THE Bahamas joined five other Caribbean nations in endorsing the controversial Copenhagen accord this week.
By signing on to the agreement devised at the 15th United Nations climate change conference held in December last year, the Bahamas will be entitled as a developing country to receive fast-track funding in order to adapt to climate change.
Developed countries would provide $30billion for adaptation and mitigation efforts in the developing world between 2010 and 2012 under the agreement.
Beyond that, developed countries committed to jointly mobilising $100billion annually by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries.
“This funding will come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources of finance,” the agreement noted.
But the Copenhagen accord is not legally binding and critics say it is woefully inadequate if the planet is to win the battle against climate change.
Panos Caribbean reported: “Climate change threatens rising sea levels and the loss of coastal livelihoods; increase in sea levels and the loss of certain marine species; as well as an increase in extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts.”
Meanwhile the accord makes allowances for an increase in global temperatures by up to two degrees Celcius.
It was essentially decided by five countries – the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa – and Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana and the Bahamas joined 131 countries when endorsing it on Thursday.
Emissions
Minister for the Environment Earl Deveaux said: “If there was no agreement between the developing economies about carbon emissions, and they didn’t change the developed countries’ agreed rigid standards for emissions, the world would continue to see climate change, so they couldn’t do a deal without everybody’s involvement.”
However the Caribbean nations did not sign onto the accord without reservations.
Science adviser to the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center Ulric Trotz told Panos Caribbean: “It is not that they (Caribbean countries) agree with the accord, but that there are things in the accord that the region can take advantage of.
“Our official position really is, accept the accord in the sense that you write to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but at the same time you should mention reservations.”
The Jamaican ministry of foreign affairs noted the accord does not replace or pre-empt negotiations towards a legally binding, ambitious and comprehensive agreement under the UNFCCC and the Bali roadmap.
Jeffrey Spooner, the Latin America and Caribbean representative on the Adaptation Fund Board, and one of Jamaica’s climate negotiators, said: “It is a way forward. At least it has identified the importance of climate change and the importance of tackling it now.
“And to be honest, there is nothing to lose in associating ourselves.”
He added that the fight to secure a legal binding agreement is “not over”.
“There is a lot of work to be done, but at least the accord has kind of set the stage,” Mr Spooner said.
“There are some countries who are totally opposed to the accord and as such it is going to be very difficult to negotiate anything to do with the accord.”
Source: The Tribune
Written by Arieh O’Sullivan
Published Thursday, August 26, 2010
Source Photo: The Media Line
The move is seen as stepping stone to further Israeli presence in UN security forces.
Israel is sending 14 police officers to Haiti to assist in United Nations efforts to bring law and order to the Caribbean nation that suffered a catastrophic earthquake that left more than 200,000 dead and some one million homeless.
While it may be a small contingent, it represents a major step in Israeli participation in UN roles and a stepping-stone to expanded Israeli contribution to the organization.
The police officers will be joining a multinational UN policing force with contingents from Italy and Jordan.
On their uniforms will be their national flags together with the flag of the United Nations.
“We saw the flags of Israel and the flags of the UN together on the table and it had a very positive meaning, as it should,†said Richard Miron, spokesman for UNSCO (United Nations Special Coordinator Office for the Middle East Peace Process).
“It is very important to us at the UN to see Israel participating alongside every other nation of the UN with its contribution. It needs to be stressed, even though it shouldn’t, that Israel has the same rights and obligations as every other nation who sits inside the United Nations.â€
For decades, Israel has been on the receiving end of the UN security forces. There are currently three UN forces (UNIFIL, UNDOF and UNTSO) stationed along Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria, plus a multi-national force (MFO) as a buffer along the Egyptian frontier. The Israeli police force in Haiti will mark the first time that Israel is participating in a significant way to a UN security force outside the country.
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told The Media Line this could be the start of a changing relationship between Israel and the United Nations.
“We are trying to grow the relationship beyond the conflict and the principles are participation, cooperation and normalization of relations with the UN. Israel is a state like any other state, especially with all the capabilities that we have,†Ayalon said.
Police said the mission grew out of a request from UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to Israel’s Public Security Ministry. The officers will assist in quelling public disturbances and maintaining public order, as well as securing the personal safety of Haitian residents attempting to recuperate from the disaster.
“Every mission is a challenge,†said Police Superintendent Ron Krig. “Our value is to help people. We are raised for this. It is the ethical code of the police. It’s helping people no matter where they are. We are police officers like police officers all over the world. Like the American police, the Israeli police are the same. We are born to help people and we are proud to do it.â€
The officers will live in field conditions, spend the nights in sleeping bags and tents, and will be equipped with army rations, special uniforms and wide-ranging personal equipment that will allow them to remain there for an extended period. They will be deployed for at least three months.
Two of the 14 police officers have delayed their marriages and one is leaving behind his wife who is seven months pregnant with their first child. Only a few in the contingent speak French and none speak Creole, the language spoken in Haiti.
“We are not afraid of difficult. Difficult is our life, in missions everywhere as every police in the world. We will do it with a lot of love and a lot of experience we have here with the Israeli Police,†said Krig, who commands an elite anti-crime unit.
While stressing that Israel was not building itself on the disasters of others, Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon said Israel’s participation was a boost for Israeli diplomacy.
“It is a significant event because it shows the nature, the true nature, of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Our detractors and enemies try to depict us as a pariah state and this is the true answer to all those who try to really give us a bad name,†Ayalon said.
As far as the United Nations is concerned, this event should become routine.
“It is very important that we don’t see this as an exceptional event, but we see this as something hopefully which is fairly ordinary, that Israelis, that the State of Israel contribute to the state of the work of the UN around the world,†Miron told The Media Line.
Copyright © 2010 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.
Haitian-born singer and presidential candidate Wyclef Jean, second left, walks surrounded by security after Haiti's Electoral Council rejected his candidacy in Port-au-Prince on Aug. 20. Ramon Espinosa/AP
Wyclef Jean’s disqualification signals Haiti diaspora not welcome in politics
Wyclef Jean and all the other presidential hopefuls from the diaspora were disqualified from running in the Haiti election. Many see it as a politically motivated decision.
*
Haitian-born singer and presidential candidate Wyclef Jean, second left, walks surrounded by security after Haiti’s Electoral Council rejected his candidacy in Port-au-Prince on Aug. 20.
Ramon Espinosa/AP
By Alice Speri, Correspondent / August 25, 2010
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
The disqualification of Wyclef Jean and all the other candidates from the Haitian diaspora who sought to run in the country’s presidential election has led to allegations that the domestic political elite is manipulating the country’s election commission to freeze out strong challengers.
In all, 15 presidential hopefuls were disqualified by Haiti’s election commission (CEP), which has not explained the reasons for any of the dismissals.
“It’s clear something wrong happened with the diaspora candidates,” says Jean-Junior Joseph, a Hatian political blogger. He says that many of the 19 approved presidential candidates had similar problems with their applications as those identified in the case of diaspora candidates.
The allegation of favoritism has implications beyond the diaspora. The upcoming elections are expected to cost some $29 million, with most of that to be paid by the United States and other donors, leaving foreign governments holding the bag for what critics say could be an unfair poll.
While allegations that the election commission may be politically biased are not unique to the current election cycle, there are hopes that the star power of Mr. Jean can bring attention to the issue and push the international community to demand change.
The Commission of Electoral Observation, a body of foreign observers from the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community appointed to monitor the Haitian electoral process, has already met with Minister of Haitians Living Abroad Edwin Paraison. “It’s the first time that international observers have expressed favor towards the participation of the diaspora in an electoral process,†he says.
Among the 19 approved candidates, the front runners are seen as former prime minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, former government construction agency director general Jude Celestin (endorsed by current President René Préval), former UN envoy Leslie Voltaire, former Delmas mayor Wilson Jeudy, and former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune. No polling has yet been done.
Each of them is considered part of the political establishment. A recent editorial in Le Nouvelliste, Haiti’s main newspaper, referred to the approved candidates as “the status-quo.”
No reason for Wyclef Jean’s disqualification
The CEP declined to identify the motivations behind its exclusion of Jean, former ambassador Raymond Joseph, New York medical doctor Kesler Dalmacy, and Miami activist Lavarice Gaudin, among others. Lawyers for Jean and Joseph announced Tuesday they will appeal the decision.
Most of them were likely rejected on residency grounds, as the Constitution requires all presidential candidates to have lived in Haiti for the five years leading up to an election. Grammy-winning hip-hop musician Jean has lived in the United States since age nine. His lawyers have argued that since Jean owns a home and business interests in Haiti, and in 2007 was appointed the country’s roving ambassador-at-large, he should qualify.
The Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad, in a statement Monday, argued that the electoral law fails to indicate the minimum number of days a candidate is required to remain in the country each year to meet the 5-year residency requirement. “There is a certain fluidity around the question of residency, which leads to different interpretations, often negative for the aspirations of diaspora candidates,†Minister Paraison said. “This is a situation that must be clarified through constitutional reform.â€
The ministry called on the CEP to operate with more transparency and explain its reasoning for excluding candidates.
‘Our voices will be heard’
The CEP did release a document evaluating each candidate on 17 requirements set by electoral law, but in many cases that didn’t explain their decision. For instance, Jean appears to have met all 17 requirements.
Source: CSM
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 25TH 2010 (CUOPM) – The construction of a world class Private Air Terminal Facility, to be used by local Fixed Base Operators at St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport would significantly advance the quality of service provided.
Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said the facility has become an important need, as there has been sustained and substantial increase in the use of the airport by Executives and celebrities using private aircraft services.
“This situation provides an ideal opportunity for the Port Authority to develop this area of business as part of the long-term development strategy for the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. The launch of this facility, therefore, represents the recognition of an essential area of growth that must be pursued by the Port Authority,†said Dr. Douglas at the signing of an agreement between the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) and Veling – a Mauritius-based company.
Dr. Douglas said Veling Limited brings a wealth of experience in the aviation service industry into the project.
“We welcome them in the knowledge that the agreement reflects mutual benefits to the partners, and I am sure that the facility would be a great influence in the continuing development of our economy,†said the Prime Minister.
He said it is important to mention that the Private Air Terminal Facility would be a complementary service to the Government’s approach in developing high-end tourism in St. Kitts and must ensure that various kinds of services buttress such a strategy.
“Tourism is a globally competitive industry, and we are in a process of creating a product that attracts both visitors and business opportunities into the country,†said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said that building St. Kitts and Nevis into a world class Caribbean destination, therefore, requires the institution of certain standards in key areas of infrastructure, and this is an ongoing process.
“In the case of our airport, we are talking about creating facilities that would translate into greater comfort and facilitation for the targeted passengers, enhanced efficiency in the servicing of aircraft, improved capacity and capability for Fixed Based Operators, and the creation of an overall level of service that is world class,†said Prime Minister Douglas.
Source: CUOPM
Source: POLITIC 365
GETTY IMAGES
Wyclef’s Jean’s seemingly quixotic quest for President of Haiti took a bad turn last week when Haiti’s Interim Electoral Commission (CEP) rejected his bid. Since the former Fugees’ band member and subsequent solo hip-hop celebrity launched his campaign (outlining reasons in an open August 5th Huffington Post letter), a mountain of controversy swirled about Haiti’s “roving ambassador.†He’s been fending off charges of financial malfeasance at his highly visible non-governmental relief organization Yele’ Haiti while managing speculation over his motives.
Now, political tensions in the earthquake-devastated Caribbean island are boiling over the Haitian electoral commission’s decision. According to the CEP, Jean could not prove that he lived in the country for five consecutive years, a requirement under Haitian law.
Still, Jean’s lawyers argue that he does meet the requirements, especially as Haiti’s “roving ambassador†since 2007 – even though he’s lived in the United States since the age of 9.
Wall Street Journal’s Nicolas Casey reports United Nation’s peacekeepers are mobilizing in anticipation of unrest over the decision:
Over the weekend, United Nations peacekeepers mobilized in Port-au-Prince in anticipation of unrest related to the announcement. “We are aware that the release of the list of prospective candidates could cause rallies or [a] mass movement,†said Jean-François Vezina, a spokesman for the United Nations police.
Despite the tension and initial acceptance of the decision on his blog, “Wyclef†– as he’s popularly known – is pushing his candidacy forward in defiance of the CEP. On his Twitter site, Jean writes:
Tomorrow our Lawyers are appealing the decision of the CEP. We have met all the requirements set by the laws. And the law must be Respected.
Jean elaborates further on his appeal in a recent interview with the Associated Press, claiming that the CEP decision was based on “politics†and not the rule of law.
“I think he probably felt that the Commission’s decision wasn’t legally sound,†Garry Pierre-Pierre, Editor of The Haitian Times, tells Politic365.com. “He looked at the other candidates and realized they were plagued by similar residency issues, yet they remain on the ballot.â€
Pierre-Pierre, host of CUNY-TV’s Independent Times, contends that if Jean’s appeal is successful and he is back on the ballot “he will become the next President of Haiti.â€
“Wyclef is very popular among Haitians – they don’t care about the residency issue. His common man approach appeals to them. However, there is a certain class of Haitians attempting to paint him as a messenger of foreign interests. The elite political class views him as an interloper getting in the way.â€
Author: Charles Ellison
The Office of the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon. Dean Barrow, has issued a rare public statement in response to the 2008-2009 Annual Audit Report by Auditor General Edmund Zuniga – a report which cited continued concerns over the lack of public accountability and documentation for major transactions in the Government service, and among other shocking tales, 165 police vehicles unaccounted for and $280 million of questionable transactions in the suspense accounts.
Other problems identified are: bank accounts across several government ministries and departments have not been reconciled; inventory management continues to be deficient; and once more Audit found continued poor control over the use of government vehicles.
Barrow commented on the Audit on Thursday last, while holding an impromptu press briefing at his office in Belmopan. Today, Monday, the Government Press Office sent out a lengthy press release documenting his stance.
The Audit report was laid on the table at the House of Representatives on Friday, August 6, but there was neither a public statement nor a discussion of the report at the time. The following week, Amandala ran an article titled, Silence surrounds 08-09 Audit – what does it say? detailing major concerns laid out by Zuniga’s office. Zuniga said that one of his pet peeves is, “You keep hearing that the records cannot be found.â€
“It would appear from the reading of the 08-09 Audit Report that your administration has been running basically the same kind of ship as the former administration in terms of accountability, documents being missing,†our newspaper told Prime Minister Barrow.
“There cannot be any notion of simply letting things continue to ride,†Barrow told the press Thursday. “What the Auditor General has pointed to, in my view, represents systemic failures that have been with us for a long time; while you’re not going to cure those failures overnight, similarly you simply can’t just sit on your hands and say, ‘Well, that’s a matter for bureaucracy.’â€
He told the press that he will be meeting with his Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight, as well as speaking with his Cabinet and Chief Executive Officers on the matters raised “…so that we can come up with some kind of determination to try and improve things, even if it is in an incremental manner.
Barrow also told the media that he is “pinning great hopes†on the revamped Finance & Audit Act and the revamped and expanded Finance and Stores Orders.
He told the press that Government has received recommendations from “experts, consultants,†obtained through the Caribbean Development Bank, in revising the Act and the Orders.
“It’s just now a matter of the draftsperson putting the recommendations of the consultants into legislative form,†he added.
“There is no magic bullet,†Barrow told the press, “but I do think it is absolutely critical that I get this legislation in place and that once this is done, I certainly feel it will mark a significant and substantial departure from the way business has been conducted in the past.â€
Those reforms he expects to be tabled by the next session of the House of Representatives.
“That would go a long way towards addressing some of the institutional long-standing concerns the Auditor General spoke about,†he commented.
He also noted that the revisions include penalties for both public officers and politicians for two categories of offenses: sins of omission and sins of commission.
“The idea is to have penalties for both categories of offenses so that slackness on the part of public officers, accounting officers will be looked at… as well as any deliberate acts that constitute defalcations or delinquencies on the part of the politicians and the public officers,†Prime Minister Barrow explained.
Among the items raised in the 5-point statement today, the Office of the Prime Minister stated that, “Even where accounting failures are concerned, the bulk of what has been detailed by the Auditor General took place before February 2008.â€
It also stated that, “In light of the Auditor General’s stated concerns about inadequate records-keeping, the Office of the Prime Minister expects the Opposition member who chairs the Public Accounts Committee of the House to make a special effort to convene a meeting of that committee at the earliest.
“Committee members from the government side stand ready to attend such a meeting to address the matters in question, starting with those dating back to the last administration.â€
As we reported last week, chairman of that committee, Hon. Mark Espat, Opposition People’s United Party member for Albert, had indicated that since 2008, he had repeatedly tried to call meetings, but to no avail. Ruling United Democratic Party members, he said, hold four of six seats.
The Auditor General told us that his office does not have any power to do anything when they are stonewalled during the course of an Audit. That, said Zuniga, is a matter for the Public Accounts Committee.
Source: AMANDALA
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The future direction of cooperation between Japan and CARICOM, environment and climate change, and assistance for Haiti’s reconstruction are among key agenda items for discussion when the Second CARICOM-Japan Ministerial Meeting is convened in Tokyo, Japan 1-3 September 2010.
The Meeting will be co-chaired by the Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), the Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominica and His Excellency Katsuya Okada, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan. A majority of CARICOM Member States, the CARICOM and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariats will attend the three-day meeting. Her Excellency Lolita Applewhaite, Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM, will lead the Secretariat’s delegation.
On Day Two of the meeting, a Japan-CARICOM Public Symposium on Climate Change and Biodiversity will be held at the United Nations University. The Symposium, organized by University of the United Nations (UNU), the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, will be held following bilateral meetings and ahead of visits to environment facilities.
The Hon. Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, the Hon. Peter David, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Grenada, the Hon. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana and the Hon. Sir Louis Straker, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, will make presentations at the Symposium.
The Ministerial Meeting follows the Fourteenth CARICOM-Japan Consultations held in Georgetown on 15 April 2010.
The First CARICOM-Japan Ministerial Meeting was held in Tokyo on 8 November 2000 at which both sides signed `A New Framework for CARICOM-Japan Cooperation for the Twenty-First Century’. That Framework established priority areas for cooperation between CARICOM and Japan, and proposed a number of mechanisms to facilitate greater collaboration.
The upcoming meeting will set a new strategic framework to replace what was adopted in 2000. In addition to the revised version of the new framework, the meeting is expected to adopt a document titled `Partnership for Peace, Development and Prosperity between Japan and Member States of the Caribbean Community (Outcome Document)’, as well as the Guidelines for the Japan-CARICOM Friendship and Cooperation Fund (JCFCF).
Source Photo: TT Newsday
The 2010/2011 Budget will be delivered by the Minister of Finance on Wednesday September 8.
This was revealed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar at a media conference held immediately upon her return from a ten-day stay in New York.
Persad-Bissessar arrived at Piarco International Airport at approximately 5.30 pm, aboard a North American aircraft which was chartered by Caribbean Airlines for the busy holiday period.
She was greeted by an entourage of Cabinet and Parliamentary colleagues at the VIP lounge of the airport.
The entourage included, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Winston Dookeran, who will be delivering the 2010/2011 fiscal package on September 8.
This will be the first fiscal package delivered by the People’s Partnership Government.
Persad-Bissessar however did not disclose any details about the contents of the package, even when directly questioned by members of the media.
However she said the Government would be meeting with several stakeholder groups in pre-budget consultations from tomorrow.
Speaking about the accomplishments of her New York trip, Persad-Bissessar said the TT delegation was able to engage in discussions with New York Police City Commissioner Raymond Kelly. She said the discussions included the use of technology in the fight against crime, real time data management, public engagement strategies, combating gang violence, and enhancing the morale of police officers.
When questioned about the attitude of TT emigrants (to New York) towards returning home, Persad-Bissessar said many expressed fears of becoming victims of crime.
“They would like to come home but they are afraid people will kill them,†said Persad-Bissessar.
Persad-Bissessar said Kelly may be visiting TT in the near future, and the new TT Commissioner of Police would want to have crime discussions with Kelly.
“I am sure our new Commissioner of Police will welcome discussions with Mr Kelly on various aspects of police operations and how New York City, with 8.3 million residents was able to achieve a lower murder rate than our country with only 1.3 million citizens,†said Persad- Bissessar.
Speaking about the new Police Commissioner, Persad- Bissessar said the package being offered to him is being reviewed by Cabinet for approval.
She said the country has spent a significant sum of money on crime fighting initiatives before and has not reaped any real benefit.
However, Persad-Bissessar said the new Police Commissioner’s term of office will be on contract.
She said if the Commissioner does not deliver, the contract can and will be terminated.
Persad-Bissessar also said the trip was beneficial to the enhancement of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM). According to Persad-Bissessar, the delegation also met with Witt Associates, a public safety and crisis management consulting firm based in Washington, and invited them to prepare proposals to deal with emergencies in TT.
“The company, (Witt Associates) has several offices throughout the US and specialises in emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. I have invited the principals of Witt Associates to prepare a comprehensive proposal to deal with emergency preparedness in TT, including the enhancement of the ODPM,†said Persad-Bissessar.
Persad-Bissessar also confirmed that she did fall sick during the New York visit. She said was she was so sick on one of the days that she could not speak.
Source: TT NEWSDAY
Source Photo: 360 News
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Friday August 20, 2010 –A total of US$220 million worth of United Nations post-earthquake recovery projects in health, education, food security, job creation, rubble removal and reproductive health have been approved by the Interim Haitian Recovery Commission (IHRC).
The approval certifies that the projects are aligned with the Haitian Government’s national reconstruction plan and should therefore receive priority for funding. Agreement on the projects going forward came at a meeting of the IHRC this week.
“The meeting was remarkably successful,†said UN Under-Secretary General and United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan, who represented the UN at the meeting. “More than 20 relevant projects supported by the Government of Haiti have been approved, among them five for the UN.â€
The Commission gave the nod for more than US$80 million worth of UNDP projects, paving the way for the organization to step up the long-term recovery process, including its successful cash-for-work initiatives that inject cash into the devastated local economy, provide manpower for both short- and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts and give Haitians the means to provide food, shelter and education for their families.
“With this approval, the Commission opens the door for UNDP to make an appeal to the donor community to continue supporting our interventions in Haiti,†said Jessica Faieta, UNDP Senior Country Director in Haiti.
UNDP, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the International Organization for Migration— received approval for a US$65 million programme to rehabilitate infrastructure across the country. The programme will build on previous UNDP cash-for-work projects that have employed over 120,000 people since the January 12th earthquake. Once funding is confirmed, this initiative plans to create 300,000 temporary jobs over 12 months.
The newly-approved programme will focus on training people and giving them work in soil conservation and stabilization efforts; the construction of village roads, paths, trials and bridges; agricultural production; public infrastructure maintenance; the rehabilitation or construction of small shops and community centres; and the cleaning and recycling of materials generated by the collapse and demolition of buildings in areas that were severely damaged by the earthquake.
The Commission also approved a US$17 million UNDP community-based debris management project that it will implement in six of the capital’s earthquake-affected neighbourhood in partnership with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the International Labour Organization.
Since the necessary funds have already been secured through the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, UNDP and its partners can begin immediately to support the return of displaced people and contribute to the rehabilitation of urban areas in Port-au-Prince destroyed by the earthquake. The debris removal programme aims to do this through the creation of thousands of jobs in the recycling, removal and processing of debris. UNDP is currently implementing a similar project in the city of Léogâne with financial support from the Government of Canada.
Other UN initiatives approved by the Commission include a World Health Organization project on access to health service; a joint WFP, UNICEF and World Bank school-feeding programme; an FAO food security project; and a multi-agency programme on strengthening reproductive health services for women and girls affected by the earthquake.
The Interim Haitian Recovery Commission was created by Haitian Presidential decree to coordinate and oversee recovery and reconstruction efforts. The Commission provides high-level coordination, direction and prioritization, bringing together the work of key ministries. It is co-chaired by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former United States President Bill Clinton. The UN takes part in the Commission as a full voting member.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Thursday August 19, 2010 – The Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration is not simply going to be content with the TT$5.2 million (US$818,897) it got from auctioning properties belonging to Jamaat al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr earlier this week.
The Trinidad and Tobago government says it will be going after other Jamaat members to get the rest of the TT$42 million (US$6.6 million) which the court says the government is owed in compensation for the damage the Muslim group did during its 1990 coup attempt.
In a statement issued yesterday, a day after the auction of land and buildings that had belonged to Abu Bakr and senior Jamaat member Kala Aki Bua, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar acknowledged the significant difference between the amount the government is seeking overall and what it got in the auction.
“We are considering our options with regard to recovering that shortfall of the debt owed to the people of Trinidad and Tobago by the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen,†she said.
Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal later told members of the media that once the property of other group members can be located, the State will be moving to seize it.
“Even though the State has moved successfully against two defendants, there is nothing to prevent the State from enforcing the judgment against the other more than 50 defendants who have already been served, once property is located,†she told the Trinidad Express newspaper.
Seetahal said the government never expected to recoup the entire TT$42 million (US$6.6 million), but it still got a significant portion of the value of the properties.
After Tuesday’s auction, only a house on offer for TT$1.1 million (US$173,228) remained unsold. Abu Bakr’s son and one of his wives successfully bid on two of the other properties – one for TT$1.1 million (US$173,228) and a six-apartment property for TT$1.3 million (US$204,724).
The other properties were purchased by three other bidders. Successful bids ranged from TT$72,000 (US$11,410) to TT$1.6 million (US$251,968).
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said, in her statement, that the sale was “conducted under a cloud of threats and intimidatory rhetoricâ€.
But she said that, despite those attempts, the administration remains undeterred and continues to be fully prepared to act, without fear or favour, in all matters of public interest which are brought to her government’s attention.
Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
SHABBA, SHAGGY TO PERFORM AT POST ADIDAS GRAND PRIX CONCERT IN NY
Foundation dancehall artiste Rexton Rawlston Gordon, popularly know to fans as Shabba Ranks is set to perform at the “adidas Jamboree” concert, Randall’s Island, New York on Saturday, June 9. The concert – which will serve as a 50th anniversary celebration for both Jamaica and Trinidad – will take place at the conclusion of the [...]
One Caribbean International Presents: CELEBRITY SOCCER CULTURAL FEST – THE BIGGEST FAMILY FUN DAY!
Fort Lauderdale – On Memorial Day, May 28th all roads will lead to the greatest Celebrity Soccer Cultural Festival in South Florida “Celebrating Jamaica’s 50th Year of Independence.” One Caribbean International’s will be hosting its’ 7th annual festival and Yes Jamaica’s 50th Year of Independence at Central Broward Regional Park, located at 3700 NW 11th [...]
About One Love Reggae Fest The One Love Reggae Festival will unite diverse cultures within South Florida through “One Love, One Heart and One Music”. This event will be held on Sunday, May 13, 2012 in West Palm Beach, Florida at the Cruzan Amphitheater. The 2011 Festival boasted a huge attendance of more than 5000 [...]
PM PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER DA ZYNC BUZZ HEDA ROSE (NY LINKZ/ZYNC TV): May 4 – 11
BY ZYNC TV ON THIS WEEK’S EDITION OF NEW YORK LINKZ: JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER PORTIA SIMPSON-MILLER VISITS THE NORTH-EAST DIASPORA; A PREVIEW OF THE FUN AND EXCITEMENT AT 2012 PENN RELAYS; A PREVIEW OF GRAMPS MORGAN AND RAGASHANTI TAKING OVER NEW YORK CARIBBEAN RADIO; PLUS SHERMAIN GIVES TIPS ON IMPRESSING YOUR BOYFRIEND’S PARENTS IN IMAGE [...]
Lloyd Brevett, founding member of The Skatalites, passes away aged 80
Lloyd Brevett, the Skatalites’ inimitable double bass player, has died following complications from a recent stroke. As The Washington Post report, Brevett fell ill in March following the murder of his son in Kingston. Anyone lucky enough to have seen The Skatalites live will be able to testify to Brevett’s remarkable charisma. His on-stage presence [...]
GFBC WORLD NEWS
