CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
ANTIGUA
The outgoing chairman of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), Prime
Minister Gaston Browne described 2021
as a “very challenging year” for the
15-member regional integration grouping.
Browne, who is also the prime minister
of Antigua and Barbuda said in his
end of the year message that despite
the challenges, CARICOM used its “collective
wit, wisdom
and strength to combat
the adversity with
which we have been
confronted.”
He said the Community
endured the “shocking assassination
of a sitting head of state, the
continuing spectre of COVID-19, an
earthquake, tropical storms and a distressing
volcanic eruption, which have
all tested our mettle in 2021.”
Browne added, “we also commiserated
with Haiti, as more than 2,000
people lost their lives as an earthquake
triggered catastrophic damage on the
south-west of the country, al so causing
extensive damage to infrastructure.”
Browne also noted that another
major natural disaster occurred with
the eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano
in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said 2021 saw the region strengthen
its relationship with Africa at the historic
first-ever CARICOM-Africa Summit,
were some of the major achievements
of the grouping.
Browne said as the region prepares
for the New Year, it also brings to a close
the two-year term of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines on the United Security
Council.
BAHAMAS
The Bahamas government has outlined
a number of other measures aimed
at curbing the spread of the Omicron
variant of the COVID-19 pandemic that
the authorities said is causing a fourth
surge in the country.
Minister of Health
and Wellness, Dr.
Michael Darville said
the new measures
include the hiring of
additional medical personnel; sourcing
of new COVID-19 drugs; acquisition of
Grosvenor Close Nursing Building for
Infectious Diseases and entering into
a partnership with private sector laboratories.
He said in addition, the authorities
will be offering free Rapid Antigen Tests
for asymptomatic residents at multiple
centers throughout New Province and
that there will also be distribution of
free medical grade masks at vaccination
centers in New Province.
Last week, the authorities reported
207 cases of the virus, bringing the
Caribbean L 4 ife, JANUARY 14-20, 2022
CARICOM Chairman and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne. Gov’t of Antigua and Barbuda
country’s confirmed virus toll to 24,
476.
Most of the new cases were in New
Province where 192 cases were reported.
The death toll so far stands at 717.
The Bahamas has 1,773 active cases.
BARBADOS
Four opposition parties in Barbados
are coming together to form a coalition
to contest the January 19 general election
that Prime Minister Mia Mottley
announced 18 months ahead of the end
of her five-year term in office.
Political observers
say Mottley’ s Barbados
Labor Party
(BLP), which won the
2018 general election
by a 30-0 sweep will face its sternest test
from the long-established Democratic
Labor Party (DLP) that it trounced in
the last election.
But outgoing opposition leader Bishop
Joseph has already announced the
formation of a new coalition, called the
Alliance Party for Progress (APP), which
includes the United Progressive Party
(UPP), whose leader, Lynette Eastmond,
will serve as deputy leader in the APP.
Now, the leader of Solutions Barbados,
Grenville Phillips II, says his party
will be forming a coalition with three
other undisclosed political parties to
contest the polls.
CARIBBEAN
The Caribbean Development Bank’s
(CDB) Basics Needs Trust Fund (BNTF)
recently launched its tenth cycle of
its longest-run poverty reduction programs,
with more than US$47 million
committed to support programs in nine
countries across the region.
To date, 123 subprojects
are in the
pipeline for this cycle
of the BNTF, which
will run until December
2024.
Contributors to CDB’s Special Development
Fund, which funds the BNTF,
approved US$40 million, with the
remainder coming from participating
countries, Belize, Dominica, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines and
Suriname.
Speaking at the launch, President of
the Bank, Dr. Gene Leon urged development
actors in the region, including at
the bank, to explore how development
programs such as the BNTF can be
expanded and retrofitted to meet the
changing needs of the region.
GUYANA
Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali
says his government continues to support
the South American trade block
— MERCOSUR, Guyana will also bridge
the gap between the continent and the
Caribbean as a new “energy pole.”
In his address to the
59th Summit of the
regional body recently,
the president said
that Guyana supports
MERCOSUR’s efforts to foster infrastructure,
integration, and increase
connectivity.
He said the country would enhance
development opportunities in the continent’s
northern flank through collaborations
and joint partnerships.
To start the process, the head of
state announced there will be a summit
between Guyana, Brazil and Suriname
very early this year to discuss the development
of the Corentyne, the logistic
importance of a deep-water harbour
and the energy corridor.
SURINAME
Suriname recently received approval
from the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for a 36-month Extended Fund
Facility (EFF) to assist the Dutch-
Continued on Page 18
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Browne: Challenging year for CARICOM
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