Connect with us

Uncategorized

JAMAICA: OCG Engaging Young People

Published

on

#Jamaica, May 04, 2018 – Montego Bay – The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) is targeting young people as part of measures to address corruption.  Contractor General, Dirk Harrison, said there is a direct link between corruption and crime, and the objective is to steer the youth from making bad choices.

“While not saying we have given up on the adults, we are now really making a concerted effort to engage our youngsters,” he noted.  “Last year, we went into all four juvenile (institutions) over a four-week period to engage the youth.  We have to think differently.  We can’t expect to do the same things over and over and expect to get different results,” Mr. Harrison added.

He was speaking during Wednesday’s (May 2) session of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) conference, which is being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.  Mr. Harrison, who heads the entity formed 31 years ago to ensure transparency in the public procurement process, stressed that there has to be a new way of thinking as it relates to stemming the flow of corruption.

“We have to start looking at the landscape and take an analytical look at what is before us. That is what my office has been doing and will continue to do,” he said.

“The landscape is very important. We have to understand the context in which we are operating.  Oftentimes, we speak of the cost of corruption…what is the loss.  I am looking at it from a different angle.  I am looking at it from what is happening out there.  How many contracts have been awarded –we have that information.  To whom the contracts have been awarded – we have that information.  Are there variations…are there cost overruns?” he pointed out.

“We have to ask ourselves … is there a correlation between a particular person, who keeps getting a contract over and over again?  Is the process transparent?  Is it something that can stand scrutiny?” he noted further.

The ACCP conference is being held over five days from April 30 to May 4 and has attracted Commissioners of Police and other stakeholders from 25 countries across the region.

 

Release: JIS

Continue Reading

Uncategorized

RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Uncategorized

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

TCI News

South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

TRENDING