2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opened in Apia, Samoa.

under the theme: ‘One Resilient Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.
His Majesty The King’s Opening Speech for CHOGM 2024

25 October 2024

Secretary-General, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since this is the first occasion on which I find myself attending this gathering of our “Family of Nations,” as Head of the Commonwealth, it gives my wife and myself enormous pleasure and pride to be with you for this twenty seventh Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. I would particularly like to thank the Government and people of Samoa for your warm-hearted hospitality, and for showing us all the ‘Island Way’, which I recall so fondly ever since I first visited the Pacific region almost six decades ago.

The Commonwealth mattered a great deal to my dear mother, The late Queen. Her commitment to you all, as that of my grandfather, King George VI, before her, is one which has helped to shape my own life for as long as I can remember. Since my first visit to Malta, aged just five in 1954, I have travelled to almost every corner of the Commonwealth. I have met remarkable people in every conceivable walk of life, and learned a great deal from so many proud cultures and traditions.

All of this has given me an unshakeable faith in the special nature of our Commonwealth and the extraordinary value it holds. This is a family – or aiga as our Samoan hosts would say – of countries, of organizations and of people. All nations are equal in this unique and voluntary association.

This year, as you all know, is the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Commonwealth – and, incidentally, shortly to be my seventy-sixth! – and throughout that time we have committed ourselves to developing free and democratic societies and promoting peace and prosperity for all. This endeavour underpins how we understand and tackle contemporary and emerging challenges – rooted in our shared belief in the rule of law and an international order where every nation has a voice.Together, we represent a third of humanity, with all the splendidly diverse complexity that this entails. And yet we know and understand each other, such that we can discuss the most challenging issues with openness and respect.

At a time of heightened global tensions, of horrifying conflict and challenges of the greatest magnitude, it seems to me that these connections between us are more precious than ever. Together we are wiser, stronger and more able to respond to the demands of our time.

That said, our cohesion requires that we acknowledge where we have come from. I understand, from listening to people across the Commonwealth, how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate.

It is vital, therefore, that we understand our history –to guide us to make the right choices in the future. Where inequalities exist, for example, in access to opportunity; to education; to skills training; to employment; to health; and to a planet in whose climate our human race can both survive and thrive, we must find the right ways, and the right language, to address them. As we look around the world and consider its many deeply concerning challenges, let us choose within our Commonwealth family the language of community and respect, and reject the language of division. None of us can change the past. But we can commit, with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure. Nothing, it seems to me, would do so more decisively than to champion the principle that our Commonwealth is one of genuine opportunity for all. This principle has guided so much that I have sought to do throughout my life. In the United Kingdom and around the Commonwealth, I have tried, in whatever way I can, to foster opportunity – particularly for young people and for those whose voices might not otherwise be heard. That is why, when we met in Malta nearly a decade ago, I asked the then Prince’s Trust, now The King’s Trust – which is shortly to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary – to expand its work internationally and across the Commonwealth. I am delighted that The King’s Trust International will next year be celebrating its tenth birthday and that, with local partners, its important work has already reached over 100,000 young people in this time.

In this spirit, and following conversations with the many leaders of island states gathered here, I asked the Association of Commonwealth Universities and its numerous members to consider the vital issue of access to education. I am delighted therefore by the offer to launch a new Commonwealth Fellowship Programme for students from the small island states to build skills that will underpin a resilient future – such as in nursing, teaching, engineering and the green transition.

A further urgent challenge – and one that conditions all other challenges, as I have done my best to emphasize for many years, is the existential threat of climate change. I have spoken with many of you in the recent past, and I now find that climate change is raised as a primary concern, again and again. We are well past believing it is a problem for the future, since it is already, already undermining the development gains we have long fought for. This year alone, we have seen terrifying storms in the Caribbean, devastating flooding in East Africa and catastrophic wildfires in Canada. Lives, livelihoods and human rights are at risk across the Commonwealth.

I can only offer every encouragement for action, with unequivocal determination, to arrest rising temperatures by cutting emissions, building resilience as far as possible to both the current and forecast impacts of climate change, and conserving and restoring Nature both on land and in the sea. If we do not, then inequalities across the Commonwealth, and beyond, will only be exacerbated with the potential to fuel division and conflict.

Over many years it has become clear to me that public finance, while crucial, will never be sufficient on its own to tackle all of this – let alone achieve any of the United Nations Development Goals – especially in the timeframes required. The Commonwealth, therefore, has an opportunity to work together with the private sector and civil society to unlock private sector capital for this mission and, in so doing, promote trade and investment, and opportunities for young people.

I was encouraged to hear yesterday from leading members of the private sector that they recognized their ability and, indeed, their responsibility to aid and invest in climate transition, in resilience and in Nature restoration. I do hope that in your conversations you are able to answer some of the key questions to achieve this aim – from how to address barriers to investment; to agreeing upon routes to use public finance to encourage private investment; and, crucially, how public-private-civil society partnerships can be forged so that such arrangements are fair and transparent for all. If, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commonwealth can succeed with this endeavour, then it will be an indispensable example to the rest of the world.

Together, we can expand opportunities across this family of nations to build shared prosperity and truly resilient economies – while also meeting growing challenges such as disinformation and extremism, and ensuring that the untold potential of technology, including Artificial Intelligence and social media, works for our societies, not against them. We can surely try to invest in as many as possible of the one-and-a-half billion people under the age of thirty in the Commonwealth to ensure they have the right personal development. This means skills, opportunities and entrepreneurial drive, as well as the ability to thrive and prosper in this changing world while being shielded from the negative aspects of technologies.

I know from speaking to many of you in recent months, and from all that I have heard from around the Commonwealth, that these are among the issues that matter most to you and your people. I am pleased that they resonate strongly with the themes that Samoa has chosen for this C.H.O.G.M. I can only hope, over the days ahead, that you will make meaningful progress on these matters. In so doing, I trust you will take inspiration from the ‘Pacific Way’ – working with respect, compassion and compromise as your guides.

Ladies and Gentlemen, few of our forebears could have imagined the Commonwealth of today. Our free association of proudly independent nations, alive with opportunity, stands in proud defiance of the discrimination of the past. We have not reached this point by accident; shared vision and collective courage have been our lodestar. As we set a course for the century ahead, we can renew our courage with our faith in one another.

For my part, I can assure you today that for however many years God grants me, I will join you and the people of the Commonwealth on every step of this journey. Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us be proud of who we are today. And together, let us forge a future of harmony with Nature, and between ourselves, that our children and our grandchildren deserve.

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Marlborough House

While members may share a history or a language, the area of commonality that truly binds the Commonwealth is its shared values and principles launched in 1971.

Commonwealth commitments to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, were ultimately enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, signed by Queen Elizabeth II in Marlborough House, on Commonwealth Day, 11th March, 2013. Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma of India described the Charter as a defining document for an inclusive and accountable Commonwealth, stating “We are now better placed to respond to the needs of our citizens”.

Marlborough House, surrounded by glorious gardens in an idyllic haven of tranquillity, is a busy working hub and a centre for decision-making and consensus-building. A broad range of meetings and activities occurs week by week within its sumptuous spaces. Officials and delegates participating and Commonwealth staff working alongside them, are a constantly changing kaleidoscope of global diversity, drawn from member nations in every continent and ocean. Combining in unity of purpose under the Commonwealth Charter, they make many positive impacts in the lives of the 2.4 billion Commonwealth citizens.

The Commonwealth provides technical support to governments and decision-makers to help deliver policies, strategies and draw up legislation to achieve national goals and provides systems, software and research for managing resources. By expressing so vividly and in such practical ways achievements through goodwill and international connection, nourished by a spirit of respect and understanding, the Commonwealth shines as a beacon for multilateral collaboration with its convening power.

As the nucleus of an extensive portfolio of work programmes focusing on key thematic areas: (i) Governance and Peace; (ii) Trade, Oceans and Natural Resources; and (iii) Economic, Youth and Sustainable Development, Marlborough House provides an enchanting historic stage and setting for this continuing story of hope and harmony, inspiring cohesion to strengthen governance, build inclusive institutions and promote justice and human rights.

 

 

 

 

From Gold Coast to London

26 October 2024

Under the rotating system, it was Africa’s turn to occupy the imperial home of the Commonwealth of Nations. Heads of Government duly elected Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as the new Secretary-General at the Summit in Samoa, in the central South Pacific Ocean.

“Truly humbled by the overwhelming support of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in selecting me as the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. The work indeed lies ahead!”, said the holder of an Executive Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Laws Degree.

In Guyana in March, 2024, she lobbied leaders of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states. Her Dominica-born predecessor, Baroness Patricia Scotland said, “it is my honour to pass the baton to my dear sister, the Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General. She will be uniquely blessed, as I have been, to hold this office and serve our precious Commonwealth.”

The peer is among role models who flourish in British and Commonwealth politics and professions, seeking supremacy and control of levers of power, dissatisfied with equality. Their malevolent minority is emboldened by advance into the highest realms and will be empowered by the election of a lookalike in London.

Ms Botchwey received “some firm pledges including Guyana” and her priorities include boosting trade and investment by establishing a free trade area to improve levels of member states to the level of developed nations. Foreign direct investment, rather than aid, was the only means to transform developing nations.

Key to boosting trade would be air and maritime transport and education for an industrialisation programme for member states to add value to raw products. Her agenda would also focus on climate change and renewable energy.

Born in Guyana, Sir Shridath Ramphal GCMG (1928-2024) who died on 30 August was the longest-serving Secretary General 1975 – 1990 and an excellent role model of British Indian descent.

Entering the palatial citadel in the world-class, religious, administrative and diplomatic centre of the royal borough and city of Westminster in the heart of metropolitan London, the Akan/Ashanti diplomat can promote pragmatic solutions to deteriorating democratic governance.

Surpassing climate change are widespread, egregious criminality, armed gangs, drug peddlers, vicious VAW, brutal bullying, heinous homicides, nefarious nepotism, rabid racism, endemic corruption, continuous conflict, lawless larceny, fraud, theft, burglary, robbery, anarchy, profligate waste of public funds, abominable abuse of human rights, immoral rural impoverishment, vile environmental neglect, shocking sacrilege of heritage, degenerate population growth and descent into chaos and confusion.

The best and easiest solution to reparation is repatriation to reinforce refusal by Britain to yield to sovereign states where it funded development and promoted stability. Democratic domiciles of origin include Ghana, the largest gold producer in Africa, abounding in precious metals, industrial minerals, hydrocarbons and familiar agricultural products including cocoa and other valuable commodities.

 

 

Decoloniser in imperial Marlborough House

In a historic turn of events, Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, was appointed Secretary General of the Commonwealth, a decision solidified on the final day of the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa on October 25, 2024. Her ascent to this prominent role can be traced to her influential visit to Guyana, where she engaged in pivotal discussions with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders.

In March 2024, as a special guest at the Caricom Summit in Georgetown, she held bilateral and multilateral talks, successfully rallying support for her candidacy from independent states. This engagement showcased her commitment to regional collaboration and highlighted the importance of unity among Caricom members .

The support garnered in Guyana proved crucial as she navigated the competitive landscape for the Commonwealth Secretary-General position. Strong advocacy for reparations for colonialism resonated with leaders, positioning her as a candidate who could effectively champion their demands on an international stage.

Upon her appointment, Botchwey expressed gratitude and acknowledged the significant work that lies ahead. CHOGM underscored reparatory justice, which she passionately promoted, bolstered by the solidarity from her Caribbean counterparts. In the final communique, heads of government emphasised the necessity for “meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation” about the legacies of slavery, reflecting the growing momentum for reparations that she aims to harness during her tenure.

The UK is wisely reluctant to issue an official apology or offer direct reparations. New leadership offers a renewed opportunity for dialogue and reform within the Commonwealth. Botchwey’s journey from Samoa to London epitomises the power of regional support in elevating a candidate to a significant global role. As she embarks on this new chapter, her focus on equity, reparatory justice and climate resilience positions her as a transformative Commonwealth leader.

Familiarity with post-colonial corruption in a continent marred by hunger and disease – Marburg and monkeypox viruses, ebola, Lassa fever, haemorrhagic fever, HIV/AIDS and plague, while TB and dengue are scourges in Caricom- will guide her to prioritise urgent needs over political projects in middle income states blessed with ample food, tropical climate and celebrated landscape.

 

 

 

Commonwealth agreement raises reparations after row with UK

Communiqué urges dialogue on reparatory justice,  despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s insistence the issue would not be on the agenda. He claimed he had a “very positive two days” at the summit.

October 26, 2024,  MALUA, Samoa

Britain’s former colonies agreed “the time has come” for a conversation about reparatory justice for the slave trade, after a row dominated the biennial Commonwealth summit.

A communiqué from 55 Commonwealth nations, including the UK and many members of its former empire, said heads of government, “noting calls for discussions on reparatory justice with regard to the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement … agreed that the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity.”

The wording was agreed after sustained pressure from militant member states ruled by Caribbean diaspora and their continental kindred tribes, defying British advice that reparations were “not on the agenda” for the summit. The wording largely matches a draft leaked to the BBC, suggesting that racist aid-addicts won a tussle with the UK over the phrasing.

The final communiqué excluded a section of the leaked version pledging “to prioritize and facilitate further and additional research on the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel slavery”.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer optimistically insisted he had a “very positive two days” at the summit, where dominant themes were resilience and climate. Days before his government’s first budget, Starmer courageously confirmed: “None of the discussions have been about money, our position is very, very clear in relation to that.” The issue will be revisited when a Caricom delegation visits the U.K. next year.

However, a campaign promoting repatriation instead of reparation is gathering pace to preserve the West Indies for a cosmopolitan community of democrats and monarchists. Hijacking the summit, atavistic Caricom and African agitators ambushed King Charles and PM Starmer to discuss reparatory justice for colonisation while they preside over corruption, crime, conflict, drugs, neglect and abuse of public funds and human rights.

Despite his office initially insisting the issue was “not on the agenda” at the summit, it formed part of his statement to 55 fellow Commonwealth members. While saying “I understand the strength of feeling,” the prime minister continued to insist he wanted to be “looking forward, not back…to “move forward together on climate resilience, on education, on trade and on growth to better enable us to address the inequalities of today.”

Activist anarchists, who continue to profit profusely from bountiful benefits of world-class imperial, colonial and Commonwealth resources, raised the subject of reparatory justice in the sessions at which Starmer was present. His press conference ran over an hour late as deliberations continued over the wording of the summit communiqué.

However, steady Starmer told media: “The delay was not on paragraph 22 on reparations; that was locked down hours ago.”

Commonwealth leaders chose Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Botchwey as the new secretary-general in an opaque, behind-closed-doors retreat with no aides.

After slave-centre Ghana hosted a conference on reparations, Botchwey told Chatham House think tank “It had moved from financial reparations now to justice in terms of what do we get for climate? What do we get in terms of the development cooperation framework?”

Venal warriors amassed wealth from this lucrative trade after Homo sapiens evolved in Africa 500 millenia ago. Rich rogue rulers opposed abolition and the continent remains mired in war, misogyny, militancy, piracy, tyranny, fraud, lawlessness, conflict, corruption and daily oppression. Promoting themselves as major players on the international stage, dining with the King and other high-level heads of state, Caricom guerillas must focus on frailties of a neglected populace.The TT Prime Minister boasted that his tax-funded overseas visits to BP and Shell, delivered $17 billion to pay public servants and fund essential services.

However, shareholders in foreign companies pay taxes to the government, not officials breathing down the necks of investors in energy, generating prosperity. Government must divest loss-making state assets to create wealth for impoverished citizens. With such bounty, TT can cancel property tax to relieve financial burdens of the long-suffering public, as the private sector reels from kidnap, murder and other crimes.

Ghana is aware that Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett hailed the unilateral African Union declaration, designating the cosmopolitan Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as the 6th Region of Africa, at the second annual Africa-CARICOM Day on September 7, 2023, at University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica. Repatriation to African domiciles should therefore proceed to end the doomed bandwagon of colonial reparation.

 

 

 

Decolonisers demand £200 billion – £3.7 trillion for reparations

October 14th 2024

Trouble loomed for King Charles and PM Keir Starmer at the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa on October 21st as 15 Carcom states unanimously decided to extract an incredible £200 billion from the UK in compensation for colonisation.

Fomenting the West Indies extortion, one Prime Minister of a tiny island of 282,517 souls reliant on British tourism, told UNGA that colonial reparations should be part of a new ‘global reset’. Barbados bully, Mia Mottley, who removed the Queen as Head of State in 2021 and says the UK debt to the rum republic is £3.7 trillion met the King in London in advance of the Commonwealth summit. She praised the royal head of state for declaring that slavery is ‘a conversation whose time has come’, although Buckingham Palace declined to reveal the contents of their latest ‘private discussions’.

Jamaica pledged to ditch the monarchy by next year. Estimates of the reparations bill in 14 countries range from £206 billion to a staggering £19 trillion cited by UN judge Patrick Robinson.

In the wake of the UK transfer of the sovereignty of the Chagos islands to the republic of Mauritius, fears grow for the future of British control of other strategic territories including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

No 10 said as the CHOGM agenda had not yet been published, the issue was a matter of ‘speculation’. The Commonwealth Secretariat noted ‘Commonwealth heads discussed challenges and aspirations constructively’, and would use its collective power to ‘discuss matters of importance and significance to its members’.

The Church of England last year announced it was setting up a £100 million fund for reparation payments to recognize that it once profited from colonisation.  As Shadow Foreign Secretary, the controversial UK Foreign Secretary had said he would ‘take the responsibility of being the first Foreign Secretary descended from the slave trade incredibly seriously’, claiming his African ancestors were transported as slaves.

Calamity Lammy supported statue stunts and removal of memorials in an orgy of cancel culture by the minority Black Lives Matter, a racist political party seeking power to control the majority.

His Guyana community, driven by racial envy, offered no reparation for the 1964 massacre and rape of British Indians whose homes and businesses were looted and burnt, forcing them to migrate as refugees to USA, Canada and UK.  Afro-caribbean crew raped and killed indentured Indians on British ships. Uganda offered no reparations to British Indians ousted by an unpalatable despot in 1972.

Britain has already indemnified ex-subjects for colonisation through the Commonwealth, with power over their territories, costs of sacrilege of heritage in Britain and ex-colonies, treason, criminality , anti-Indian racism by lawless PAD, Windrush compensation, republican removal of the monarchy, royal appointment of a Belize composer, who sabotaged a patriotic hymn, as Master of the King’s Music and the rapid advance of ex-colonials. These wield power and influence in the British parliament, clergy, media, public services, sport, entertainment, fashion and education including world-class universities lowering high standards of culture. The militant, mutinous, mottley gang is dispensable and will soon be superfluous as the Commonwealth advances, funded by British taxes.

 

 

 

NO MEANS NO

2024, 10/26

TT Foreign Minister Senator Amery Browne and High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago to the UK, Vishnu Dhanpaul, accompanied Prime Minister Keith Rowley to meet Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, to discuss deepening partnerships in training and capacity building. They identified national security, digital transformation and public service reform as sectors for cooperation.

Rowley participated in the executive session at Parliament House and joined heads of delegations from Africa, Caricom, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific at the opening ceremony.

The theme for CHOGM 2024 marks the first time a Pacific Small Island Developing State (SID) hosted the Summit. Rowley is participating in the drive for reparations with Commonwealth iconoclasts. While Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned that the UK would not pay colonial reparations, rebel Browne continues to work strategically with dissenting fellow foreign ministers to navigate and thwart the challenges.

“The Prime Minister has been doing the same at a higher level, with ongoing discussions among the heads. Trinidad and Tobago is contributing robustly to this priority item on Caricom’s agenda and we shall eventually prevail, as our principles are clear and our cause is just. Prime Minister Rowley is one of the key leaders on this and other matters within the Commonwealth family.”

Addressing Commonwealth Foreign Ministers, Browne reiterated his stance that those seeking reparatory justice must expect resistance from systems that continue to benefit from the legacy of colonisation. Responding to advice that reparations were not on the UK CHOGM agenda. Browne reminded delegates that it was “their Commonwealth,” emphasising Caricom’s strong stance on reparations and asserting that there should be no room for imperial arrogance .

“The status quo always seeks to protect itself and ensure its continued existence. Members of Caricom are clear-eyed on the importance of advancing the reparations agenda at all appropriate fora. And where better than in the Commonwealth system, which shares common ties and a history significantly derived from that same legacy.”

All ex-colonies continue to benefit from the achievements of the British Empire, which pioneered progress with higher standards of living , health, education, prosperity, security, governance and transport., abounding in facilities, assets and resources for progress. As homicides mount, reparation should be sought from West African states who were enriched from trading captives and opposed abolition of that lucrative activity. Repatriation would allow descendants of those captives to restore identity and flourish among brethren.

 

 

 

 

Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education

October 7, 2024

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands

Integrating Technology, Culturally Relevant Curricula, Strong Communication Skills Necessary to Transform Caribbean Education

Integrating technology into teaching, making curricula culturally relevant, emphasising critical communication skills, assessing students for learning rather than certification and encouraging teacher adaptability are the bold strategies needed to revolutionise Caribbean education, according to Professor Joel Warrican, Director of the Caribbean Educational Research Centre.

In his address during the keynote session Indigenising and Decolonising Education for National and Regional Transformation, delivered during the Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education on Wednesday, October 3, 2024, Professor Warrican argued that the colonial legacy of “divide and conquer,” hierarchical school structures, Eurocentric curricula, and an overreliance on rote learning created a stratified society that has also stifled entrepreneurial mindset across the region. The University of the West Indies based educator remarked,

“If we didn’t have a problem, we wouldn’t be doing education as we do it today. We have children leaving school just wanting a job because our education system did not encourage entrepreneurial thinking,”

To achieve meaningful transformation in Caribbean education, Professor Warrican, who holds a Ph.D. in Education, Language, and Literacy, advised courageous leadership and creativity. He emphasised that mistrust of locally generated solutions remains a major barrier to progress, urging the region to move away from elitism and classism and adopt a unified, research-driven approach to policymaking for sustainable change.

“The worst thing to me is to see the insularity that in the Caribbean; that we all want to operate on our own; we all want to tick our own boxes, to say we have done this rather than coming together and working together. There is no reason why any single Caribbean country – and we are all talking the same language about transformation – shouldn’t be tackling education transformation as a group, region, not as a country.”

Professor Warrican encouraged stakeholders to embrace homegrown innovation that meets international standards and reduce dependence on donor-funded models. A long-term financial commitment will ensure sustainable transformation within the region’s education system.

The three-day Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education, hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission, and The University of the West Indies, marks the beginning of a month-long series of events aimed at advancing the education transformation agenda in the region.

Education in prosperous Trinidad & Tobago is marred by crumbling facilities, bullying and sexual offences even in Christian schools. CItizens are terrified by homicides and armed gangs controlling the streets and the authorities have lost control of security with a massive budget.

 

 

 

Overlooked: World Bank Report on equity and growth ignores Caribbean Realities

11 October 2024 Sir Ronald Sanders

On October 8, at a meeting at the World Bank I listened with growing disappointment to a presentation on “Taxing Wealth for Equity and Growth,” supposedly focused on Latin America and the Caribbean region. I was less disappointed about the lack of any attention on the Caribbean and the focus on Latin America.

With great unhappiness I have come to expect this distortion from all global financial institutions. It seems that the Caribbean is too small to matter, except when strictures have to be placed on initiatives for achieving social stability through financial measures. As the representative of a Caribbean government (Antigua and Barbuda) and as a regionalist, sensitive to the implications for every Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country on the situation of all others, I was more disturbed about the paucity of data presented about Caribbean countries and the lack of any analysis on the sub-region.

Neither the October 8 presentation nor the full report released on October 9 provided any reason for optimism that the World Bank is addressing the real challenges of promoting equity and growth in the Caribbean. The report, a precursor to discussions at the Bank’s upcoming annual meeting, focused solely on “Taxing Wealth for Equity and Growth” and ignored measures CARICOM states long advocated as essential to achieving these goals.

The report fails to mention critical measures, such as: adopting the multidimensional vulnerability index as a criterion for concessional financing—a proposal actively advocated by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and CARICOM at global forums but not yet fully integrated into global financial policies.

Additionally, debt relief, through mechanisms such as forgiveness and restructuring, remains a critical issue for the region. While some debt relief efforts, like the IMF Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) and the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), helped developing nations during crises, these programs primarily benefited low-income countries outside the region. Caribbean nations continue to struggle with high debt burdens and need more targeted solutions from international financial institutions.

The report also overlooks the urgent need for improved recovery windows for climate-related disasters. Despite irrefutable evidence of accelerating climate change, including projections that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5°C threshold within the next decade, financial responses for vulnerable Caribbean nations remain inadequate. Vulnerability to extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, makes the lack of focused attention on these issues especially concerning.

The report highlights two potential wealth tax sources. The first, championed by leaders of Brazil and France, proposes a 2% levy on the world’s 3,000 wealthiest billionaires. However, as of 2024, Latin America and the Caribbean together have only 153 billionaires, with Brazil alone accounting for 68, and Mexico for 20. CARICOM countries likely have very few billionaires—if any—with most wealth in the region concentrated in larger Latin American economies.

Carlos Slim of Mexico, with a fortune of $102 billion, and Eduardo Saverin of Brazil, with $28 billion, dominate the region’s billionaire rankings. A 2% tax on such a small number of individuals would barely generate significant revenue, especially for smaller Caribbean countries. In small nations like Antigua and Barbuda, where there may be dozens of millionaires, it is unlikely that any billionaires exist.

Moreover, as the report itself notes, taxing liquid assets is particularly challenging in countries with weak enforcement, where wealth can be easily moved offshore, a concern highlighted by the UNDP during its examination of wealth trends in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report then shifts its focus to taxing property, claiming that it is “a relatively fixed and easily identifiable asset” and thus less prone to evasion. While this may be true, the Bank’s statement reveals a disconnection from the historical, social, and cultural realities of Caribbean societies. A legacy of slavery, indentured labour and worker exploitation left the majority of people in the sub-region with little or no property, though owning “a piece of the rock” and a home remains a deeply ingrained aspiration. Since gaining independence, CARICOM governments have made it a priority to encourage land and home ownership. Increasing property taxes now would undermine this policy, potentially stripping many persons of the very properties they worked so hard to acquire.

The report notes that the low contribution of property taxes to total tax revenues in Latin America and the Caribbean (2%) stems from outdated and inaccurate property valuations, often far below market value. While this broad statement may not fully reflect the Caribbean’s reality, it does raise an important point: improving property valuations and tax collection systems should be examined across the region.

Alarmingly, the report asserts that the Latin American and Caribbean region is “close to vanquishing inflation” and that lower interest rates will ease stress on households and banking sectors, potentially spurring economic growth. While this may hold true for some Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Peru, it overlooks the unique causes of inflation in Caribbean nations. Most Caribbean inflation is imported from the region’s largest trading partner, the United States, where competitive, subsidized agricultural production contrasts sharply with the high costs of small-scale farming in the Caribbean, including rising input costs.

Furthermore, Caribbean countries, excluded from concessional financing from institutions like the World Bank, are forced to borrow on the international commercial market, where interest rates remain high. Although competition among banks and credit unions in the region has led to recent reductions in interest rates, government borrowing from local banks risks crowding out private sector investment.

The World Bank report is useful in acknowledging that “progress on poverty and inequality remains slow” in Latin America and the Caribbean. This growing issue lies at the heart of tensions both within and between states, particularly in smaller economies like those in the Caribbean, which are often overlooked in global financial discussions. It is something to which the Bank should formulate focussed solutions.

Aid-addict Caricom can unite on agriculture, the Single Market, maritime transport, security, land ownership, criminality and intercepting drugs and arms, while consuming massive aid from UN, USA, UK, EU and Canada, including costly disaster relief.

In May 2024 the Trinidad PM was a guest in Ghana for the 25th anniversary of the Ashanti King’s accession, when the tug Solo Creed, which abandoned the Gulfstream barge in Tobago, was in Angola. T&T asked Angola authorities to detain the vessel and its crew. T&T’s Energy Minister asked Commonwealth members Tanzania, and Nigeria for help . Predictably, the Africans did not assist diaspora and thus delayed the arrest of the barge for 6 months.

The PM said TT offered services to Ghana’s natural gas industry .…there’s a contract.. being signed…it was imperative that TT diversify from oil and gas… at which his visits to Ghana and India were aimed ..

Yet there is no news about TT energy services to Ghana and the India plan backfired.
The reality is that Caricom HoGs crashed their economies and should divest all assets, notorious for loss and damage, as in Petrotrin and other nationalised industries.

At the Indian Festival of Light, accompanied by Attorney General Reginald Armour, Ministers Rohan Sinanan, Randall Mitchell, Kazim Hosein and exonerated, errant Stuart Young, the wandering HoG , fresh from hobnobbing with royalty at a tax-funded Asian spree, told Divali pilgrims to foster morality, spirituality and responsibility.

 

 

 

Students shun Tertiary programmes

…costly tuition, no ROI

Higher Education Institutions have a shared moral purpose: to improve lives through learning and training, widening participation and supporting social mobility. By working together more effectively, they can create better opportunities for people from all backgrounds to access high-quality education and progress to fulfilling careers.

Chief executive of The UWI Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, Mariano Browne, warns of several factors causing decline in tertiary education enrolment in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Social Sector Investment Programme, tabled with the 2025 budget in Parliament, states “fiscal 2024 estimation reflects a consecutive year of decline in tertiary education enrolment and represents a decrease of 5.3% or 1,461 students. Similarly, in 2023, the student enrolment was an estimated 27,450, a decline of 8.3% from 2022 when there were 29,964 students.”

1. 1. 1. Student enrolment at The University of the West Indies of 13,876 students represented 53% of all tertiary students.
      2. At the University of Trinidad and Tobago, 5,350 students represent 21%.
      3. At COSTAATT, 4,083 students represent 16%;
      4. At MIC Institute of Technology 1,519 students 6%
      5. At NESC Technical Institute 1,161 students represent 4%.
      6. Of the total 25,989 students enrolled in higher education institutions in 2024,
      7. 57% were female (14,836), while 42% (11,143) were male .

Browne observed reasons for the decline in students pursuing tertiary education.

• “The decline is due to three causes. First is the withdrawal of GATE for graduate students. University tuition is expensive and unless students are gainfully employed or supported by family, continuing studies will be postponed.
• Second, postgraduate studies will be undertaken if there is a clear return on investment, like the prospect of promotion or an increase in pay. This requires confidence in the economic prospects. If confidence is weak, it will lead to lower enrolment.”
• The Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) can also cause a dip in enrolment because of counterproductive rules.

“Given the foregoing postgraduate studies, we will consider alternative learning routes that facilitate working and studying. In this regard, ACTT insistence on full face-to-face classes at the graduate level is both retrograde and counterproductive.”

 

 

 

 

TTASME laments Afreximbank exclusion from T&T

Trinidad and Tobago Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (TTASME) welcomed measures in the 2024/2025 budget presentation aimed at diversification but laments the inability to accommodate the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Trinidad and Tobago.

“There were levels of disappointment about not accommodating the Afreximbank in Trinidad as many trade benefits can be achieved through this medium. We look forward to the settling of staff accommodation issues and the establishment of mutual relations, eventually leading to a branch in Trinidad.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley stated that should the bank be established in T&T, the requirement for employees to be paid tax-free salaries would be a tough condition. In June, he told media why the agreement was not signed. The relationship between Africa and Caricom is very close.

“The Afreximbank is reaching out to the Caribbean. It is very involved with Caricom… in the last four years, Caricom has made a lot of effort in growing our relationship with Africa, the middle East and elsewhere,  There has been a big push by Caricom to involve friends outside the region.”

Rowley pointed out a difficulty if T&T engages in this initiative.

“That difficulty experienced so far with Afreximbank and its documentation and operation in our country… is the bank is asking for its staff to earn tax-free salaries in Trinidad and Tobago. That means local people working for the bank do not have to pay tax, I don’t know why the bank is taking that position but that’s the bank’s position…. Now that has far-reaching consequences because it’s against the existing arrangements of privileges and immunities and policies.”

Cash guarantees

TTASME also urged the Government to address the issue of SMEs experiencing hesitancy from financial institutions in granting loans for servicing Government contracts “unless cash guarantees are provided, a result of Government not paying for goods and services rendered on time.”

Payment of contractors/suppliers’ invoices on time must be addressed as it affects cash flows leading to business closures.

“We also seek an extension to the moratorium on the Stimulus Loan Facility offered by the Government that was granted to the SMEs. Currently, many businesses have not returned to revenues they gained prior to the pandemic and are struggling as they experience economic declines.”

TTASME wants the Beverage Bill to be implemented as it is crucial in keeping waterways free from recyclables and can be another source of income for some. It supports the Government in continuing to establish trade agreements such as those that gave T&T access to South American and African markets.

“We recognise the efforts of the Trade and Industry Ministry with the recently concluded trade agreements with Chile and Curacao and the MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Ghana, as we strive for a strong diversified thrust locally. The Government must keep the SMEs in the loop by ensuring continued initiatives and facilitation of ease to access funding as start-ups and for expansion to existing businesses that have export potential.”

It proposed establishment of a Diversification Thrust Unit within the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This unit would coordinate all programmes from ministries and agencies that are “business-aligned” and have the potential to produce goods and services locally and export. The objective is to accelerate the diversification efforts.

It supports inclusion of small contractors in the road patching programme. Making it economically viable to restructure the mortgage bank and make home ownership more accessible resulted in work for tradesmen and others in micro-enterprises.

“The reported renewed initiative to promote tourism in conjunction with showcasing national/cultural events and related businesses is a move in the right direction. An educational drive starting from the primary school level and reaching all citizens using various mediums is necessary to highlight the respect for and the importance of tourism.”
It advocated “increases in fines or jail terms for any acts of crime perpetrated by any tourist visiting our shores”.

TTASME welcomes the farming initiative geared towards youths as one pathway to the sustainability of farming into the future.

“We hope to see more action than talk and with Government input not being only by establishing programmes and initiatives for public engagement. There must be a genuine and concerted effort on the Government’s part, not just laying the groundwork but also getting into production at the initial stage by providing all the necessary infrastructures.”

e Government must be the “driver of change” by playing the pivotal role leading to the adoption of the new age to producing foods shifting from the traditional methods of farming to an advanced hydroponics system which uses less land space, less water and designed to control environmental conditions to include plant pest and other microorganisms.

“This can be produced in three scales to service local consumption, export, and downstream industries that also have export potential leading to increases in business activities.”

It welcomed revitalisation of cocoa, rice, coffee and coconut by growing large crops for local and external trade.

“We look forward in  2025 for a robust agriculture sector growing food to assist reduction of our large food import bill thereby saving foreign exchange.”

TTASME commended the Government’s attempt to embrace the digital age in stages and ensure public comprehension.

“As it unfolds, we in the SME sector are prepared to be fully appraised and to make the necessary adjustments by further advancing to the new peripherals through which we can receive and make payments in various forms, participating fully in the digital markets.”

TTASME noted the Government’s compliance efforts to leave the European Union’s Blacklist which can be a hindrance to the conduct of business activities overseas.

It applauded the Government’s decision to implement another tax and NIS amnesty and the commitment to paying all VAT refunds in cash to SMEs by the end of 2024.

“We look forward to this being materialised as it will help SME cash flow.”

TTASME suggested that as the Government ventures to capitalise on renewable energy, the sector must be developed in stages as there are various forms of energy generation and devised to mandate a fair share programme in its allocation for SMEs to participate.

“We are happy about the new arrangement that gives SMEs access to the Catalytic Fund being executed through the Eximbank. We look forward to a bright and prosperous 2025 through the realisation of the projected programmes and initiatives that will help to diversify and strengthen our economy leading to growth, increasing business activities and decreasing employment levels.”

 

 

 

Robert Riley to chair UWI St Augustine Campus Council

October 4

The UWI St Augustine said it was pleased to announce appointments of “key executive management personnel.” Four new appointments to its executive management are Robert Riley, chair of the St Augustine Campus Council; Prof Derek Chadee, deputy principal; Kevin Kalloo, campus bursar and Prof Canute Thompson, pro vice-chancellor for the board of undergraduate studies.

Pursuant to Statute 7 (1) of the Statutes and Ordinances, chancellor Dodridge Miller appointed Robert Riley as chair of the St Augustine Campus Council for a term of five years, from September 4, 2024, to July 31, 2029.

In his role as chair, Riley will preside over meetings of the St Augustine Campus Council and perform duties as conferred or imposed by any UWI statute, ordinance, order, or regulation.

He succeeds Sharon Christopher, chair from November 16, 2018.

“The Campus extends sincere thanks to Ms Christopher for her contributions and commitment to the University.”

“The Campus extends congratulations to Mr Robert Riley on his appointment as Chair of the St Augustine Campus Council and looks forward to his tenure.”

Attorney-at-law Riley, alumnus of UWI, is a retired chairman and chief executive officer of BP TT. He held executive management and senior legal positions, including head of safety and operations risk at BP PLC in London, vice president of legal and government affairs at Amoco and BP/Amoco and general counsel and corporate secretary at BWIA.

He served on the Boards of Amoco Trinidad and Tobago LLC and other Amoco entities, Titan Methanol, BP TT, Atlantic LNG, The Bank of Nova Scotia TT Ltd, UTT, Caribbean Airlines Ltd and the Board of JD Sellier & Co, attorneys at law. He was elected chairman of the board of Massy Holdings Ltd effective May 12, 2023. Holding a first degree in agriculture, Riley received a Chaconia Medal (Gold) and a doctorate of laws from UWI.

Executive Director, Robert Riley Leadership and Energy Consulting Limited, London, United Kingdom 2015 – Present.     Robert Riley Leadership and Energy consulting is a consulting business that focuses on:

1. 1. 1.  Leadership Assessment and Development
      2. Leadership Training
      3. Management consulting including change, performance and safety.
      4. Business performance in dynamic challenging markets.

The company has consulting engagements in Africa, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.

BP Group Head of Capability and Competency Development, S&OR
Sep 2010 – May 2015.     London, United Kingdom

Robert was appointed Group Head of Safety and Operations Risk, Culture and Capability to support global efforts to improve safety and operational risk performance. His task was to set up the new Safety and Operations Risk (S&OR) function setting out its purpose, objectives, authorities and key processes. He led the Programme Management Office for the establishment of the S&OR function across the BP group while actively driving the development of the competence and…Chairman and Chief Executive Officer BP Trinidad and Tobago 2010

He was responsible for all aspects of the leadership and management of the business: which delivered 3 BCF per day of gas, US one billion a year capex with seventeen offshore platforms and onshore processing facilities, joint operations in LNG and Methanol plants.
2001 – 2010 Trinidad

Safe operations and safety performance. Delivery of the Business Plan. Major Projects delivery and Performance.

Operations performance, costs, capex and volume delivery. Finance and Commercial, including negotiations of gas…

Business Unit Leader BP Amoco Trinidad
1999 – 2001. Trinidad
Vice President, Legal and Government Affairs Amoco and BP/Amoco
1996 – 1998 Trinidad and Tobago

Restructuring and revitalising this Oil Business, lacking capital investment in its plant and machinery and staff development . He turned it around, made it cash flow positive, improved safety and operations efficiency and rehabilitated its kit.He restructured the organisation making it leaner and fit for purpose with addition of new better skilled Trinidad management

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
BWIA (now Caribbean Airlines)
1995 – 1996 , Trinidad and `Tobago

Attorney, Legal and Government Affairs Amoco Trinidad 1990 – 1995. Trinidad

Responsible for legal, regulatory, corporate filings and structures and Board secretarial accountabilities post the sale to the Acker group. This entailed understanding of legal requirements in Caricom , UK and the US. He led a negotiation with the State Department to forgive long outstanding fines and liabilities.

Associate Attorney J.D.Sellier + Co.  1986 – 1990. Trinidad

Represented clients in commercial work as an advocate Attorney at law. Clients included largest companies and institutions including complex multiparty litigation and commercial negotiations and policies.

Education
The University of the West Indies
LL.D. Business Administration and Management, General Honoris Causa
For economic development of Trinidad and Tobago by pioneering development of new economic sectors through innovative and paradigm changing socioeconomic policy and economic activity.

The Council of Legal Education
Legal Education Certificate Practice of Law  1985 – 1987.
Certificate to practise law as an attorney at law throughout the region

The University of the West Indies Cave Hill
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) Law Honours 1983 – 1985
University of the West Indies St. Augustine
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Agriculture Honours 1978 – 1981
Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa University of the West Indies 2009
For Development of the National Oil and Gas Sector and contribution to National Development.

Chaconia Medal Gold
The President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
2003 Second Highest National Award Trinidad

 

Prof Derek Chadee.
Chadee has been a valued member of The UWI since 1995, serving at the St Augustine Campus and at regional headquarters. As coordinator, he played a pivotal role in developing psychology programmes within the Faculty of Social Sciences. He served as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies, at the University Centre.

Kevin Kalloo, Campus bursar

Kalloo, a third-generation Kalloo at UWI, joined the St Augustine Campus in 2007. He became a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 2005 and was made a Fellow in 2011. Kalloo has been a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago since 2013 and holds an MSc in Strategic Leadership and Management (Distinction) and a BSc in Accounting (Honours) from UWI. Kalloo has served as acting campus bursar since August 2023. He succeeds Andrea Taylor-Hanna, to whom the campus expresses its sincere appreciation for her contributions.

Prof Canute Thompson

Prof Canute Thompson was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Board of Undergraduate Studies, effective October 1, 2024. He will lead the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS), overseeing policy development and implementation for quality assurance across all undergraduate and sub-degree programmes at The UWI and its affiliates.. –

A professor of educational policy, planning, and leadership, Thompson served as the director of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP) and was the project director for the UWI Governance Recommendation and Implementation Committee from 2022 to 2024. With a doctorate in educational administration and leadership, his publication record includes several books and journal articles.

 

 

Belize chairs OAS Permanent Council

2024, 10/05

At the handing-over ceremony at the Organisation of American States Washington headquarters, Permanent Representative of Belize, Lynn Raymond Young, assumed the chair of the Permanent Council which he will hold until December 31.

“As chair, I will prioritize efforts in eradicating poverty and fostering inclusive economic growth. We must focus on strategies that empower the most vulnerable, enhance access to education and health care, promote decent work and foster resilient economies. Belize remains deeply committed to the core principles that define the OAS: democracy, human rights, security and integral development.

“These principles are not just the foundation of our organization but the very pillars on which our collective futures rests. As chair, I will work tirelessly to make sure that our deliberations and actions are guided by these values.”

 

Outgoing Chair and Permanent Representative of Barbados Victor Fernandes said: “I am delighted this morning to hand the gavel to my colleague from Belize. I am sure he will do an admirable job during his tenure. I thank you for the opportunity to serve as chair of the Permanent Council in this organization.”

Permanent Representative of the United States, Francisco Mora, will exercise the vice -chair for the October-December term.
The chair of the Permanent Council rotates every three months among member states in alphabetical order. The vice chair rotates every three months in reverse alphabetical order.

OECS Director General seeks collective approach for sargassum

2024, 10/01

Dr Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), reiterated the need for a collective approach to resolve the sargassum situation in the region.

He told the opening of the two-day Second European Union-Caribbean Global Gateway conference on Sargassum there have been too many conferences and now is the time for action.

“We are here because sargassum—, a problem that has beset our shores for over a decade—demands our collective action,” Dr Jules told the conference, under the theme ‘Turning the Tide: Sustainable Practices and Economic Opportunities for Sargassum in the Caribbean Basin’.

“It threatens our coastal communities, undermines public health and places enormous pressure on our government’s resources. Yet it is also more than a threat. It is a call to action, an opportunity to shift from crisis management to innovation, sustainability and economic transformation. It is an opportunity that will impact every country in the Caribbean Basin, and that is why we must act decisively.”

Dr Jules told the conference, an initiative under Global Gateway, the European Union’s strategy to boost investments that generate smart, clean and secure value chains across the world, that the real success of this event will be measured not by the conversations held but by the actions taken.

“So, as we begin this important dialogue, I challenge each of us to focus on action. We must leave here, not just with ideas and discussions but with concrete plans and commitments. Let us commit to building partnerships that can bring together government, industry, academia and local communities.”

He told delegates that sargassum is not just a natural phenomenon, but a recurring one, exacerbated by global environmental shifts.

“We have seen it affect our fishing industries, disrupt tourism and stretch our public services thin as we clean up our beaches. The sheer scale of the problem, hundreds of thousands of tons of seaweed washing ashore annually is staggering, but today, we resolve to see it differently.”

“What if, as has been said, we can turn the tide on sargassum and convert it into an asset? This is not a far-off dream. It is within our grasp. In fact, some member states, partners and innovators have already been exploring how to transform sargassum into products that can generate revenue and create jobs.”

These initiatives point to the way forward, but there is need to accelerate and expand these efforts.

“Our task here today is to ensure that we move beyond isolated projects and develop a coordinated, scalable and sustainable response. Our challenge is to transform the narrative of sargassum from one of burden to one of opportunity and this transformation requires a bold, three-pronged approach.”

“First, we must invest in research and development. While the economic potential of Sargassum is real, there’s still much that we need to understand about how to harness it safely and effectively, from its variable chemical composition to its heavy metal content, we need to ensure that sargassum can be valorised in a way that protects both the environment and human health.”

Research institutions, within the region and beyond, are already exploring the potential of sargassum as a resource for biofuels, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers and even building materials but more investment is needed to bring these solutions to scale.

“This conference will help us to connect those dots between innovators and investors, and I urge us to commit to expanding these networks,” he said, adding there also is a need for an enabling policy environment.

“Our governments have already made strides in developing national strategies to address sargassum, but we must now take this further together. We therefore need regional policies that support the establishment of a sustainable sargassum industry.”

“This means creating frameworks that encourage public private partnerships, incentivise investment in processing technologies and streamline the regulatory requirements for sargassum-based products.”

The region can and should become a global leader in sargassum, “but we will only achieve this by aligning our policies with our ambitions.”

There is need for regional cooperation as sargassum knows no boundaries, and neither should the response.

“American poet Robert Frost, in his poem mending fences, said ‘good neighbours make good fences’. But the Caribbean Sea that we share has no fences and nature makes a fiction of our maritime boundaries. The influxes we face require not only national efforts, but a coordinated regional strategy.”

“We need to work together on forecasting, collection, storage and processing. This is not just a matter of efficiency. It is also a matter of fairness. In our case, strong cooperation makes good neighbours. Some countries are more severely impacted than others, and the burden of dealing with sargassum should not fall disproportionately on any one state.”

“By sharing resources, knowledge and technology, we can ensure that all countries in the Caribbean Basin are equipped to handle the challenge. In this regard, the European Union’s Global Gateway Initiative is a crucial partner.”

The EU demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting the region,through funding,collaboration and shared learning.

“This conference is a testament to this and it is my hope that we will leave here with even stronger ties between the Caribbean and the EU in our joint efforts to tackle this issue. But this is not just a matter of governments and institutions. The private sector has a key role to play.”

Many of those present represent industries that are already experimenting with innovative uses for sargassum, from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals to energy production and agriculture.

“Your creativity, your risk taking, and your investment are what will ultimately drive the success of this endeavour. I urge you to see yourselves as part of a larger ecosystem, one where your success contributes not only to your own bottom line, but to the resilience and sustainability of our entire region.”

“We are also mindful of the communities that bear the brunt of sargassum influxes, fishermen, coastal businesses, local residents have all been impacted. As we develop solutions, we must ensure that they are inclusive, taking into account the needs and the voices of those most affected.”

“This is not just about creating high tech solutions in labs; it is about building resilient communities and economies from the ground up. The time for action is now.”

Over the next two days, the conference will explore a range of solutions, from policy frameworks and investment strategies to scientific innovations and business models, hearing also from experts, government leaders, industry pioneers, who are already making strides in this field.

He urged delegates: “Let us commit to finding solutions that are innovative, scalable and sustainable, and let us commit to acting now, because the future of our region depends on it.”

Grenada (CMC)