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40 TCI businesses receive hurricane recovery grants

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#TurksandCaicos, May 10, 2018 – Providenciales – Forty business operators from Turks and Caicos Islands last week began to receive hurricane recovery grants as part of a wider effort to help rebuild and sustain the economy of the Islands through support to businesses most impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Under a UNDP-supported project led by the country office in Kingston, Jamaica, the 40 grants valued at a total US$ 40,000 were disbursed over the period 4-8 May 2018.  UNDP has partnered with the Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) in TCI to facilitate the administration of the grants specifically to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Recognizing the role played by small businesses in the TCI economy and the many small families dependent on the quick recovery of these businesses, UNDP found it prudent to put its support behind recovery assistance to MSMEs, UNDP Resident Representative Bruno Pouezat has emphasized.

The 40 micro grants will support structural repairs and replacement of inventory for MSMEs, 22 of which are owned by women. Grantees include pest control companies, farmers, fishermen, taxis, schools, restaurants, manufacturers, vacation rentals and retail establishments in TCI.

The 40 grantees are also a part of a group of 60 MSMEs who will participate in all-island Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Contingency Planning workshops which are also funded by UNDP and coordinated by the CED in partnership with the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME).   The workshops will be delivered by mid-May and are designed to strengthen the resilience of MSMEs in responding to natural disasters.  CED Director Mrs. Sophia Thomas remarked that “the training was certainly timely, relevant and empowered participants with the tools to assist MSMEs.  CED is certainly grateful to UNDP and the other partnerships on this initiative that would eventually make our clients more resilient to natural disasters.”

Support for the training will be provided by 15 representatives of the Turks and Caicos Island Government (TCIG) who participated in a three day Training of Trainers Workshop last week in Providenciales.  Participants included representatives from DDME, the CED, District Commissioners, Red Cross, Ministry of Agriculture and teachers.  The training was delivered by Jacinda Fairholm, Regional DRR Advisor in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Feedback on the training was positive, according to the workshop facilitators. One participant anonymously indicated, “I intend to use the training to help communities to develop their plans and understand how planning for disaster and risk reduction can save money and gain them a greater peace of mind in event of impacts”.  Another participant wrote: “I will definitely apply it to my department in creating a contingency plan and extend it to businesses in my community”.

The UNDP country office’s support to TCI’s post hurricane recovery effort also includes the creation of a Debris and Waste Management Plan comprising medium to long-term management and recycling strategies and support to Government’s disaster recovery and resilience plans.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands in September 2017, severely damaging the islands of South Caicos, Grand Turk and Salt Cay.

The UNDP country office in Kingston serves Jamaica, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.

 

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RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

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On March 21st, 2024, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force joined the international, regional and local communities in observing World Down Syndrome Day. 

Officers showed their support by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to raise awareness. 

The head of the Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Grantley Williams, Training Manager Mrs Odessa Forbes and Media Relations Officer Denyse Renne visited the SNAP Centre and interacted with the students.

In a message to the TCI community, the RTCIPF noted that stereotypes perpetuate stigma and hinder inclusion, preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. 

Instead, the RTCIPF calls for individuals to foster an environment of acceptance and support where everyone is valued for who they are. 

By breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions, we can create a more inclusive society where individuals with Down Syndrome are empowered to live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities and, by extension, the TCI. 

As law enforcement officers, we must protect and serve all members of society, regardless of their abilities. 

Let’s work together to ensure that individuals with Down Syndrome are treated with dignity and respect and that their rights are upheld.

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CARICOM speaks out on Climate Change, looking to May meeting to amplify call for Climate Funding

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March 3, 2024

 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains on the frontlines of global climate crisis, an issue the Region has been aggressively advocating on for the past thirty years. Despite the many commitments and promises of international partners, the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.

Heads of Government are concerned that while COP 28 was widely regarded as a historic event, with the completion of the first global stocktake (GST), on progress in achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, the outcomes of GST show that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties will not keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

Heads of Government also expressed concern to be heading to COP 29 where a New Finance Goal will be articulated to replace the 100bn goal, which has not yet been met, even as developing countries require trillions to deal with the escalating impacts of climate change. Developed country parties have not provided enough finance at scale, technology and capacity building support required to help developing countries tackle their pressing needs to build their resilience, especially in adapting to the adverse and increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change. The clear absence of definitive timelines for action and quantitative commitments for scaling up of investments, and particularly adaptation finance emerging out of COP 28, cause great concern to our Region.

The Conference noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), recognized as the most vulnerable group of countries and a special case for sustainable development, have been facing strong push back against the recognition of their special circumstances especially in the context of climate finance. There is limited international support for special allocations for SIDS within financing arrangements and available climate finance from international and private sources is limited, expensive and too onerous to access.

In light of the preceding, Heads of Government called for CARICOM to take a strategic, unified and coordinated approach to ensure that the Region remains influential in the climate and development arena through engagements with key partners and advocacy groups.

They called for renewed focus by the Region to advocate for inclusion of forests, nature-based solutions and blue carbon into market mechanisms with the aim of articulating clear regional positions and strategies.

Heads of Government reiterated the call for improved readiness programmes, simplified approval procedures, a change to the criteria for determining access to low-cost finance, and for the adoption of programmatic approaches to address the bottlenecks in accessing finance.

The Region reiterates its support for the Bridgetown Initiative’s call to expand capital adequacy of international financial institutions.

Heads recognized that the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 – 30 May 2024, will be an inflection point for many of these discussions to be articulated. As such, the Region remains committed to participating in the Conference at the highest level.

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TCI News

South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

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On Monday, 12 February 2024, the Premier led a delegation to tour the island of South Caicos to view the ongoing public and private sector projects, involving the remodelling and rebranding of the airport terminals, historical districts, and the East Bay Hotel.

The tour of the various developments reinforced the Government’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to boost the island’s activity and economy.

Photos courtesy of the TCI Office of the Premier

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