Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda has become the second Caricom country to criticize Israel’s unprecedented attack allegedly on senior Hamas figures in Qatar on Sept. 9.

“This extraterritorial use of force violates Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contravenes the United Nations Charter,” the Antigua and Barbuda government said in a statement.

It said it “condemns, in the strongest terms” the airstrike, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has confirmed was initiated and executed by Israel…”

“We express full solidarity with Qatar and echo the United Nations Secretary-General’s description of the strike as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty. We urge an immediate halt to any further escalation, strict compliance with international law, and a return to credible diplomacy for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages,” the Antigua an Barbuda government said.

It warned that “such violations of international law must not continue with impunity,” adding that Antigua and Barbuda “supports urgent consideration of this breach by the United Nations Security Council.”

Bahamas

The Bahamas government remains committed to working with the the United Kingdom in organizing billions of dollars in private investment to protect ”our seagrass and our oceans, and build a global movement that places nature at the heart of climate action.”

In a message to the UK Houses of Parliament on “Climate Leadership, Nature Finance, and Global Partnerships,” Prime Minister Phillip Davis apologized for this absence, but thanked all stakeholders for “convening us at this pivotal moment for climate and nature.”

He said that the Bahamas faces some of the greatest challenges on land and in the sea, including “the preservation of our natural world in the face of climate change and economic turbulence.”

“The Bahamas is proud to stand at the forefront of this initiative. As a small island state, we live every day with the realities of climate change. Rising seas, stronger storms, and the fragility of ecosystems on which our people depend are daily realities. For us, this is not a distant concern; it is the defining challenge of our generation.” 

But Davis told the UK legislators that his presence here is not “to speak only of vulnerability,” adding that “we come to speak of leadership, innovation, and partners.”

He added that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) country is committed to showing how nations on the frontline of climate change can also be at the frontline of solutions, demonstrating that natural capital can be valued properly, financed effectively, and protected for future generations.

Caricom

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) says it “notes with great interest and anticipation” the recent presentation of a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on further security assistance as requested by Haiti and recommended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

“This initiative comes at a critical moment in the continuing degeneration of the insecurity and humanitarian situation in Haiti with its increasing cortège of killings, kidnappings, gender-based violence, loss of territory and the displacement of huge numbers of people at the hands of the armed gangs,” the 15-member Caricom group said in a statement.

It said the draft resolution welcomes the contribution made by the Kenya-led Multilateral Security Support Mission (MSS) to peace and stability in Haiti and expresses gratitude for its Kenyan leadership and the support of other member states that have provided personnel to the MSS, and of its donors.

According to the Caricom statement, the draft resolution endorses the recommendations made by Guterres and approved by the Haitian government for the deployment of an increased security force in the French-speaking Caricom country and for the UN to provide logistical and operational support through a UN Support Office in Haiti.

The draft also authorizes the transition of the MSS to what will be described as a “Gang Suppression Force (GSF)” with a maximum of 5,500 personnel with a robust mandate, and the establishment of a UN Support Office in Haiti to provide support to the GSF.

The funding of the GSF personnel will be from voluntary sources, while that of the Support Office will be from UN member state assessments. The draft also takes note of the recent Organization of American States (OAS) Roadmap for Stability and Peace in Haiti in support of Haitian-led efforts, and the possibility of the organisation providing a logistical support package for the GSF.

“Further to its continued international advocacy in support of Haiti, a Caricom member state, the Caribbean Community calls on the member states of the UN Security Council, in particular the permanent members, to take into account the dire and precarious straits in which the people and country of Haiti have found themselves.”

“The people of Haiti have had to suffer for far too long. Adoption of this draft resolution will bring a glimmer of hope and the promise of relief to a people who, as the UN Secretary-General observed at the recent council consultations on Haiti, “are in a perfect storm of suffering,” the Caricom statement added.

The United States Deputy Chief of Mission, Kimberly J Penland, recently told the OAS that Washington is drafting a resolution to present to the United Nations Security Council to “properly resource” Haiti’s fight to reduce gang territorial control.

Guyana

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) says the We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) political party could be put to the test in the National Assembly after running a community-based election campaign for the recent general and regional elections.

The party, which is led by 38-year-old US-sanctioned billionaire businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, won 16 seats in the elections and will become the main opposition to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) after a second consecutive victory and now controls 36 of the 65 seats in the Parliament.

The coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), was removed as the main opposition party after it won 12 seats while the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) is the other party to have gained a seat in Parliament.

Under Guyana’s proportional system, 40 legislators are chosen from a single nationwide constituency and 25 from 10 geographical constituencies.

“Transitioning from an electoral strategy to a parliamentary party will present a challenge for WIN. Few of its members are household names, and even fewer have prior legislative experience,” the GHRA said in a statement.

It said that WIN will be entering the National assembly with “broad support from economically marginalized communities” after having “made unexpected inroads” by leveraging community-based electoral campaigns to counter “sustained PPP/C efforts to pressure and penalize its membership.”

The GHRA said against the backdrop of all server missions, highlighting that the ruling party abused incumbency through the use of state media, state-owned property, government vehicles, and personnel to advance the party’s campaign, Guyana risks seeing a repeat of that in future general and regional elections. 

“Without sustained advocacy, these and other reforms, elections in Guyana will remain vulnerable to the abuse of state resources and the influence of money,” the association said.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says the National Insurance Services (NIS), in St Vincent and the Grenadines, has recorded profits of EC$16.5 million during the first half of 2025, compared to a loss of EC$5.5 million last year.

Gonsalves said that he had been informed by the NIS that the first half of this year “reflects a period of exceptional progress for the National Insurance Services.”

“The institution has not only achieved a strong financial turnaround, but has also advanced its operational resilience and deepened public trust,” he said. Gonsalves said that the NIS had disclosed that contribution collections, investment returns and arrears recovery all surpassed the previous year performance, which led to the profit. He said the contribution income rose from EC$38 million during the first half of 2025 to EC$55 million, a 45% increase during the comparable period of 2025. “This was driven by the increase in the number of persons who are employed and paying contributions, employer compliance, an expansion in insurable wages and the adjustment, of course, of the contribution rate from 12% to 13% between employee and employee.”

Gonsalves said there was a 51% improvement in the collection of arrears and investment income rose to a “very impressive” 49%. Gonsalves added that the number of active insured people at the NIS rose by 3%, from 44,766 last year to the first half of 2024 to 46,318.