Category Archives: NGO
How to revitalize Caribbean economies.
Above the logo of the Soualiga Youth Foundation. Profiled on this BLOG in the HOME section.
ST PETERS Sint Maarten: Since 2000 the Foundation Soualiga Youth wrote a detailed report which was presented to then Minister of Education Sarah Wescott Williams. In said report the Foundation outlined a comprehensive plan of action pertinent to Economic revitalization of the Caribbean economies, using Agriculture and Eco-Cultural Tourism as an alternative to the present hedonistic people destructive trend in tourism.The plan was never taken seriously and experts worldwide are predicting the imminent collapse of the Tourism sector as a viable economic pillar regionally. This article is a mirror of what the Soualiga Youth presented to the government of Sint Maarten.
Nov 21, 2012 (Menafn – Caribbean News Now – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –There is indeed a continuing conversation in many global quarters pertaining to the type of prescription necessary for the revival of the Caribbean economies. In Washington, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Inter American Development Bank (IADB) are lamenting about the evolving middle class in Latin America and the Caribbean.
While they have exercised much care and caution about defining the specific nations where the middle class is emerging, we must not lose sight of the fact that these two powerful agencies have not substantially addressed the growing poverty issues and decrease in quality of life among certain sectors of the region’s population. In addition, there have been no indicators from these two agencies as to how an emerging middle class will contribute to the control of poverty; improve youth employment and improve the quality of life for the disadvantaged in a sustained manner.
To the great disappointment of many other global observers, the Washington and Geneva multilateralists are aggressively pursuing their selfish development agenda through the deployment of financial resources and development of phony collaborative partnerships with their regional counterparts.
These agencies and their collaborators are yet to come forward with any viable and achievable suggestions regarding the revitalization of our economies; managing our foreign policy reserves by decreasing imports and most important development strategies for a sustainable path that would alleviate the region’s social and economic ills.
Addressing youth unemployment; rural development; access to information technology tools and ensuring there are initiatives that will bring tangible benefits to the disadvantaged are innovations and expectations that should become, key development and policy planks in the region.
As efforts and suggestions are developed for advancing and sustaining the Caribbean economies, there are at least three sectors that require immediate attention and hopefully will result in some improvements. However, it must be noted and recognized that successful and sustainable outcomes will only be derived from a genuine change of attitude, recognition of the need for broad based planning, participation and an acceptance that the global community is changing and Caribbean governments and institutions are obligated to fall in line with these global changes.
Agriculture has long been recognized as the central mainstay of Caribbean economies. Unfortunately, this economy has disappeared and there has been no coordinated or demonstrated effort to revive and sustain it. Short term tourist dollars seem to be the priority. Accumulation of foreign currency in any Caribbean nation should not be dependent only upon tourism.
Many of our small farmers have been abandoned as weak kneed regional policy experts associated with various governments have embarked upon a wild and ill fated chase for tourism dollars, which is unlikely to increase.
While the chase of tourism dollars might be justified by the weak knee policy experts, evidence clearly indicate that Caribbean economies should not rely only on a tourism sector, given global economic uncertainties in Europe and North America. Tourism should not be embraced as the saviour of Caribbean economies. Agriculture should be the priority.
In reviving and sustaining this important industry, there are several factors that require a radical change in thinking and perception about production and market penetration. The application of new information technology tools, identifying and building new partnerships, creation, and sustenance of a strong national marketing board that will assist agricultural stakeholders in exporting and selling their products.
The days of the Geest Line, Harrison Shipping, Atlantic Lines, the Saguenay and Canada Steamship Lines are remembered by many for transporting our agricultural products in better times. Unfortunately, maintenance and sustainability of these exports are disappearing and very little efforts are being advanced for production and export reliability of these products. Like the tourism industry, they are foreign currency income earners and this is why the rationale and need for the agricultural economy is vital to our future.
The tourism industry is an important sector for the region. While the importance of this industry is recognized and encouraged, like the agricultural industry, it also requires radical changes and understanding. The Caribbean tourism industry is very competitive and exceeds the old antique marketing strategy of white sand beaches, bikini clad women with tantalizing physique and beautiful white teeth.
Potential vacationers are looking at affordability, safety, quick, accessible transportation and potential venues or attractions that jug their interests. These expectations require many changes in the management of this industry. Pricing, target marketing, and promotion are very essential if Caribbean nations are interested in holding their niche.
Tourism income earnings are fine and must always be encouraged. However, consideration must be given to a more intricate and sustainable link with our agricultural industry. Tourist vacationers must be encouraged to consume more local foods and other consumption goods associated with the tourist industry.
The preservation of the local arts and craft industry is of critical importance. This would require effective monitoring and maintenance of existing legislation that addresses trade preference and import of these products. Irrespective of the World Trade Organization (WTO) hype, our local arts and crafts industries should always be protected.
As I examine the plight and future of the region’s disadvantaged, it is crystal clear that unemployment, sexual exploitation, youth delinquency, crime, and lawlessness will continue to confront Caribbean governments. At the same time, many regional individuals have embarked upon further education only to discover after graduation that there are no immediate employment opportunities at home.
Therefore, Caribbean governments need to broaden their perception about another potential foreign income source. Given the decline of the tourism industry, the collapse of the agricultural industry and limited export products, the denial must end and our leaders need to get down to work to address local economic conditions and stop blaming global economic conditions.
Jamaica and Barbados maintain fairly good tourism and trade infrastructures that earn them foreign exchange. However, these two CARICOM nations are actively and aggressively engaged in labour export that provides opportunities for their unemployed skilled workers to seek temporary foreign employment in the United States and Canada. While these two nations, like their other regional colleagues, are engaged in the Canadian seasonal farm workers program, they recognize that it is minuscule and there is need for sourcing other potential opportunities.
Many of our regional governments need to take a page from Barbados and Jamaica as labour export generates good foreign income and also contributes to the improvement of the quality of life. Those regional governments with tunnel vision on labour export must understand that they need to go beyond the seasonal farm workers program.
Our governments can begin exploring new labour market opportunities by putting their consular officials to investigate and identify employment opportunities for skilled unemployed workers in their domain. Canada and other western nations have growing temporary employment opportunities that can utilize the skills of our employed. We need to move beyond the farm workers program.
Recognition and implementation of the above suggestions require our regional Ministries of Labour to become more innovative and forward looking in addressing labour market opportunities in their domain. They might wish to solicit the assistance of the Trinidad-based International Labour Office (ILO) if they decide to become innovative and creative.
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VIRTUAL SECURITY CONFERENCE 2020.
From 27 – 31 July, 2020, CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) will host the first-ever Virtual Security Conference in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), under the heading of ‘Securing Our Caribbean Community Within The Era Of Covid-19 and Beyond’.
The crisis presented by coronavirus (COVID-19) is unprecedented in CARICOM. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Governments across the Region imposed several measures, including social distancing, restrictions, border closures and suspension of non-essential services to prevent the spread of the pandemic. In support of these measures, law enforcement and security officials played a crucial role to prevent and control the spread of the virus, while at the same time managing and operating within the changing multi-dimensional security environment.
In an effort to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the security environment and the operations of law enforcement and security officials, as well as to identify best practices that can be applied to similar situations in the future; CARICOM IMPACS will bring together a network of practitioners, security experts, government officials, academics, private sector representatives and civil society officials to discuss the challenges, impact and implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Security of our Region. The Virtual Conference will address the following thematic areas such as:
- Peace, Security & Development – A Roadmap For The Future In The Context of COVID-19;
- Criminality & Organised Crime During COVID-19: Present and Future Trends;
- Policing In The Time of a Pandemic- Lessons Learnt;
- Enhancing Cyber Security In The Age of COVID-19;
- COVID-19 & the Future of Borders;
- Crisis and Gender Based Violence;
- Climate Change and Security- Building Resilience in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
- Impact and Implications of COVID-19 on Prisons and Correctional Services; and
- Maritime Security and the Blue Economy
CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
The CARICOM Virtual Security Conference will gather leading representatives from government, regional and international agencies, academia, private sector and civil society organisations to discuss the impact and implications of COVID 19 and measures to respond.
Specifically, the Virtual Security Conference will:
- Consider how COVID-19 is shaping the security landscape today and in the future;
- Identify how COVID-19 has impacted criminality and organized crime and the implications for the future;
- Facilitate constructive exchange of information, best practices and lessons identified during the COVID-19 outbreak, so that states can strengthen their abilities to continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare and response to future pandemics;
- Assess and evaluate the threats and opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Explore how the pandemic impacted law enforcement and security officials roles, responsibilities and standard operating procedures, resilience and food security among other issues;
- Provide a consultative forum for discussion between leading practitioners and representatives from the government, regional and international agencies, academia, private sector and civil society. This is especially important when speaking of Border Security and border movements post pandemic.
CONFERENCE OUTCOME
The Virtual Conference will serve as source material for the development of a “Lessons Learnt and Guidance Document for Preparing for and Responding to Threats such as Pandemics and other crises”.
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COVID 19’s Effect on Emerging Market and Developing Economies.
St Peters Sint Martin: By Wade A Bailey.
I cite the World Bank 2020 report listed below under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/3.0/ igo. Under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
World Bank. 2020. Global Economic Prospects, June 2020. Washington, DC: World Bank. DOI: 10.1596/978-1-4648-1553-9. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO.
ISSN: 1014-8906 ISBN (paper): 978-1-4648-1553-9 ISBN (electronic): 978-1-4648-1580-5 DOI: 10.1596/978-1-4648-1553-9
What follows are various citations and highlights from the report listed previously, the report is used in documenting pertinent facts, that will highlight the dire looming possible economic crisis, that could engulf the global economy. The dire economic scenario presented previously, proves the unsustainability of the ‘one pillar’ economic model used, in the past by regional governments including Sint Martin, its inability to sustain the island’s populace, in a post-Covid19 world.
Global Outlook: Pandemic, Recession: The Global Economy in Crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has, with alarming speed, delivered a global economic shock of enormous magnitude, leading to steep recessions in many countries. The baseline forecast envisions a 5.2 percent contraction in global GDP in 2020—the deepest global recession in eight decades, despite unprecedented policy support. Per capita incomes in the vast majority of EMDEs are expected to shrink this year. The global recession would be deeper if bringing the pandemic under control took longer than expected, or if financial stress triggered cascading defaults. The pandemic highlights the urgent need for health and economic policy action—including global cooperation—to cushion its consequences, protect vulnerable populations, and improve countries’ capacity to prevent and cope with similar events in the future. Since EMDEs are particularly vulnerable, it is critical to strengthen their public health care systems, to address the challenges posed by informality and limited safety nets, and, once the health crisis abates, to undertake reforms that enable strong and sustainable growth. Regional Macroeconomic Implications of COVID-19. The rapid rise of COVID-19 cases, together with the wide range of measures to slow the spread of the virus, has slowed economic activity precipitously in many EMDEs. Economic disruptions are likely to be more severe and protracted in those countries with larger domestic outbreaks, greater exposure to international spillovers (particularly through exposure to global commodity and financial markets, global value chains, and tourism), and larger pre-existing challenges such as informality. Growth forecasts for all regions have been severely downgraded; Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Europe and Central Asia (ECA) in particular have large downgrades partly because of the size of their domestic outbreaks and exposure to global spillovers, while South Asia’s substantial downgrade is primarily the result of stringent lockdown measures. Many countries have avoided more adverse outcomes through sizable fiscal and monetary policy support measures. Despite these measures, per capita incomes in all EMDE regions are expected to contract in 2020, likely causing many millions to fall back into poverty. This edition of Global Economic Prospects also includes analytical chapters on the short- and long-term growth impact of the pandemic, as well as on global implications of the recent plunge in oil prices. Lasting Scars of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has struck a devastating blow to an already-fragile global economy. Lockdowns and other restrictions needed to Executive Summary COVID-19 has triggered a global crisis like no other—a global health crisis that, in addition to an enormous human toll, is leading to the deepest global recession since the second world war. While the ultimate growth outcome is still uncertain, and an even worse scenario is possible if it takes longer to bring the health crisis under control, the pandemic will result in output contractions across the vast majority of emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). Moreover, the pandemic is likely to exert lasting damage to fundamental determinants of long-term growth prospects, further eroding living standards for years to come. The immediate policy priorities are to alleviate the ongoing health and human costs and attenuate the near-term economic losses, while addressing challenges such as informality and weak social safety nets that have heightened the impact on vulnerable populations. Once the crisis abates, it will be necessary to reaffirm credible commitment to sustainable policies—including medium-term fiscal frameworks in energy-exporting EMDEs suffering from the large plunge in oil prices—and undertake the necessary reforms to buttress long-term growth prospects. For these actions, global coordination and cooperation will be critical. xvi address the public health crisis, together with spontaneous reductions in economic activity by many consumers and producers, constitute an unprecedented combination of adverse shocks that is causing deep recessions in many advanced economies and EMDEs. Those EMDEs that have weak health systems; those that rely heavily on global trade, tourism, or remittances from abroad; and those that depend on commodity exports will be particularly hard-hit. Beyond its short-term impact, deep recessions triggered by the pandemic are likely to leave lasting scars through multiple channels, including lower investment; erosion of the human capital of the unemployed; and a retreat from global trade and supply linkages. These effects may well lower potential growth and labor productivity in the longer term. Immediate policy measures should support health care systems and moderate the short-term impact of the pandemic on activity and employment. In addition, a comprehensive reform drive is needed to reduce the adverse impact of the pandemic on long-term growth prospects by improving governance and business environments and expanding investment in education and public health. Adding Fuel to the Fire: Cheap Oil during the Pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the wide-ranging measures needed to slow its advance have precipitated an unprecedented collapse in oil demand, a surge in oil inventories, and, in March, the steepest one-month decline in oil prices on record. In the context of the current restrictions on a broad swath of economic activity, low oil prices are unlikely to do much to buffer the effects of the pandemic, but they may provide some initial support for a recovery once these restrictions begin to be lifted. Like other countries, energy exporting EMDEs face an unprecedented public health crisis, but their fiscal positions were already strained even before the recent collapse in oil revenues. To help retain access to market-based financing for fiscal support programs, these EMDEs will need to make credible commitments to a sustainable medium-term fiscal position. For some of them, current low oil prices provide an opportunity to implement energy-pricing policies that yield efficiency and fiscal gains over the medium term.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, with alarming speed, delivered a global economic shock of enormous magnitude, leading to steep recessions in many countries. The baseline forecast envisions a 5.2 percent contraction in global GDP in 2020—the deepest global recession in eight decades, despite unprecedented policy support. Per capita incomes in the vast majority of emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) are expected to shrink this year, tipping many millions back into poverty. The global recession would be deeper if bringing the pandemic under control took longer than expected, or if financial stress triggered cascading defaults. The pandemic highlights the urgent need for health and economic policy action—including global cooperation—to cushion its consequences, protect vulnerable populations, and improve countries’ capacity to prevent and cope with similar events in the future. Since EMDEs are particularly vulnerable, it is critical to strengthen their public health care systems, to address the challenges posed by informality and limited safety nets, and, once the health crisis abates, to undertake reforms that enable strong and sustainable growth.
Summary The COVID-19 pandemic has spread with astonishing speed to every part of the world and infected millions The health and human toll is already large and continues to grow, with hundreds of thousands of deaths and many more suffering from diminished prospects and disrupted livelihoods. The pandemic represents the largest economic shock the world economy has witnessed in decades, causing a collapse in global activity Various mitigation measures—such as lockdowns, closure of schools and non-essential business, and travel restrictions—have been imposed by most countries to limit the spread of COVID-19 and ease the strain on health care systems. The pandemic and associated mitigation measures have sharply curbed consumption and investment, as well as restricted labor supply and production. The cross-border spill overs have disrupted financial and commodity markets, global trade, supply chains, travel, and tourism. Financial markets have been extremely volatile, reflecting exceptionally high uncertainty and the worsening outlook. Flight to safety led to a sharp tightening of global and EMDE financial conditions. Equity markets around the world plunged, spreads on riskier categories of debt widened considerably, and EMDEs experienced large capital outflows in much of March and April that bottomed out only recently. Commodity prices have declined sharply as a result of falling global demand, with oil particularly affected (Figure 1.1.D). Many countries have provided large-scale macroeconomic support to alleviate the economic blow, which has contributed to a recent stabilization in financial markets. Central banks in advanced economies have cut policy rates and taken other far-reaching steps to provide liquidity and to maintain investor confidence. In many EMDEs, central banks have also eased monetary policy. The fiscal policy support that has been announced already far exceeds that enacted during the 2008-09 global financial crisis. In all, the pandemic is expected to plunge a majority of countries into recession this year, with per capita output contracting in the largest fraction of countries since 1870. Advanced economies are projected to shrink by 7 percent in 2020, as widespread social-distancing measures, a sharp tightening of financial conditions, and a collapse in external demand depress activity. Assuming that the outbreak remains under control and activity recovers later this year, China is projected to slow to 1 percent in 2020—by far the lowest growth it has registered in more than four decades. Due to the negative spillovers from weakness in major economies, alongside the disruptions associated with their own domestic outbreaks, EMDE GDP is forecast to contract by 2.5 percent in 2020. This would be well below the previous trough in EMDE growth of 0.9 percent in 1982, and the lowest rate since at least 1960, the earliest year with available aggregate data. EMDEs with large domestic COVID-19 outbreaks and limited health care capacity; that are deeply integrated in global value chains; that are heavily dependent on foreign financing; and that rely extensively on international trade, commodity exports, and tourism will suffer disproportionately. Commodity-exporting EMDEs will be hard hit by adverse spillovers from sharply weaker growth in China, and by the collapse in global commodity demand, especially for oil. With more than 90 percent of EMDEs expected to experience contractions in per capita incomes this year, many millions are likely to fall back into poverty. With advanced economies contracting, China experiencing record-low growth, and EMDE growth savaged by external and domestic headwinds, the global economy is expected to shrink by 5.2 percent this year in a baseline forecast. This would be the deepest global recession since World War II, and almost three times as steep as the 2009 global recession.
The 2020 global recession is expected to be the deepest in eight decades, and the subsequent recovery will be insufficient to bring output to previously projected levels. Amid heightened uncertainty, worse outcomes could arise if the pandemic and economic disruptions persist or cascading defaults amid high debt lead to financial crises. A lack of space is constraining fiscal responses in many EMDEs. Building resilient health care systems is critical to prevent similar crises. With ongoing recessions exerting scarring effects on potential output, pursuing reforms that bolster long-term growth prospects will be essential.
The forecast assumes that the pandemic recedes in such a way that domestic mitigation measures can be lifted by mid-year, adverse global spill overs ease during the second half of the year, and dislocations in financial markets are not long-lasting. Although a moderate recovery is envisioned in 2021, with global growth reaching 4.2 percent, output is not expected to return to its previously expected levels. Since uncertainty around the outlook remains exceptionally high, alternative scenarios help illustrate the range of plausible global growth outcomes in the. In particular, the baseline forecast for 2020 could prove optimistic. If COVID-19 outbreaks persist longer than expected, restrictions on movement and interactions may have to be maintained or reintroduced, prolonging the disruptions to domestic activity and further setting back confidence. Disruptions to activity would weaken businesses’ ability to remain in operation and service their debt, while the increase in risk aversion could raise interest rates for higher-risk borrowers. With debt levels already at historic highs, this could lead to cascading defaults and financial crises across many economies .Under this downside scenario, global growth would shrink almost 8 percent in 2020. The recovery that follows would be markedly sluggish, hampered by severely impaired balance sheets, heightened financial market stress and widespread bankruptcies in EMDEs. In 2021, global growth would barely begin to recover, increasing to just over 1 percent. In contrast, in an upside scenario, a sharp economic rebound would begin promptly if pandemic-control measures could be largely lifted in the near term, and fiscal and monetary policy responses succeed in supporting consumer and investor confidence, leading to a prompt normalization of financial conditions and the unleashing of pent-up demand. However, even with these positive developments, the near-term contraction in global activity of more than 3 percent in 2020 would still be much larger than during the global recession of 2009, and EMDE growth would also be negative. Once pandemic control measures are fully lifted, global growth would rebound markedly in 2021, to above 5 percent. Policymakers face formidable challenges as they seek to contain the devastating health, macroeconomic, and social effects of the pandemic. During the last global recession, in 2009, many EMDEs were able to implement large -scale fiscal and monetary responses. Today, however, many EMDEs are less prepared to weather a global downturn and must simultaneously grapple with a severe public health crisis with heavy human costs. Particularly vulnerable EMDEs include those that have weak health systems; those that rely heavily on global trade, tourism, and remittances; those that are prone to financial market disruptions; and those that depend on oil and other commodity exports. EMDEs where poverty and informality are widespread, including many low-income countries, are also vulnerable, since their poor have limited access to proper sanitation and adequate social safety nets, and often suffer greater food insecurity . An arsenal of macroprudential support policies has been deployed in EMDEs to maintain financial sector resilience and promote lending during the crisis. These include relaxing capital and liquidity coverage requirements, allowing banks to draw down capital and liquidity buffers, and encouraging banks to offer temporary loan repayment holidays to distressed borrowers. Further, many countries have initiated debt moratoria and government guarantees on bank loans to strengthen bank balance sheets and support distressed borrowers. Policymakers would, however, need to carefully balance some of these actions against jeopardizing the future stability of the financial sector. Once economic activity begins to normalize, they will also need to prudently withdraw the large-scale policy stimulus provided during the crisis without endangering the recovery. Meanwhile, many EMDEs have introduced fiscal measures to expand social safety nets and protect those most vulnerable, including wage support to preserve jobs, increased access to unemployment benefits, and targeted cash transfers to low-income households. In EMDEs with wider fiscal space, the policy response has been markedly greater than in those more constrained by higher debt levels. For many energy exporting EMDEs, fiscal balances are deteriorating as oil prices have fallen below fiscal break-even prices. Elevated debt burdens in some low- and middle-income countries also underscore the need for temporary debt relief. In this context, global coordination and cooperation—of the measures needed to slow the spread of the pandemic, and of the economic actions needed to alleviate the economic damage, including international support—provide the greatest chance of achieving public health goals and enabling a robust global recovery. In the near term, COVID-19 has underscored the need for governments to prioritize the timely and transparent dissemination of accurate information in order to stem the spread of the disease, and to build public trust. In the long term, the pandemic has laid bare the weaknesses of national health care and social safety nets in many countries. It has also exposed the severe consequences of widespread informality and financing constraints for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in many EMDEs There is a critical need to invest in resilient health care systems that prioritize national health security, in order to prevent and mitigate similar crises It is also necessary to put in place social benefit systems that can provide an effective, flexible, and efficient safety net during disasters. Such systems can be augmented by measures to deliver income support and emergency financing to vulnerable groups such as the poor, urban slum dwellers, migrants, and informal firms. In particular, digital technologies can enhance the provision of cash transfers and other critical support measures, as well as facilitate the flow of remittances. In many countries, deep recessions triggered by COVID-19 will likely weigh on potential output for years to come. Governments can take steps to alleviate the adverse impact of the crisis on potential output by placing a renewed emphasis on reforms that can boost long-term growth prospects.
More to follow.
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Research Training for Multi-Dimensional Poverty underway in the OECS.
Regional trainers develop skills to train others in research methodology
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 — Training seminars that build the capacity of public servants, and community representatives, in data collection on multidimensional poverty, are currently being held in select OECS Member States.
The OECS Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Sub-regional Office for the OECS and Barbados, is conducting Training of Trainer Workshops in Participatory Action Research on multi-dimensional poverty.
The initiative, which forms part of the Multi-dimensional Approaches to Poverty Eradication Project (MDAPP), has successfully completed training in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda. Additional training sessions are scheduled to continue in Dominica and St. Lucia in the weeks to come.
UNDP Project Coordinator at the OECS Commission, Dr. Julie Xavier, said the MDAPP intends to leave each project country with trainers who will be equipped with the skills to train others in the implementation of this research methodology. Participants were targeted from various social service ministries, as well as Departments of Statistics.
Project Coordinator at Grenada National Organisation of Women (GNOW) Ms. Jacqueline Pascal said that, despite her years of experience in the field as a researcher, the training highlighted areas for development.
“I have experience in doing research, both qualitative and quantitative, as well as interviewing techniques at the highest level. This gives a person a bit of complacency [with regards to] their knowledge base but, coming here, I have realized that I was on a learning curve as far as research is concerned,” Pascal said.
One participant from St. Vincent and the Grenadines commended the comprehensive nature of the new approach stating that “participatory action research encourages community participation and ensures that some specific action comes out of the research.”
Overall, the project is aimed at promoting greater awareness of the multi-dimensional nature of poverty through the development of policies and programmes that move away from the traditional focus income or employment, and underscore the importance of other dimensions of holistic human development such as experiences in health, housing, education, and feelings of safety and security.
The MDAP project is sponsored by the Government of Chile through the Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AGCID).
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OAS adopts resolution on protecting journalists.
St Peters Sint Maarten — The Organization of American States (OAS) has adopted a resolution on increasing protection for journalists and combating impunity for crimes against them. It is the first time that the OAS has passed a resolution on this crucial issue.
The resolution was adopted by the OAS general assembly meeting in the Mexican city of Cancún (June 19 -21). Regarded as part of the regional organization’s duty to promote and protect human rights, it also recognizes the importance of the work of journalists in the region.
The resolution is the result of an initiative by the office of Edison Lanza, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and had the active support of such countries as Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
It calls on all OAS member states to:
– Condemn murders of journalists and take special measures to protect journalists and to prevent attacks against them.
– Combat impunity for crimes of violence against journalists by appointing special independent prosecutors, adopting specific protocols and methods for investigating and trying cases, and providing judicial officials with training on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.
– Publicly reaffirm the right of every journalist to receive, seek and impart information without any form of discrimination.
– Encourage and reinforce member state cooperation with the IACHR and the special rapporteur’s office, especially on the issue of combatting impunity for crimes against journalists
“In view of the increase in violence against journalists throughout the Americas, we are very enthusiastic about this resolution’s adoption by the countries of the OAS and we share all of its recommendations,” said Emmanuel Colombié, the head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Latin America bureau.
“This resolution marks a new stage in the growing awareness of the western hemisphere’s governments of their responsibility to protect journalists and promote the work of the media,” he added.
The resolution stresses the fundamental importance of freedom of opinion and expression in development and reinforcing effective democratic systems. It also recognizes that journalists investigating stories involving human rights violations, organized crime, corruption and other kinds of serious illicit behaviour are often exposed to aggression and violence leading to self-censorship that deprives society of information in the public interest.
RSF said it shares this assessment and hopes that, although the resolution is not binding, governments will respect the undertaking they have given and will quickly implement the envisaged measures.
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In Grenada, nutmeg heads up an economic revolution December 2, 2013.
World Bank
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
In the Eastern Caribbean, agriculture is one of the quickest industries for creating jobs and businesses.
Individual farmers with smallholdings are highly vulnerable to economic and climate shocks which threaten their livelihood.
Latin America and the Caribbean has huge potential to be a global food superpower in the coming decades.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger are often key baking ingredients. But on the island of Grenada they are also central ingredients in a burgeoning economic revolution.
The world’s second largest exporter of nutmeg, holding 20% of the market, this ‘Spice Island’ is now betting on agriculture to become an additional engine for an economy looking to diversify away from the usual sun and sand tourism and also shore up food security for its inhabitants.
While Latin America as a region is rich in water and arable lands (the region play’s home to around a third of the planet’s reserves), the small island nations of the Caribbean, such as Grenada and its neighbours, have to deal with the added challenge of a highly hostile climate, including hurricanes, severely limited freshwater supplies – which worsen further during the dry season – and a rising sea level.
Now smallhold farmers on this island paradise, situated some 200km off the Venezuelan coast, are leading an initiative to refocus Grenada’s economic profile with a project which has also caught the attention of other governments within the region.
Earnest Mitchell is just one of this next generation of local farmers.
“I’m thinking of doubling my production next year,” he explains with pride while showing us around his small farm perched high in Grenada’s fertile mountain region.
Earnest is one of 1,500 farmers who have taken part in a pilot project, which stands out thanks to its work “to identify our biggest challenges,” Earnest explains. This is no small feat on an island with a population of around 110 000, 70% of whom are considered to be rural. What’s more, the scheme is also opening the door to job creation on the island, where 40% of the active population is unemployed.
The farmers received technical assistance and financial support from the Japanese Social Development Fund and the World Bank to buy seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and tools. The crux of the project is, however, the possibility of protecting themselves from climate and economic shocks, and to better coordinate their production, especially after two consecutive hurricanes.
” I’m thinking of doubling my production next year. ”
Earnest Mitchell
Farmer, Grenada
Protection against natural disasters
While there is little farmers in Grenada can do against inclement weather in a region extremely exposed to natural phenomena, the project aims to alleviate potential economic, and also planning, havoc.
For example: In 2004, Hurricane Ivan swept through the island, felling huge swathes of jungle along with many of the country’s valuable nutmeg, banana and cocoa plantations. A year later, Emily took much the same path, hampering efforts to rebuild the devastated farmlands and, above all, pushing the smallholders to respond, in desperation, with planting fruits and vegetables in an improvised manner.
Consequently the market has unwittingly been oversaturated by certain products while others suffer from a lack of supply, as the country experiences what experts call a cycle of over- and under-production.
Alongside limited water supplies and the impact of climate change, various Caribbean islands also suffer additional problems, and it is hoped that they can find a common solution.
“I think it’s going to be interesting to have a dialogue among all the OECS countries on this subject and see if we can do something in the future,” explains Eli Weiss, a rural development specialist for the World Bank.
For small hold farmers like Earnest, and their wider island community, it will be vital to protect themselves both from natural disasters and the damage they cause to their economies.
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Soualiga Youth Manifesto.
Copyright © 1993-2009 Published by Berhanena Selam Press.
From the book by Wade Bailey; A Case for an independent Sint Maarten.
Copyrights: 2003-2008 ROSH MALKUTH PRODUCTS NAZARITE DESIGNS.
© Copyright: 2003, 2004, 2005,2006,2007,2008 Wade A Bailey (rights holder).
No quotations material written or drawn may be copied or transcribed using video or copying technology without the written permission of the publisher.
All infringements of the publisher’s copyrights are strictly prohibited.
Logo by ROSH MALKUTH PODUCTS NAZARITE DESIGNS.
Original Cover Design by Bernardo Bailey bka Ras Enoch, Illustrations by Bernardo Bailey and Wade Alexander Bailey.
Manufactured in Sint Maarten in The Caribbean African West Indies.
To contact the Publisher forward all correspondence to:
RMND/Berhanena Selam Press
Marigothill Road St Peters #18c
Sint Maarten.
Table of contents pages
Dedication
Quotes by several noted scholars black and white 2, 3
Foreword 4
Poem: Shards of my soul 6
Chapter 1: A history of Foundation Sualiga Youth 11
Chapter 2: Purpose for our Burden our Concern 48
Chapter 3: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 76
Chapter 4: What is the EU? 84
Chapter 5: The economy of Sint Maarten 104
Chapter 6: Who is a Sint Martener? 106
Chapter 7: Towards the future 108
Chapter 8: The ideology of independence in the Caribbean 113
“No people to whom liberty is given can hold it as
Firmly and wear it as grandly as those who wrench
Their liberty from the iron hand of the tyrant”
Frederick Douglas
Government is not infallible. Government is only an executive control, a centralized authority for expressing the will of the people.
Before you have a government, you must have the people.
Without the people, there can be no government. The government must be, therefore an expression of the will of the people.
Marcus Garvey
“No people to whom liberty is given can hold it as
Firmly and wear it as grandly as those who wrench
Their liberty from the iron hand of the tyrant”
Frederick Douglas
“That which thy fathers have bequeathed to thee earn it anew if thou wouldst possess it”
Goethe
“There is nothing more frightening than ignorance in action”
Goethe
“He who does not understand the past is doomed to repeat it”
George Santayana
FOREWORD
“If Sint Maarten is to survive and evolve as a 21st-century competitor regionally as well as in the international sphere.
We will have to elect, to defend to the death the human rights of everyone in our midst as guaranteed in a democratically instituted constitution.
We must elect to be Sint Maarteners first and to defend Sint Maarten against all attempts to erode our Sovereignty, all of us will have to portray to the international community an unbroken oneness whether we are Africans in the Diaspora, Europeans or whatever ethnicity one lays claim to, all of us will have to be a true Sint Maartener”
“True power is the ability to transcend force by persuading the people of a society both common and elite to work in tandem with the leader in pursuit of common goals and interests”
The world has now moved into a phase called globalization, on a scale undreamt of by the masses sixty years ago although visionaries foresaw this future, it is still awe-inspiring and marvelous in the sheer scope of its endless possibilities.
Space travel is common even space tourism is a reality today; Nanotechnology has changed the scope of technological advances forever.
The internet is a massive globalizing tool it has given most of the world’s population and I particular vast swaths of the so-called Third World an equalizing tool of leverage.
Even today on Sint Maarten we have this wonderful technology which affords virtually every household an opportunity to increase their quality of life overnight.
That many are not aware of the actual scope of the awesome power in their living rooms is due sadly to lack of education, while many purchase the technology for their children.
This will soon change the world of today is digitized and interactive as the world becomes more digital, everyone will have to participate willingly or unwillingly.
The need for certain types of labor will be rendered obsolete in the not to distant future, persons who are not technology savvy will simply not be able to function optimally in this new world.
All jobs will require a certain amount of technical know how we are moving increasingly into a more knowledge-intensive economy.
The knowledge economy is one in which people will become increasingly technology conscious, education will be geared more towards developing a workforce that is integrated and self-regulating, collectivism will be increasingly the norm.
Sint Maarten will have to adjust to this new world in all fields of human endeavor.
Since Sint Maarten will not be able to mass produce technology all small economies will begin to select their brightest students and finance their studies in technology-intensive fields bringing them back home will not be a question it will be a fact of life without their expertise no economy will function.
As we all know the world’s economy is interconnected and interdependent . This will increasingly become a fact of life. The International Standards Organization ISO, is already implementing a policy globally that will ensure products developed anywhere in the world will all be priced exactly the same .
This will ensure a truly level playing field, the policy is already being carried out a quick look at the back of most appliances, especially those coming out of Asia will reveal the ISO seal of approval.
National sovereignty of most nations will be increasingly eroded, where does such developments leave islands in the Caribbean region; it leaves them at the mercy of much larger economies.
The Caribbean region will in fact have to form blocks purely out of a common need for survival the regional entity known as Caricom will gain real relevance purely out of a common regional realization, that unity in the global market translates to strength.
The isolationist game that the so-called Netherlands Antilles played is an Achilles heel in this 21st-century global society.
Snubbing our Caribbean brothers and depending solely on tourism and European aid will not sustain the island any longer. As the ambitions of the population changes to reflect global trends. Funds from a variety of sources will ensue, soon Sint Maarten will learn that one can ill afford not to join with the rest of the Caribbean, as European political interests will cater more to Europe, leaving the island to fend for itself.
Given our present reality we would do well to begin to deal with facts and dispose of the idea that persons will continue to come to the region in the future in the numbers that they do today.
As was previously stated tourism globally is already taking on a diverse character China is developing its vast cultural resources to cater to Western tourists. India is also delving into cultural tourism, terrorism and financial crises are also changing the direction tourists will choose to go.
In a world where terrorism, is an all-encompassing very real threat, tourists will choose destinations where their safety can be guaranteed, of course this will never be one hundred percent.
The expertise that Italy and Greece have in dealing with a terrorist threat, surpasses the combined expertise of every Caribbean island in that area. The region is not prepared for a worst case scenario.
The coup in Trinidad by the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, should serve as a warning to all, that the region is not immune to such.
However, the opportunity for a regional prosperity is greater than ever before. I’m positively optimistic that the region will rise to the occasion and many of our Caribbean sister islands, will emerge as leaders in the region.
SHARDS OF MY SOUL.
This is not a poem these are shards of my soul a soul at once torn and complete two faces of good and evil melancholic yet joyful look with your soul eyes as the man bares his essence.
Love and innocence lost this is an ode to love to bonding to roses.
To the female flower her Tulip her Pomegranate, her Bejeweled Goblet, her feminine repose her waterfall her shower of beauty.
I seek for love like a thirsty man in a desert twice eluded once found, when found contained in a bosom jealously guarded.
It was exquisite not sensual never erotic it remained pure likened to that of a virgin.
An untouched unspoilt virgin she shone brightly in my mind’s eye.
I reached to touch the vision she vanished, I cried out in anguish as if I were a child again and my mother left me I winsomely sought the unspoilt virgin but she was not her captors took her, she was deceived with trinkets and fake gold.
One her captors is called slavery, the other is mammon the other is called whoredoms, next is vice, followed by Neo-Colonialism, racism fathered them all, their mother western imperialism and their father birthed a child called tourism, this child brought with it great wealth and illusions of grandeur.
Riding with the child called tourism was death, with tourism came death and destruction.
The children ceased to be productive, they became cannibals and began to eat the flesh of their offspring.
The children were sacrificed on the altar of greed to Moloch god of poverty.
What a paradox such a dichotomy the children were sacrificed for wealth but their betrayers yet remain poor poverty of the soul the worst kind that afflicts mankind the betrayers of the children cannot think for themselves they are to dumb to even run their own house .
Some of the children escaped the demon called Moloch, the old man called them the “Joshua Generation”.
He said these escaped children would one day free the others who are mentally dead their spirits are strong and their souls want to be free.
He said there is an enemy within not on the outside he cautioned the Sheppard Boy to look for the enemy within he it is who will bring about destruction.
I said how will I know him and what is he called , he intoned look in the water I gazed at my own reflection beneath me, he said the image that you see is your enemy defeat him and all his weaknesses and you will be free.
I laughed old man how can I defeat my self? He retorted all that is wicked all that is bad in your own heart destroy it and then you will know why I appear in your dreams.
He said the whore who sacrificed her own babies, another is holding her basket.
The old man laughed at the fools he said the Brahmin is controlling the greedy old whore he has the money that she wants, he laughed ha, ha, ha, he chortled mockingly as he jeered at their utter stupidity.
Hes said the colonial masters are not the masters anymore the Brahmin have the purse strings in his hand.
The old man was black he stood upright, tall and willowy his beard was white, I said who are you, he said Iam the spirit of prophecy Iam called a prophet.
I said what about the children with power and force in his voice he said “You shall live and not die” I asked about the once unspoilt queen, now an old whore I asked of her place and her whereabouts I pondered and I sought to know her name in the vision of enrapturing beauty the unspoilt queen, stood tall and proud the vision that I so covetously sought was no more it all vanished like a cloud and in her place was an old bedraggled colonized whore the old man in the vision said this former queen now whore’ name is miss Sint Maarten .
“ Her children are scattered to the four winds sacrificed on the altar of greed and he lamented the lost of innocence, as for me I only wanted the pleasure of knowing the virgin not the pain that came with the realization of her true nature.
This is the essence of mankind love and innocence, pain, pleasure and redemption and at the apex of all things the whirlwind the summation of life will.
Sint Maarten awaits her whirlwind will she reap what she has sown? The old man replied only time will tell.
The true desire of the conscious and enlightened Sint Maartener an Independent Sint Maarten. (Qualichie/Soualiga=Land of Salt.) Ancient Arawak name given to the island by its indigenous inhabitants.
This symbol which is portrayed on the front cover of this book is again reproduced here and the symbology deciphered.
The white bird is a national symbol of the island namely the Brown Pelican a relic of the time of the great salt ponds this creature is endangered today by the pollution of its natural habitat.
The man with the sword represents the African sons of Sint Maarten, the man standing next to him is an Arawak his robe is purple symbolizing kingship the Arawak was an indigenous inhabitant preceding the African as an inhabitant of Sint Maarten. Although many Africans brought to the islands were in fact royalty this illustration portrays the African and the birth of his freedom on Sint Maarten the Genesis of a new era.
The Independence flag flies proudly above their heads the African woman at the left of the illustration depicts the female mother of the island and the male child represents the shared hope of both parents for a male heir who can procreate and carry on the legacy of independence and peace that they have established .
The female child is representative of the ability of the female to birth new life and ideas into a culture the Arawak mother proudly bares her progeny in her arms. The two families are symbolic of indigenous peoples and our ability to create new symbols and our adaptive nature in adapting even slave symbols and making them a positive mark of identification in the recording of our shared history.
Alkebulan the continent misnomered Africa shows the origin of all humanity and is the place from whence the Black man claims his descent.
Will be continued.
Soualiga Youth 