New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks at a rally against
Asian hate crime following the May 31, 2021 unprovoked attack on another
Asian person, a 55-year-old woman, in Manhattan’s Chinatown district in
New York City, U.S. June 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar, fi le
Caribbean Life, JULY 30-AUG. 5, 2021 3
By Nelson A. King
The Electoral Observation Mission
(EOM) of the Organization of American
States (OAS) on Tuesday congratulated
St. Lucians for their “strong civic commitment,
which was amply displayed,”
during the Advanced Poll on July 23
and on Election Day, July 26.
The mission, which was led by the
Secretary for Access to Rights and Equity
of the OAS General Secretariat, Maricarmen
Plata, comprised 12 experts
from 10 countries — all of whom were
present in the country.
In its preliminary statement, the
mission said that, on July 23, members
observed the conduct of the Advanced
Poll for members of the police force, the
correctional facility, fire service officers,
election officials and poll workers,
patients at three hospitals and persons
at two care facilities.
On Election Day, the team said it was
present in all 17 of the country’s constituencies
and observed the conduct
of the poll from the opening of polling
stations, through to the counting of
ballots and the transmission of results.
The mission’s experts also analyzed
relevant electoral legislation, regulations,
processes and procedures to
ensure a full understanding of the current
context.
The Voters’ List for the 2021 General
Elections (civilians and police electors),
which was published on July 13,
2021, contained 174,270 electors — “a
number that is very high in relation to
the estimated population of St. Lucia
(184,000 approximately),” the mission
said.
It said it was informed that the base
list, on which the current Voters’ List is
built, dates back to 1979, and that while
new registrants are verified and added
to the list on an ongoing basis, there
are limited mechanisms to remove the
names of persons who have died, who
have been absent from St. Lucia for
a continuous period of five years or
more, or who have become otherwise
disqualified for registration.
By Nelson A. King
The United States Department of State
announced on Thursday that the Joseph
Biden administration has appointed
Ambassador Daniel Foote, a career member
of the Senior Foreign Service, as its
Special Envoy for Haiti.
Ned Price, State Department spokesperson,
said the Special Envoy will
“engage with Haitian and international
partners to facilitate long-term peace
and stability and support efforts to hold
free and fair presidential and legislative
elections.
“He will also work with partners to
coordinate assistance efforts in several
areas, including humanitarian, security
and investigative assistance,” he said.
Additionally, Price said the Special
Envoy will engage stakeholders in civil
society and the private sector, “as we
pursue Haitian-led solutions to the many
pressing challenges facing Haiti.”
“The Special Envoy will, along with
the US Ambassador to Haiti, lead US
diplomatic efforts and coordinate the
effort of US federal agencies in Haiti
from Washington, advise the Secretary
and Acting Assistant Secretary for the
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs,
and coordinate closely with the National
Security Council staff on the administration’s
efforts to support the Haitian people
and Haiti’s democratic institutions in
the aftermath of the tragic assassination
of Jovenel Moïse,” he said.
Price said Special Envoy Foote brings
extensive diplomatic experience to this
role – including as Deputy Chief of Mission
in Haiti and as the US Ambassador
to Zambia.
“The Department congratulates Special
Envoy Foote as he takes on his new
role and thanks him for his continued
service to his country,” he said.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Foote
graduated from Columbia University with
a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
By Nelson A. King
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on
Monday welcomed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
announcement of a new health care mandate
requiring all city workers to provide
one-time proof of vaccination or weekly
COVID-19 tests beginning Sept. 13.
“Like so many New Yorkers, I had been
excited to see our case rates declining in
recent months and to return to some prepandemic
activities with limited restrictions,”
said Williams. “But now, the speed
and spread of the Delta variant has changed
our trajectory, and, unfortunately, must
also change our mindset, our behaviors
and our policies.
“I commend the mayor for implementing
a required vaccination-or-testing policy
for city workers, and urge that, in coordination
with union leadership, the proposed
timeline be accelerated and requirements
be expanded to twice weekly testing,” he
added. “Both changes would dramatically
improve our ability to control the spread of
the Delta variant.”
In addition, and in accordance with
the scientific guidance on current risks,
Williams said public and private spaces
should require masks to be worn indoors
— not only for city workers but for all New
Yorkers.
“We know that, despite some breakthrough
cases, vaccinated individuals are
primarily protected,” he said. “But we also
know that, until New York can increase
rates of injection and lower rates of infection,
an added layer of protection is a small
sacrifice to make for the safety of our
neighbors.
“Our city and state have brought case
rates down before, protecting ourselves
and our fellow New Yorkers, and I am confident
that we can do it again,” Williams
added.
Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement
along with Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene Commissioner (DOHMH),
Dr. Dave A. Chokshi and NYC Health +
Hospitals (H+H) President and Chief Executive
Officer, Dr. Mitchell Katz.
In advance of this benchmark, the city
is mandating 45,000 city workers and contractors
in residential and congregate care
settings by Aug. 16.
Both of these recent mandates are in
addition to the Health Worker COVID-Safe
Requirement the mayor announced last
week, requiring NYC Health + Hospitals
employees and those working in Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene clinical
settings to provide either a one-time
verification of immunization, or weekly
proof of a negative COVID-19 test by Aug.
2.
“This is what it takes to continue our
recovery for all of us while fighting back
the Delta variant,” Mayor de Blasio said.
“It’s going to take all of us to finally end the
fight against COVID-19.”
Dr. Chokshi said these new requirements
“reflect our commitment to each
other and the people we serve.
“In the tug of war between vaccines and
the variants, we should continue to bet
on the vaccines,” he said. “But now is the
time for our whole city to pull together to
defeat Delta.”
Maricarmen Plata, OAS Secretary
for Access to Rights and Equity.
Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
Williams hails new COVID-19 safety
requirements for city workers
US appoints senior foreign service member as Special Envoy for Haiti
OAS mission
congratulates
St. Lucians
US Special Envoy to Haiti, Ambassador
Daniel Lewis Foote. state.gov
/state.gov