BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - An official of one of the United Nations agencies has expressed concern about the dearth of social data in the Caribbean region.
UNICEF’s Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Khin-Sandi Lwin, made the point yesterday morning while addressing those gathered for the opening of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Data Analysis Workshop in the conference room of the Baobab Towers.
Barbados
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Barbados continues to bank on its people as its most valuable resource – a position that is reinforced by the heavy investment made by the State in the areas of education and health care. It is a natural synergy; after all, why invest millions in equipping a workforce with skills that are unable to be optimally implemented due to low productivity stemming from ill health? And of course, with health care being largely State-funded, the more that can be done to reduce avoidable illnesses, the better.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - A systematic process must be put in place to ensure that there is continuous learning regarding the hazards that can affect Barbados and clear plans and appropriate actions must be outlined before disasters occur, through an effective mitigation strategy, so as to reduce the scale or severity of impacts.
This was the point made by Nicole Greenidge of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), while addressing participants gathered at a recent National Hazard Mitigation Workshop organised in Barbados by the DEM.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The range and quantity of the programmes available for training with respect to disasters are too limited.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government will soon discuss legislation allowing for the seizure of the ill-gotten gains from criminal activity through civil procedures, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, has said. Brathwaite said over the last two years, Bridgetown has been working with the United States embassy here to champion the effectiveness of a civil asset recovery regime. “It is my hope that within the next week we can take the proposal to Cabinet.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Prime Minister Freundel Stuart of Barbados has taken over the chairmanship of the Regional Security System (RSS). He was selected to head the regional body at its just concluded meeting in St. John’s, Antigua. Mr. Stuart replaces Errol Cort, the National Security Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
Coming out of that meeting, the new Chairman has re-emphasised this country’s commitment to the grouping that comprises the member states of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts, Grenada and Barbados.
warning BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Caribbean countries, including Barbados, they face an uphill battle fighting the debt crisis that has them in a stranglehold.
An IMF paper released yesterday, titled Caribbean Small States_ Challenges of High Debt And Low Growth, said the average debt as a percentage of GDP for the region now hovered around 79 per cent with some individual nations’ ratios over 100 per cent and the global financial crisis had worsened the debt crisis.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Discussions surrounding movement of goods, services and of people throughout CARICOM should be at the forefront of a lecture tonight at the Grand Salle, Frank Collymore Hall. The lecture begins a series of events over the next few days to mark the inaugural National Services Week. Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, Robert “Bobby” Morris and International Business Minister, Donville Inniss, will be among the headline speakers.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - UNITED STATES President Barack Obama scored a diplomatic coup last week on his whirlwind trip to the Middle East. At first there was much speculation that the tour would merely be a widow-dressing exercise, especially among the Palestinians.
However, there is now some scope for progress though somewhat tangentially. First there was the belated apology that came from Israel for the 2010 commando raid on an aid flotilla on a Turkish vessel carrying supplies to Palestine. This shows that diplomacy works but often requires patience.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The development of this country as an international financial centre carried through during the first Tom Adams administration in the 1970s and was part of a major restructuring of a critical area of the Barbados economy. That sector was important then and it is important now!