News

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC - President Donald Ramotar has called on the opposition to meet his government half way in dialogue to take Guyana forward. In his New Year’s Day message, the head of state urged the collective opposition to reconsider its positions and recommit itself to the betterment of the country and the lives of the citizens of Guyana. In a message to the nation Ramotar said he had hoped that the new configuration in Parliament would have led to more cooperation.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - IT IS the considered position of this newspaper that much of the public discussion about Jamaica's negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is misdirected, of limited value, and does little to advance an understanding of the issues facing the island's economy and how to make things better. Essentially, what we have engaged in is keeping time on when, or when not, the agreement may be signed, without a deep exploration of the consequences, if any, of failure to meet the deadline. So, there is an a priori assumption that the proposed agreement is good.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The first year of this new People's National Party (PNP) administration has been a mixed bag. Among the things under its control, there (have) been spectacular lows, but no spectacular highs. There have been promises kept and pledges broken. There has been talk on specific issues but no commensurate action and, as the world knows by now, there's been, as yet, no agreement on a new economic programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has acknowledged the reality of harsh conditions that may accompany an International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement expected to be finalised during this New Year.

On the eve of the third anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010, the country remains in a fragile state. Billions of dollars in aid and lofty promises to “build back better” have brought it only so far. A recent article by Deborah Sontag of The Times showed, in disheartening detail, the distance between hope and reality.

President Michel Martelly on Tuesday declared 2013 as Haiti's Year of Environment and called on citizens to join government efforts to preserve the country's ecosystem. Speaking at a ceremony in northern Haiti to commemorate the 209th anniversary of Haitian Independence, Martelly also urged every Haitian to plant a tree this year. Haiti is currently in an "ecological catastrophe," according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which warned that between 25 and 30 drainage basins in the country are "severely degraded."

WASHINGTON, CMC – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) working paper says since growth in the current global economic environment is “virtually nonexistent,” significant fiscal consolidation is inevitable in the region.
The paper, dubbed “The Challenges of Fiscal Consolidation and Debt Reduction in the Caribbean,” examines debt dynamics in the Caribbean and discusses policy options for reducing the high debt levels.
Based on empirical studies of factors underlying global large debt reduction episodes, the paper says “important policy lessons” are drawn for the Caribbean.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkey, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     Monday 26 November continued the unveiling of the prodigious array skills and talents that reside within the walls of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Georgetown.
The occasion was the opening of the CARICOM Staff Talent Celebration 2012; an activity which has formed a main part of the Secretariat’s calendar. This year, it is both poignant and symbolic, marking a decade-old event and dedicated to CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     More than 9, 000 young people logged on to new media platforms on Thursday afternoon, to participate in a two hour social media interaction with the CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

Dubbed Live with SG and hosted by the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, the live social media interaction facilitated by Dominican based COMESEE TV in partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat was hailed a resounding success by young people - and adults too - across the Region.

On October 30-31, the 2nd CARIFORUM International Financial Services Conference took place in Antigua and Barbuda at the Sandals Grande Resort.  The two-day conference examined the emerging framework of governance of international finance and new non tax business models to guide the future of Caribbean financial centres in an