be at the core of our interventions.”

“Many of our youth are showing a lack of empathy and an overall disregard for authority.”

“Therefore, we as leaders in the Community need to focus on a total re-culturing of our households and broader society.”

He also suggested that governments create pathways to rehabilitate youth involved in gang activities so that they could become productive members of society.

Bahamas

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that The Bahamas has staged a remarkable economic recovery after Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the COVID-19 virus.

It said activity and employment have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and inflation has fallen below pre-pandemic levels. Public finances are improving, and borrowing costs have declined.

The Washington-based financial institution said that over the medium term, growth is expected to slow to its long-run potential of 1.5% as capacity constraints in tourism become more binding. It said that barring global commodity price shocks, headline inflation is expected to converge to around 2.0 %.

However, the IMF said that, nonetheless, long-standing challenges remain. The income per capita continues to diverge from that in the United States. At the same time, expensive electricity, a shortage of skilled labor, and obstacles to business formation and expansion continue to weigh on growth.

It said, as in many other countries, government debt to gross domestic product (GDP) jumped during the pandemic, and borrowing costs remain uncomfortably high.

The IMF said that risks to the outlook for activity are balanced. Upside risks include executing announced infrastructure and hotel construction projects and a higher-than-expected boost from an expansion of short-term rentals. The main downsides stem from significant public debt rollover needs and the ever-present risk of natural disasters.

CARICOM

CARICOM leaders have agreed to strengthen relations with India in areas including solar energy, high-yielding seeds and other agriculture innovations, generic medicines and cancer therapy, and tracking sargassum seaweed.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by CARICOM and India recently following the second CARICOM-India summit between leaders and India’s Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.

The meeting, chaired in part by CARICOM chairman Dickon Mitchell, who is Grenada’s Prime Minister, was attended by nine CARICOM leaders, including T&T’s Dr. Keith Rowley and the foreign ministers of Belize, Jamaica, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Leaders reviewed the existing trade and investment relationship between CARICOM members and India and the recent progress driven by mutual interest in energy, agriculture, ICT, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Officials noted with “satisfaction“ the constructive deliberations during the summit. They agreed to reaffirm the importance of the CARICOM-India relationship and promote further partnership development through enhanced coordination of positions on the global international agenda.

Leaders agreed to strengthen economic and commercial relations and cooperation between CARICOM states and India in the following key areas:

Energy and Infrastructure through collaboration on renewable energy, energy efficiency, trade and investment in the energy sector.
Agriculture and food security aimed at reducing its food import bill by 25% by 2025.
Health and pharmaceuticals, including generic medicines, drug testing laboratories, radiation technology, cancer therapy, dialysis machines, sea ambulances, and the Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri (BHISHM) Cubes.
Technology and innovation (Human Resources and Capacity Building) in education, digital public Infrastructure, digital health, information technology, agriculture, food processing, biofuels, and space-based applications.
Contact and strengthening cultural linkages.

Leaders decided that the third CARICOM-India Summit will be held in India.

Haiti

The United States says incidents of armed violence and disruptions to ports and airports are widespread in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country of Haiti and warned that the situation “is unpredictable and dangerous.”

The US embassy said that barricades had been put up in many neighborhoods, disrupting normal traffic patterns.

“The suspension of operations at Port-au-Prince International Airport has been extended through Nov. 25. The area around the airport remains unstable, and outbreaks of violence near the airport could occur,“ the Embassy said.

It said due to the continued violence throughout the city and near the Embassy, operations there are limited until further notice.

“Please be aware that at this time, traveling to the airport in Port-au-Prince is not safe, and the commercial airlines may not have agents at the airport to assist you until regular commercial travel starts back up.“

“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous.

Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The US government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel.”

“You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti. Only attempt to depart Haiti or travel within Haiti if you believe it is safe for you to do so,“ the Embassy said.

Jamaica

Jamaica has welcomed over one million cruise passengers this year, contributing more than US$200 million to the local economy.

“Jamaica’s cruise activities have stood [their] ground,“ said Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, noting the economic significance of cruise tourism to the country. Cruise tourism has the highest level of dollar convertibility, providing immediate economic benefits to local vendors and small business owners.

“While in other areas of tourism, you have months, sometimes, to wait [on the dollar], with cruise tourism, it is instant convertibility,“ Bartlett said, adding, “The dollar gets into their pockets immediately, and the little man in Ocho Rios has an opportunity to go and pay his bills immediately after the cruise ship leaves in any day.”

He praised the efforts of global cruise partners and urged them to continue supporting Jamaica’s tourism industry.

In the meantime, Bartlett said Jamaica is positioning itself as a global leader in health and wellness tourism, combining its rich cultural heritage and natural resources to attract travelers seeking transformative experiences.

“Today’s travelers seek more than leisure; they are searching for experiences that enhance their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,“ said Bartlett while addressing the sixth Annual Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference.

The tourism sector’s impact continues to grow, with 4.3 million visitors expected in 2024 and projected revenue of US$4.5 billion.

“This isn’t just about statistics; it’s about creating a sustainable future for our communities,“ Bartlett said.

Trinidad and Tobago

T&T Prime Minister Keith Rowley met with Indian President Narendra Modi on Nov. 21 for bilateral talks, the day after Modi addressed CARICOM leaders at the CARICOM-India Summit in Georgetown, Guyana.

In a tweet on Twitter/X, Modi said he had held a very fruitful meeting with Rowley.

“We talked about how to diversify trade linkages between our nations. Areas like science, healthcare, education, renewable energy, and agriculture offer great potential for cooperation.“

“It is a matter of immense joy that Trinidad and Tobago has adopted UPI,“ Modi added.

“The signing of the MOU relating to agro and food processing is also a welcome step.”

Modi had promoted the benefits of the UPI in his address to CARICOM leaders the previous day.

“Today in India, direct benefit transfers are being made to millions of people with just one click.”

He said the UPI system was being used by countries such as the UAE, Singapore, France, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Mauritius.

“It is my suggestion that we work together for its adoption by CARICOM countries as well,“ Modi said.

T&T adopted the UPI system in September at a function attended by Central Bank Governor Dr. Alvin Hillaire, Ministry of Digital Transformation officials, Indian High Commissioner Dr. Pradeep Rajpurohit, and officials from the provider company NPCI.

Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr. Amery Browne tweeted on Nov. 21 that he had been pleased to sign an MOU for TT to receive high-level agro-processing equipment, which was co-signed by India’s external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Browne added, “It was an honor to support Prime Minister D.r Rowley in his important bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi in the margins of the 2024 CARICOM-India Summit.”

— Compiled by Devika Ragoonanan