Caribbean

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently advised countries, including the Caribbean, to ensure that their citizens benefited from a breakthrough HIV drug that only needs to be administered twice a year, offering near-total protection from the virus and developing AIDS.

The WHO recommended that the drug be made available “immediately” at pharmacies, clinics, and online consultations.

The UN health agency said injectable lenacapavir (LEN) is a highly effective, long-acting antiretroviral alternative compared to daily oral pills and other shorter-acting options.

“While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing: a long-acting antiretroviral shown in trials to prevent almost all HIV infections among those at risk,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

WHO’s support for the injectable drug is significant because HIV prevention efforts are stagnating around the world.

According to the agency, 1.3 million people contracted HIV in 2024.

“WHO is committed to working with countries and partners to ensure this innovation reaches communities as quickly and safely as possible,” said Tedros during the 13th International AIDS Society Conference (IAS 2025) on HIV Science in Rwanda.

WHO urged governments, donors, and partners to incorporate LEN “immediately” within national combination HIV-prevention programmes.

Grenada

Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell is calling on the Caribbean to use the existing environment to re-imagine and accelerate the region’s digital future.

“This gathering isn’t just a celebration of four decades of collaboration, it’s a moment to take stock of how far we’ve come and to ask bold questions about where we go next,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell addressed the 40th annual meeting of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO) and said that building a single CARICOM Information Communication and Technology (ICT) space would harmonize regulations, enable seamless data flows, and protect the region’s collective sovereignty.

“Only by speaking with one voice can we bridge fragmented markets and unlock the full promise of a gigabit-enabled Caribbean,” he told the conference, which is being held under the theme, Towards a Unified and Sustainable Gigabit Society.

Mitchell urged heads of government, industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to seize this milestone moment to re-imagine and accelerate the region’s digital future, drawing upon his dual responsibilities as Grenada’s head of government and CARICOM’s ICT leader.

He said Grenada’s national strategy has five pillars: digital government, resilient infrastructure, secure digital identity, a thriving digital economy, and universal inclusion. This indicates that progress in Grenada is inseparable from regional unity.

Mitchell also highlighted global digital trends and emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum computing, 5G, and blockchain, that are reshaping economies today, not tomorrow.

“The question is not if we will participate in this revolution, but how and on whose terms,” he said, identifying urgent priorities.

“Governments cannot deliver this transformation alone. The private sector must move beyond service provision to become genuine partners in policy, infrastructure investment, and inclusive growth.

“Your success is the success of our societies and we must share responsibility for expanding access, sharing infrastructure and up-skilling our youth,” he added.

Guyana

Democratic US Senator Michael Bennet has introduced legislation to strengthen US security co-operation with Guyana and prevent Venezuelan aggression against the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“As Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro continues to threaten Guyana, the US must work with Guyana to deter such aggression,” said Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Bennet said the bill will force the Pentagon to evaluate current co-operation and determine where improvements can be made.

The legislation would require the Secretary of Defence to report to Congress on the state of current security co-operation between the US and Guyana and whether additional US assistance is necessary to prevent potential Venezuelan attacks on Guyana.

Since taking office in 2013, Maduro has increased threats against Guyana, claiming the country’s Essequibo region as part of his country despite international law affirming the area as part of Guyana.

The matter is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the core of the dispute is Venezuela’s rejection of the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the boundary between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela.

Bennet said Maduro’s regime has flown Venezuelan Air Force jets over Guyanese territory and threatened oil facilities in Guyana, among other malicious actions.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations have strengthened security co-operation with Guyana and promised to impose costs on Venezuela if Caracas attacks Guyana.

Bennet said Guyana is a key partner in advancing regional security, democracy, and stability, and a burgeoning oil exporter that supplies crude to Europe. This helps reduce its reliance on Russian crude amid Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.

Haiti

Haiti’s government announced that it has sent 150 soldiers to Mexico for training in the most recent effort to fight back gangs that have almost entire control of the country’s capital.

Under the agreement between the two countries, 700 soldiers will be trained in Mexico as Haiti seeks to revive its military.

“This departure marks a historic milestone in the reconstruction of the Haitian Armed Forces and is part of a policy of strengthening national security capabilities,” Haiti’s government said.

“It illustrates the government’s firm determination to restore state authority throughout the country.”

According to the United Nations, from October 2024 to June 2025, more than 4,800 people in Haiti were killed by gang violence. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped, raped, and trafficked.

The Haitian soldiers will spend three months in Mexico, after which they will join Haiti’s National Police in its fight against gangs, which is supported by Kenyan police officers leading an insufficiently funded UN-backed mission.

Earlier this month, the government sent about 30 Haitian soldiers to the French Caribbean island of Martinique for two weeks of training.

Jamaica

CARICOM countries now have an additional US$1.5 billion in financing available after Jamaica became the latest country to accede to the partnership agreement between CARICOM and the Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

Jamaica became the 13th member state to join, and officials say an additional US$1.5 billion in financing is now available to the Caribbean region.

Afreximbank introduced the partnership agreement in 2022, following the African Union’s 2008 resolution designating the African Diaspora as the sixth region of the continent.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding during this month’s CARICOM summit in Montego Bay, Jamaica, pushes the total available funds for the region to three billion US dollars. The move is aimed at deepening trade and investment ties between Africa and the Caribbean.

President and chairman of the Board of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Okechukwu Oramah, described Jamaica’s signature to the agreement as “an incredible opportunity for even greater transformative impact.”

He said it strategically positioned the bank to deepen its financial engagement in the region, including potential long-term capital investments to support the growth and development of SMEs in Jamaica.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, underscored the importance of moving beyond the signing of the agreement to implementing practical mechanisms for trade, which included settlement in local currencies, cross-listings on regional stock exchanges, and harmonised standards to reduce non-tariff barriers.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is pleased with the local economy’s performance during the first five months of this year. He announced that capital expenditure had risen by 88% compared to the same period last year.

“And last year was a record year. Last year, it was about EC$250 million,” Gonsalves said, noting that capital expenditure stood at EC$69 million at the end of May 2024.

Gonsalves said that the figure has since increased to EC$131 million, and as was the case last year, all the numbers have not yet been reflected in the accounts.

“But if you say that, they more or less even out what didn’t come to account last year… this year will also be another bumper year,” Gonsalves said, giving “rough guides trends.”

“Amazing, eh? You hear money?” Gonsalves said total revenue and grants through May rose 16.9 % yearly, from EC$319.5 million to EC$373.4 million.

“The current revenue component alone went up by 11.2% from EC$310.3 million to EC$345 million,” Gonsalves said, “Not bad eh?” he added.

He said total expenditures increased by 25.6%, rising from EC$384 million in 2024 to EC$482 million this year.

“I’m rounding the numbers off. That’s a big, big jump,” Gonsalves said, but noted a deficit of approximately EC$6.5 million, compared to EC$4.3 million last year.

“Well, given what we have done, that deficit on the current account is a small deficit,” the prime minister said.

Compiled by Devika Ragoonanan