Pulse of the Caribbean

#120 Caribbean News Round Up Episode 3 Week of September 29

• Pulse of the Caribbean

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A decisive UN shift on Haiti security, a brewing debate over Summit of the Americas’ inclusion, and new partnerships shaping governance, and Grenada’s rise in sustainable land leadership are highlighted in this episode.  Here are the stories making Caribbean headlines.

  • UN Gang Suppression Force to replace Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti
  • Summit of the Americas in Punta Cana Excludes 3 Nations
  • World Government Summit– Association of Caribbean States forge new partnership 
  • US Department of Justice prosecute Kenyan and Guyanese Nationals in stolen medical commodities from a USAID-funded program
  • Antigua host cancer symposium to align regional care and prevention
  • Grenada named headquarters for sustainable land management

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This podcast is brought to you by Boundless Bliss Hotel, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Diamond Key Marina, Yosvendyke, British Virgin Islands, home of Foxy's Taboo and Gateway to the Bobbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem. Welcome to the Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode three for the week of September 29th. Here's a look at what's making Caribbean headlines. We start a report today on Hispaniola. The new United Nations Gang Suppression Force will replace the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, which the Dominican Republic's President Louis Abinader welcomed. This 5,500-person team will restore order and fight gang violence in the neighboring countries. By leading Allied states to press for a stronger international reaction, the Dominican Republic was crucial to this diplomatic victory. President Abinader emphasized that this achievement is the result of years of diplomatic efforts, including a joint letter from former Dominican Republic presidents Lionel Fernandez, Hippolito Mejia, and Danilo Medina to the UN Security Council. He said the UN backed and funded force will have a strong mandate and be closely monitored to ensure its performance. Also, since 2021, Abinader has pushed the international community to act decisively in Haiti, calling its situation a threat to regional peace and security. The government which holds the summit pro temporar presidency frame the exclusion as a multilateral option connected to the organization of American States Participation Standards in an official ministry memo. The statement stated that the three states, for diverse reasons, are not organization of American States members and did not attend the 2022 conference. The ministry stated that the decision will enable the broadest possible political dialogue at the gathering. Havana's foreign ministry reacted strongly. According to reports, Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez rejected the decision as exclusive and warn that a summit based on exclusion and force would fail. The decision's impact on other governments' participation and diplomatic responses before December will be watched. Hemisphere leaders, private sector representatives, and civil society players will address development, security, and regional issues during the 10th summit of the Americas in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Now news from the World Government Summit Organization. The World Government Summit Organization and the Association of Caribbean States signed a strategic partnership agreement to boost global cooperation. The agreement signed in New York during the United Nations General Assembly aims to expand Latin America and Caribbean Summit presence and promote government experience and best practices. The alliance encourages cooperative projects and future-focused opportunities. Managing Director Mohammed Youssef Al-Shahan and Association of Caribbean States Secretary General Ambassador Naomi Espinoza Madrid signed the partnership agreement. It encourages corporation, boosts Latin America and Caribbean government attendance at the summit, offers sustainable development best practices, and collaborates on high-level projects and meetings in the UAE and abroad. Ambassador Naomi Espinoza Madrid remarked, the collaboration ushers in a new era of cooperation that will strengthen regional ties and inspire innovative solutions. Dubai's Tent ACS International Corporation Conference is a rare chance to turn friendships into practical results for our projects and our peoples. To capitalize on new opportunities and promote innovation as a future readiness pillar, the partnership agreement coordinates actions. Both parties welcome inclusive global conversations, sustainable development, and regional voices on the global stage. In other news, after an investigation into stolen HIV test kits and other health goods for Kenya, the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted a Kenyan national and a Guyneese national in South Carolina. Eric Malong 40 of Kenya and his company allegedly stole HIV test kits from KEMSA Medical Commodities Program, a$650 million USAID funded program that provided care and treatment in Kenya, according to U.S. attorney Brian Sterling for the District of South Carolina. Prosecutors allege Muang sold Kenyan medical goods to Devranja Rampersad 42 of Guyana and Caribbean Medical Goods Inc., making$177,000 between 2015 and 2019. A bogus letter of authority allowed Rampersad. A bogus letter of authority allegedly allowed Ramposad to operate as an authorized distributor in 2015. Kenyan authorities arrested Merwang in 2021 for stealing and fraud. He might serve 20 years for American charges. His Kenyan trial is pending. Ramp Passad pled guilty to conspiring and stealing or converting U.S. aid funded health commodities in a Charleston federal courtroom. Ram Passad received three years of supervised release and an eighty-four thousand dollar fine from Judge Richard Gergil. Next up, Caribbean top health professionals will gather in Antigua after this. This is the Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup episode three for the week of September 29th. This weekend, some of the top health professionals in the Caribbean will meet in Antigua for a high-level conference to talk about one of the region's most pressing health issues, cancer. The multidisciplinary cancer symposium will take place on Saturday at the Sandals Grand Antigua Resort and SPA. It's being host by the Sir Lester Byrd Medical Center. The event is anticipated to bring together oncologists, urologists, gynecologists, pediatricians, radiologists, surgeons, dietitians, and nurses to exchange their knowledge and come up with ways to better prevent, treat, and support cancer patients. There will be talks by talk. There will be talks by top experts as a part of the program. Cancer is one of the top causes of mortality in the Caribbean, where late diagnoses, lack of treatment, and unequal access to care are still a big problem. The organizers expect that the symposium will improve health systems in the region by encouraging teamwork and giving teams useful tools. And here's our final note. Officials from the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management have confirmed that Grenada would serve as the organization's new headquarters, bolstering its leadership role in sustainable land and soil management throughout the Caribbean region. Dr. Ronan Francis, Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management Executive Director noted that having the headquarters in Grenada means that its activities can span the two regional governmental bodies, CARICOM and OECS. Grenada is a member of both organizations and a vocal supporter for environmental causes. Grenada's status as the Caribbean sole land and soil agency makes it a focal point for both CARICOM and the OECS in terms of financing and technical support, he said. Trevor Thompson, project manager of C SIDS and Soil Care, stated that the headquarters was initially based in Trinidad and then in Guyana, where it got technical support. He stated that Grenada's new status as the sole seat of an indigenous intergovernmental agency in the Caribbean will boost a country's prestige. According to Thompson, hosting the headquarters will result in several high-level meetings in Grenada, establishing the country as a regional leader in sustainable land and soil management. This podcast has been brought to you by Boundless Bliss Hotel, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Diamond Key Marina, Yosvendike, British Virgin Islands, home of Foxy's Taboo and Gateway to the Bubbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem. Have news and information you'd like to share with us, send news releases to news at pulsofthecaribbean.com. This has been your Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, Episode 3, for the week of September 29th. Here is a special greeting going out to our listeners in Jamaica, Nevada, and South Korea. Thanks for listening and do spread the word and share our podcast with others across the region and the diaspora. I'm Keisha Blyden. See you next time.