Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. July 31, 2019 — A historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and a senior official of the University of Glasgow (UoG), at a ceremony held at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. The document, framed as a “Reparatory Justice” initiative, acknowledges that while the…
New York, July 30, 2019 — Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World (IBW) and Convener of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), will deliver…
Cuba’s health system is in an all-time high as the country has nine doctors per 1000 citizens and more than 485,000 health professionals working in the National Health System. Cuba has more than 100,000 doctors, the highest number in the history of the country with a proportion of nine doctors per 1,000 citizens. Jose Angel Portal Miranda, head of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), said that after the revolution,…
The uproar over Disney casting Halle Bailey as the Little Mermaid overlooks generations of Caribbean and African folklore. By Tracey Baptiste, The New York Times — As a young child growing up in Trinidad and Tobago within sight and walking distance of the Caribbean Sea, I was gripped by the intrigue of mermaids. I was introduced to one version of a mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, whose tale of a magical girl…
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have undertaken a huge commitment to the 2030 agenda with important advances in the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nevertheless, trends reveal that compliance with this global roadmap to 2030 is at a critical point in the region. The high-level political forum on sustainable development, taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New…
The reggae icon would be embarrassed by his country’s attempts to rebrand a disastrous ideology. By Keston Perry, The Nation — The island nation of Jamaica holds a special, almost spiritual significance for many people of color, as well as for anyone concerned about advancing equality and justice in the world. It is the birthplace of the Rastafari movement, reggae, dancehall—and democratic socialism before it became popular in the United States.…
The growing competition between Washington and Beijing for influence offers opportunity and perils. By Mac Margolis, Bloomberg — In his recent swing through Latin America, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had some stern words for regional leaders about Chinese bearing gifts. “Malign practices,” “predatory loans,” envoys toting “bags full of money” to bribe officials: Such were the hazards of consorting with the would-be mandarins of the Americas, he said…
By Joshua St. Aimee, St. Lucia Star — At a press conference in Saint Lucia last October, Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI),…
By Sir Ronald Sanders — Make no mistake about it, the election of St Vincent and the Grenadines – one of the world’s smallest states – to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is both an important and timely event. The election, primarily by the world’s developing states, has occurred when there is increased intolerance of small states by larger and powerful governments determined to enforce…
(Issued on behalf of the CARICOM Reparations Commission) This announcement was made by the Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC), Prof Verene Shepherd at a press conference held at the Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies (UWI) on June 10. She also revealed that the CRC was in the process of preparing a new round of letters of demand to be presented to additional countries identified…
By Desmond Brown, IPS — Jamaica and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are embracing renewable energy as part of their plans to become decarbonised in the coming decades. The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has committed the island nation to transitioning to 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. “I believe that we can do better. Jamaica has sunshine all year round and strong winds in certain parts of…
By David Comissiong — In this 40th anniversary year of the 1979 Grenada Revolution, the fates smiled upon our Caribbean Community (CARICOM) when it was confirmed that the 22nd Regular Meeting of…