UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, in a statement ahead of the vote in the UN Human Rights Council on the resolution 'From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance' said, “We do not agree with claims made in this resolution that states are required to make reparations for the slave trade and colonialism, which caused great suffering to many but were not, at that time, violations of international law. Moreover, these claims divert focus from the pressing challenges of tackling contemporary racism and global inequality – which are global challenges affecting all regions.”
The Centre for Reparation Research at The UWI will host a Symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Walter Rodney's "How Europe Under-developed Africa" on October 12. View flyer for details.
Climate Justice
Trinidad and Tobago is a country that built its modern economy around oil and gas. As the country attempts to transition into renewable energy, the question of what to do with workers trained in the petrochemical industry arises with a just transition. Climate Tracker’s journalism fellow, Ryan Bachoo reports in the T&T Guardian.
Trinidadian journalist Tyrell Gittens joined the director of Antigua and Barbuda's National Office of Disaster Services, Sherrod James and director of CARICOM's Disaster Risk Reduction Centre Dr. Barbara Carby for a panel discussion about hurricanes, disaster preparedness and climate change on Antigua and Barbuda's Observer Radio.
Saba, a small island in the Dutch Caribbean, is fighting to preserve its diverse ecosystem. Right now, “any given plant or animal on an island is 12 times as likely to go extinct as species on the mainland.” Repeating Islands discusses.
The effects of Hurricane Ian in the US could disrupt the rebuilding of Abaco and Grand Bahama in The Bahamas, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Eyewitness News reports.
Climate change does not affect the whole world equally. Some places, such as Small Island Developing States, experience the climate crisis in ways that affect lives and livelihood. Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States, discusses as Barbados Today published his opinion piece.
Dr José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, lobbies for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global peace treaty that he says “could be a vehicle for the finance that we need to transition from fossil fuels.” The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The launch of Climate Analytics-Caribbean, led by Trinbagonian climate negotiator Rueanna Haynes, aims to raise the bar for the region’s pursuit of climate justice. Find out more https://lnkd.in/e7VwK3MD
The Clarion Clipperton Zone, an area that has some of the clearest waters in the world, is under threat from deep-sea mining. In the season two finale of Environmentally Speaking, the risks of deep-sea mining are discussed by the CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust, Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, and Paige Samuels - politics and history researcher and host of Checkmate, the political podcast.
The Global Mangrove Alliance released its The State of the World’s Mangrove report 2022. It has contributions from 100 writers from across the globe. It provides the very latest information on what is known about mangroves and what’s being done to support these magnificent habitats.
Avinash Persaud, Barbados’ Special Envoy for Climate Finance and Emeritus Professor of Gresham College in the UK, wrote a short Manifesto for meaningful but achievable reform of international finance that will get trillions of dollars for climate financing without busting developing country finances in Just Money.
The Young Reporters for the Environment students (YRE) in The Bahamas and The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) were published by the UNDP in an article called, “Turning the tide, how local NGOs in Seychelles and the Bahamas are working to raise awareness and inspire action to address marine plastic pollution.” Eyewitness News reports.
Will the destruction brought by Hurricane Fiona prompt more Peurto Ricans to leave the island to go live on the US mainland like Hurricane Maria did in 2017? Repeating Island discusses.
Fearing coastal erosion in Richmond, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Conservation Fund (SVGCF), in a letter to the Physical Planning and Development Board, objected to quarry operations. SVGCF claims there is no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done, St Vincent Times reports. Residents and local activists called the North Leeward Heritage Preservation Front also gathered to protest the quarrying. St Vincent Times reports.
Fossil Fuels and Governance
Melinda Janki, Guyanese international lawyer and attorney-at-law, argues that for the safety and security of the Guyanese and Caribbean people, all unsafe petroleum operations should be halted until there is full compliance with permits, national law and all other terms and conditions in Stabroek News.
Dr. Vivian Williams, a New-York based lawyer from Guyana believes increasing pressure from activists and shareholders in pushing Multinational Corporations to behave ethically and consciously in ventures across the world could allow for a renegotiation of the PSA between ExxonMobil and the government of Guyana. Kaieteur News reports.
Businessman and newspaper publisher, Glenn Lall, called on the Guyanese citizenry to stand up against the PPP/C Government’s intention to approve the fifth project for ExxonMobil until the contract is amended to provide for ring-fencing, higher royalties and full liability coverage in the event of an oil spill. Kaieteur News reports.
The World Bank criticised Guyana’s handling of the oil and gas sector. The country has six lawsuits filed against the state to force it to adequately protect the environment against possible oil spill damage. This was noted as an indicator of “weak policy and highly questionable management” of the petroleum sector, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Kaieteur News reports.
Environmental Lawyer, Melinda Janki believes for every barrel of oil ExxonMobil takes, Guyana gets a gallon of sewage. Kaieteur News reports, “Based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted by ExxonMobil Guyana for the Liza One operations in the Stabroek Block, the developer is allowed to dump as much as 4000 barrels of sewage each day in Guyana’s territorial waters.”
The Caribbean in the World
Peter Sha-Li Lan, Taiwan’s ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said Taipei should be allowed to participate in specialised agencies of the United Nations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). iWitness News reports.
Lawyer Rosy Auguste Ducéna, Program Manager for the National Network for the Defence of Human Rights (RNDDH), said Haiti needs a strong democracy and a government the people can trust, but it is not possible without adequate security and public trust. She said, “The U.S. should stop propping up an illegitimate government preying upon the Haitian people and support the establishment of a representative transitional government,” in Just Security.
Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States (OAS) called the OAS broke in his column in Kaieteur News.
Economics, Finance and Debt
Trinidadian economist based in Barbados, Marla Dukharan, slams the EU for unfair and antiquated tax reinforcements that black list Small Island Developing States.
Barbados has reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, making it among the first recipients of money from a new $45 billion resilience trust. Barbados will receive $183 million for climate-focused spending. Propublica reports.
The Antigua and Barbuda government announced an amnesty for people still struggling to deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Antigua Public Utilities (APUA), will forgive the debt of residential customers who were in arrears for electricity and water before and up to December 31, 2021. St Vincent Times reports.
Democracy
Professor Andre Randli, from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, is encouraging Guyana to adopt an electronic voting system similar to those in Brazil in a letter to the editor in Kaieteur News.
Human Rights
Amnesty International is concerned that authorities in Cuba are repeating “repressive tactics used for decades” to crack down on protests after a new wave of island-wide protests happened recently.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves, is proposing a national identification card for all citizens similar to a US social security card. He said this is necessary as the government moves to create a single window where people can do business online. iWitness News reports.
SASOD Guyana commissioned a poll called: “A Study of Perceptions and Attitudes towards LGBT Persons in Guyana,” conducted by RMK Consulting Enterprise which showed there is an increase in positive attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Guyana over the past nine years. Village Voice reports.
Public Health and Governance
The Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network (CIJN) issued a podcast on COVID-19, transparency and accountability in Small-Island States of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda.
Peace and Citizen Security
The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group announced they would convene peace talks after the first week of November with Cuba and Venezuela as guarantors. Latin America Daily Briefing reports.
In a country ranked first as the most expensive in the whole world to live, Bermuda is facing a gang violence problem with an estimated 1,000 people out of a population of 63,900 allegedly involved in gang activity. Caribbean Loop News reports.
Human Mobility
With more than 115,000 Venezuelan migrants flocking to the Dominican Republic to earn money for a better life, the Dominican Republic introduced the historic Special Stay Agreements which allows Venezuelan migrants to become registered voters with regular status. Read more from IOM UN Migration: The Storyteller.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul launched the Institute for Immigration Integration Research & Policy to help Caribbean and other immigrants transition to community life, and further their education and workforce.The Governor said on arrival, immigrants often struggle to learn English, help their children to assimilate in school, find safe and affordable housing, secure jobs with a liveable wage, secure transportation to commute and access available service. The Jamaica Gleaner reports.
Decolonisation
King Charles III hosted St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, following his announcement that SVG will have a referendum to determine if the country will become a republic. The Daily Mail reports.
Opportunities
Are you interested in contributing to achieving global food security? Innovation Training and Adaptation in Coastal Areas (ITACA) Solutions, an expert technical services provider in the areas of climate adaptation, climate resilience, climate finance and project development, is seeking experts in: sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, fisheries and aquaculture, food trade, sustainable value chains, insurance, and other related fields. Register here.
The AOSIS Fellowship Programme is a unique opportunity for young professionals from Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) countries to get hands-on training and experience on issues of law, policy, and science, and to build enduring capacity in AOSIS member governments to engage in international processes. For one year, fellows will work at their UN Permanent Mission in New York, receive comprehensive training on climate change, oceans, environmental protection, and sustainable development issues, and gain real-world negotiation experience working with their national delegations and AOSIS at related UN conferences. The candidate must be a national of an AOSIS country and between 25 to 32 years old at the beginning of the fellowship. Deadline November 18.
Events
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies from the School of Advanced Study, University of London hosts a seminar on the Challenges to Commonwealth ‘Green Transitions’ : the case of Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. Speakers include Roger Hosein from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine; Thomas Singh from the University of Georgetown; Arthur Deakin from the Americas Market Intelligence; Janette Bulkan from the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia; and Sue Onslow from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. The event is on 19 October, at 6:00PM - 7:30PM BST London Time via Zoom. Register here.
The Case for Climate Justice: Commonwealth Small Island States at COP27 is an event series that will elevate the voices and stories of those most affected by climate change. Dates October 18th, 25th and November 1. For more information, click here.
The third annual Global Extraction Film Festival (GEFF) will take place on October 26-30. It will be streamed for free online, globally. Curated by Jamaican activist, director, author and artist, Esther Figueroa, the festival has six film programs with more than 250 films from over 50 countries. GEFF2022 trailer: GEFF2022 website and social media.
Trinidadian-Canadian artist Kvita Mongroo has her first solo exhibition of paper collage and mixed media artwork themed, “We swore…that we would never leave the island…” at Soft Box Gallery in St Clair, Trinidad. The exhibition opened on October 1 and continues to the 15. Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reports.
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