Positivity
It is important we remember to assist one another.
Growth and development is important.
Tyron Jolly of Salisbury shot and killed
Police has identified twenty one year old male Tyron ‘Pimpin’ Jolly of Salisbury as the victim of a shooting that took place in the early hours of Monday morning in that community.
According to the police, his body was found lying in a pool of blood at his home.
Some reports suggest his body was found sometime after 7AM on Monday morning.
Details are mostly sketchy.
Parliamentary Representative for the Salisbury Constituency, Hector John says the situation is unfortunate and the community must stand together to fight crime.
Further details will be made by News Fresh Out when it becomes available.
If you have any information regarding the situation, feel free to contact News Fresh Out via email: newsfreshout@gmail.com
Youth encouraged to embrace agriculture
Assistant Chief Youth Development Officer, Gregory ‘Karessah’ Riviere is encouraging young people to use agriculture as a means to eradicating hunger.
He addressed an audience of mostly 4-H Club members from across Dominica at a World Food Day observance on Friday at Newtown Primary School. The theme for the year 2018 is ‘Our actions are our future. A zero hunger world is possible by 2030’.
The event was organized by Junior Achievement Dominica (JA Dominica), Youth Development Division’s 4-H program and the Ministry of Agriculture’s World Food Day Committee.
It also included the launch of its agriculture based ‘Grow Project’ aimed at involving students in agriculture and an exhibition featuring various agricultural produce.
Riviere said some statistics show eight hundred and forty two million people or about twelve percent of the world’s population is suffering from hunger. He went on to say what is worse is that nine million people are dying every year due to hunger and mostly women are affected.
“We really have to try our best to eliminate hunger in our community”, he said.
Riviere advised the students of three ways they can play part to eradicate hunger.
One way was to grow more food than they are individually consuming. The other ways are to give thanks for being able to consume nutritious foods and share food with others.
The event also heard from Executive Director of Junior Achievement Dominica, Rhanda Alexander-Alfred and Coordinator of the Youth Development Division’s 4-H Program, Shirley Alexander.
Stay positive
There is a need to be and stay positive despite what life has in store. God is good. More chapters are and will be opening.
Tests come in life to teach us to improve.
UWI to Offer Graduate Courses In Disaster Risk Management
Kingston, Jamaica – As the Caribbean enters the official 2018 hurricane season, the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre of the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) at the University of the West Indies is set to pilot the first of two courses as part of a new online Disaster Risk Management graduate programme.
Targeting the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) community, this will be the first in a series of such offerings to equip the practitioners and policymakers across the Caribbean with the skills required to help make the region more adequately prepared for and resilient to disasters.
The initial Community-based Disaster Resilience pilot was held from June 12 – 15, 2018 in Barbados while the Communications for Disaster Risk Management offering will be piloted in Jamaica July 2-3, 2018.
Director of the UWI’s Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC) Dr Barbara Carby explains that this initiative is a direct response to the pressing need for more effective and timely percolation of existing knowledge to those who can make a real difference in creating a safer and more resilient Caribbean.
“Globally, the problem has been that despite the mountain of accumulated knowledge, losses as a result of natural disasters have continued to mount.”, she said. One possible reason, she admits is the lack of a functional flow of information between the creators of new insights within the scientific community and those who create and implement public DRM policy. “The fact that scientists are producing facts, data information, knowledge… does not mean that this is driven by policy or development needs. We might be producing something quite esoteric, which is great for theoretical knowledge, but in practical terms, nobody else really has an interest in it… so increasingly we must ensure that the research we do solves real problems.
It was this clear gap that gave rise to the ‘Enhancing Knowledge and Application of Comprehensive Disaster Management (EKACDM) Initiative, a five-year project funded by Global Affairs Canada, and housed at the ISD. It is essentially a knowledge management project in which aims to facilitate the direct application of knowledge to improving DRM policy and practice.
Dr Carby who is also Co-Principal Investigator of the EKACDM Initiative argues that apart from creating new and more directly relevant knowledge, success depends on a participatory and multi-disciplinary approach. “What we need to do is create champions who will take the responsibility of translating that science to all the critical stakeholders to better secure the future of the region by making is more resilient to hazards, and ultimately minimizing the impact of natural disasters.”
One key function of the EKACDM Initiative is to support the implementation of the regional Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Framework 2014-2024 of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) by helping to train key personnel in the public and private sectors, and civil society groups.
Fifty (50) participants from across the region have been invited to participate in the review of the courses through the piloting exercise.
Business Insight: Vision
By Monrowe Toussaint
The art of the long view in a business perspective. This is an ability that only few has comprehensively understood and capture the realization of the appalling level of commitment and discipline it entails. It is a process if planned and implemented properly a company can realize tremendous growth and It is not only profitability that is realized, but it will build a great company, a fantastic asset and it will also build lasting values. THIS IS THE APPRECIATION AND REALIZATION OF THE LONG VIEW IN A BUSINESS PROSPECTIVE.
Contact the author:
Email: monrowe.toussaint@gmail.com
Tel: 17672253202
Caribbean Fisheries Ministers to hold 12th Meeting
Press Release
Caribbean Fisheries Ministers from Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are expected to consider management plans for two vital fisheries, a protocol on small-scale fisheries and a policy on gender equality mainstreaming at their 12th Meeting, scheduled for Friday, 18 May 2018 in Montserrat.
At the upcoming meeting, Hon. David Osborne, Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Lands, Housing and the Environment in Montserrat, will assume chairmanship of the CRFM Ministerial Council from Hon. Noel Holder, Minister of Agriculture in Guyana.
High on the agenda are two fisheries management plans that the Ministers will be asked to approve: the Sub-Regional Fisheries Management Plan for Blackfin Tuna and the management plan for fisheries conducted using fish aggregating devices (FAD), which is a growing fishery in the region.
The Ministers will also consider a protocol developed under the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (CCCFP) to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries. The main objectives of the protocol are to enhance food security, improve the socioeconomic situation of fishworkers, and achieve sustainable use of fishery resources, through the promotion of a human-rights based approach.
In addition, the Ministers will discuss a regional policy aimed at mainstreaming gender equality in fisheries development, and management policies and programmes in CRFM Member States.
Milton Haughton, the Executive Director of the CRFM, said, “The focus of this Ministerial Council meeting is on building resilience and equity in the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Ministers will, therefore, discuss and decide on a number of policy instruments designed to strengthen management and conservation of key fisheries and their ecosystems, and enhance governance through equity and equality, inclusiveness, and participatory planning and decision-making processes.”
The Ministerial Council will also consider a proposal to collaborate with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), to look at ways in which the region can access international support and funding to reduce ghost fishing in Caribbean waters. Ghost fishing becomes a concern when gears continue to fish after getting lost during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
At Friday’s meeting, the Council will review progress made in implementing its earlier decisions, as well as the overall status and trends in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Advancements in fisheries research and development, the sustainable use and management of fisheries resources, aquaculture development, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in fisheries, as well as capacity building and institutional strengthening will also be discussed.
The 12th Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council will serve to advance recommendations coming out of last month’s meeting of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, the technical and advisory arm of the CRFM.
Dominica Library and Information Services observes Library Week
The Dominica Library and Information Service (DLIS) is observing Library Week 2018 from May 14 to 18 under the theme, ‘Notwithstanding, We Continue to Serve.’
As Dominica recovers from the impact of Hurricane Maria the focus is on the essential role of libraries in the rebuilding effort, the role of libraries as safe spaces for vulnerable groups and the response of the DLIS to support the information needs of citizens post disaster.
Major activities include informative sessions using online magazines and other e-resources, an online exhibition of the DLIS journey post Hurricane Maria, recognition of donors and Disaster Preparedness Day to be observed on Thursday May 17, 2018.
Due to the passage of Hurricane Maria the Library Service lost over twenty five thousand volumes of books and ninety-five per cent of its furniture and equipment. All service points of the DLIS were impacted with the Roseau Public Library and the Portsmouth Library sustaining extensive damages to physical structure. The roof of the Documentation Centre building that housed the National Archives sustained flood damage and a number of records sustained water damage.
Since then the DLIS has resumed services at the National Documentation Centre, National Archives Unit, the Portsmouth Library at Portsmouth Secondary School, the Roseau Public Library at the Documentation Centre Building providing reference, Internet, computer, and homework assistance and circulation of books to the general public, the Portsmouth Mobile Library on Bay Street, the Grand Bay Public Library at the Grand Bay Community Center and the Marigot Library located upstairs the village pharmacy.
The DLIS has also conducted an Art Therapy Workshop, sessions on Information Skills for Grade 6 students, a CARBICA Post Hurricane Consultancy & Workshop and provided technical assistance to school libraries.
Other new services launched by the DLIS in the past year include a new barcode-readable Membership Card, personal online accounts that contain reader history and the ability to reserve books and update accounts and access to E-Resources, online magazines and databases.
In the upcoming months the DLIS hopes to complete rehabilitation of the Portsmouth Library and re-establish sustainable services, reintroduce internet and computer services at the Marigot and Grand Bay branches, advance efforts to build a safer, modern and resilient Public Library in Roseau, continue the archival collection digitization project, enhance service provision to support students’ research needs through E-library platforms and enhance capacity of staff through training and specialization.
The Library Service wishes to thank the organizations and groups that supported its operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The Getty Foundation donated $55, 000.00 and the Belize Development Corporation $23,983.93 towards restoration of Portsmouth Library, the Noble Caledonia Charitable Trust donated $60, 376.50, the Joshua-Jelly-Schapiro & Friends, $1, 162.10 and the Friends of Jamaica, $3, 000.00. The DLIS also received a grant of $6, 460.14 from the Caribbean Association of Archives (CARBICA) for placement of UV protected glass windows at the National Archives Unit, $24, 605.56 worth of equipment and materials from the American Embassy, Barbados to support the American Corner, replacement of the Consolidated Index Stock by the UWI Cave Hill Campus, 1000 books from Mr Peter Dick and Friends of the United Kingdom and 2,131 from Book Aid International. An additional 1374 books were received through Private and Organisation donations and friends of the DLIS.
OECS to observe first-ever regional climate change day
Press Release
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will, on Tuesday 15th May, observe the region’s first-ever Climate Change Day.
This observance has its origins in the growing recognition of the impacts that climate change is having, and will continue to have, on OECS Member States, as well as in a partnership recently established between the OECS Commission and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This partnership focuses on raising awareness of climate change issues, in general, and international climate change issues, in particular.
This first OECS Climate Change Day will place emphasis on the school populations in participating Member States as today’s youth will someday assume lead responsibility for addressing the challenges posed by climate change and, even now, can play an important role in educating their parents and peers.
Activities planned for the Day include ministerial addresses, radio interviews, press releases, school visits and workshops.
For its part, the OECS Commission will provide coverage of CC Day, along with relevant content, on its website via the following link. The Commission will run daily online quizzes from now until Tuesday 15th.
These quizzes may be accessed both on the above page and on the Commission’s Facebook page.
Photographs, video clips and other content provided by Member States will be uploaded to the aforementioned web page.
Insurance Payment Delays Hampering Rehabilitation Efforts of Tourism Industry
Press Release
Hoteliers and other key stakeholders in the tourism industry have expressed frustration with insurance companies over delayed payments. The lag, the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA) says, “is preventing many hotels from moving forward with reconstruction and restoration.”
The tourism industry contributes to nearly 35 percent of Dominica’s gross domestic product (GDP) and serves as a major source of employment for residents. In 2016, the World Travel and Tourism Council noted that three out of every 10 workers are employed within the tourism industry.
After Maria struck in September 2017, the sector took a hit for the worst. A post disaster needs assessment revealed that of the estimated US $930.9 million in damages, 19 percent of losses were sustained in the tourism sector. Before Maria, the Discover Dominica Authority had on record 73 properties or 909 export ready guest rooms available. As of October 2017, 32 properties, that is 51 percent of the total room stock or 467 guest rooms, have been assessed as moderately damaged but are able to operate.
To continue operations, hoteliers admit that they are depending on insurance payouts for the cash injection needed to commence or complete rehabilitation works.
“The lengthy delay in the insurance settlement process is not only frustrating and stressful, but, expensive and debilitating.” Remarked one Hotelier. “Everyday that our buildings are left uncovered, causes even more deterioration. We are 1-month shy of the beginning of another hurricane season, and our property is even more vulnerable today than ever before. With this lack of urgency from our insurer may cost us our business, which then impacts the economy, less VAT collection, no capital tax collection, less employment, therefore less inputs into social security and an overall decline in economic activity. it is a no win situation for our beloved Nature Isle…”.
A recent survey conducted by the DHTA of 20 properties – representing 276 exportable rooms or 30 percent of the pre-Maria room stock, revealed that an alarming “75 percent of claims have not been paid out.”
According to the DHTA President, this coupled with the closing of the VAT/Duty concessionary period which was introduced after the disaster, we are seriously concerned about our members’ and stakeholders’ ability to bounce back and fulfil the mandate of becoming the first climate resilient country in the world.”
Given the importance of tourism, the association believes that “delayed insurance payments are detrimental to the industry and country. We see hotels, restaurants, dive and tour operators scale back their operations to barebones while they wait for settlements… that will frustrate anyone”
Mr. Kevin A Francis, Executive Vice President remarked that the DHTA has sat down with insurance providers and brokers to understand the issue at hand. “We have had a few meetings with the insurance industry to understand the challenges that the insurers themselves are facing as there is always two sides to a coin. Some of the information coming out of these meetings were eye opening for both sides of the issue and we are now working closely to ensure that payments are received.”
The DHTA has also teamed up with their Gold Level Corporate Partners; CGM Gallagher Insurance Brokers to help in this regard. “CGM, our Gold level corporate partner, is working with the association and the members to help mitigate some of this frustration with the insurance industry. They are assisting members in claim settlement, capacity building in understanding insurance procedures, appeals for advance payment etc. The DHTA continues to push our member issues and show value to the membership.”
The DHTA will soon begin its staple seminar series; ACTalks, that focuses on member interaction and information series, as members seek to make some sense out of this bad situation.