Caribbean News

JAMAICA: Canada Gives Grants to Local Organizations to Advance Gender Equality

Published

4 years ago

December 3, 2019

#Kingston, 4 December 2019 – Jamaica – The High Commission of Canada in Jamaica has offered five grants to local organisations to advance gender equality, peace and security in the communities they serve across the island. They are the Boxing Board of Jamaica, National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica, Peace Management Initiative, Institute of Law and Economics, and Advocates for Change.

The Boxing Board will use the funds to teach boxing skills to boys, girls, young men and young women through the Gloves over Guns initiative; the National Youth Orchestra is to use the funds to establish a Music Centre for Girls in Kingston and St. Andrew; and the Peace Management Initiative will use the funds to build the capacity of women from St. Catherine to be anti-violence advocates through the ‘Mothers Against Gun Violence’ initiative.

Also, the Institute of Law and Economics will use the money to build the gender-responsiveness of Case Managers to support the socio-economic reintegration of girls and women leaving correctional institutions across Jamaica; and Advocates for Change will spend the money to support young fathers through the Developing Able Dads (DADs) Project.

Funding has been granted under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), which is a facility through which Canada provides modest sums for small-scale and high-impact projects across the globe.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, thanked the High Commission for the donations on behalf of the organisations, at a ceremony held at the Commission’s offices on West King’s House Road, in Kingston. She said the money will be used by each organisation for gender-equality activities.

“This is an important initiative centred around gender, and the fact that the funds will be used to assist community groups and [their] initiatives is just a very wonderful thing. It’s done during this period of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. It’s really an appropriate time for the grants,” Ms. Grange told JIS News.

“The funds will assist young dads [and] young women who have been in penal institutions… with programmes in sports, such as ‘Gloves over Guns’ [which is an initiative of the Boxing Board of Jamaica], where young men and women, in this case, are being assisted with the development of boxing [as opposed to engaging in gun violence],” she said.

High Commissioner of Canada, Laurie Peters, said that “the initiative enables Canada to invest in communities by funding grassroots organisations that address vulnerabilities, build resilience and sustainability in communities across Jamaica”.

She further added that every year, the High Commission provides support to local organisations through the CFLI to implement projects aligned with empowering women and girls and promoting gender equality, championing human rights, inclusive and accountable governance, peace and democracy.

For this tranche of the programme, the High Commission received more than 50 project proposals. The selected projects will be implemented with the funds by the end of March 2020.

Contact: Ainsworth Morris

Release: JIS

Photo Caption:

Header: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, addresses media representatives at the High Commission of Canada, in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3). Listening at left is High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters. Occasion was the award of grants to five local organisations to advance gender equality.

1st insert: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (left), speaks with High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters, at the High Commission in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3). Occasion was the award of grants to five local organisations to advance gender equality.

2nd insert: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (centre); Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (fifth left) and High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters (sixth left), with representatives of organisations which have been awarded grants by Canada to advance gender equality. The ceremony took place at the High Commission of Canada, in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3).

Photo: Rudranath Fraser

Caribbean News

CARICOM pushes need for Reparations Tribunal at Forum in Geneva

Published

1 hour ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer

Words are in circulation in support for the establishment of an international tribunal, geared towards seeking reparations for centuries long transatlantic slave trade, after a CARICOM official made calls at the third session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

During day two of the gathering held from April 16 to 19, 2024, David Comissiong, Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, stated there is a need for the tribunal as there is currently no international court to deal with the issues of reparations.

Commision, like the other members that support his view, according to reports, are aware this won’t be an easy feat, as he expressed that establishing the tribunal would require a “positive decision” by the UN General Assembly, further calling on the officials at the Forum and the UN, to come together through international collaboration and “make this happen.”

The idea creation of the tribunal was born last year 2023, suggested by the PFPAD, now reiterated by Comissiong.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, in a video, addressing the opening of the forum, supported the ongoing calls for respiratory efforts, a sentiment not shared by many.

Mentioning that racism is still an issue in today’s society, Guterres said, “ now we must build on that momentum, to drive meaningful change by ensuring that people of African descent enjoy the full and equal realization of their human rights; by stepping up efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination, including through reparations.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM sends warning as Oil prices creep higher in the Israel v Iran conflict; 14 regional states import energy

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer

The recent attack on the Sate of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran, has delivered growing uncertainty across the Caribbean region, and the rest of the global economy.

Chief among the many concerns, is the free flow of oil from the Middle East, which stands at 31% of daily production for the global economy. At minimum, shipping costs are likely to increase based on the increased risk of military action in the Persian Gulf.

Pressure is also building on US and European insurance clubs to avoid any transaction, including those with China, that involve Iranian crude and additional rerouting of oil and gas shipments in response to Houthi threats, or Allied responses.

According to the Caribbean Community Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), “these developments not only exacerbate the already tense situation but also pose significant threats to regional stability and international peace,” the group warned in a media statement.

It added that the continued cycle of retaliation, including the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s “disproportionate response” in Gaza, and the “alarming new dimension of direct confrontations between Israel and Iran, leads to an untenable situation fraught with potential for greater regional conflict and global instability.

“The human toll of this conflict, highlighted by tragic incidents such as deaths and injuries to children, demand an immediate and empathetic response from the global community. It is imperative that there be no further escalation that can lead to more suffering and instability,” it said.

While calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the regional body underscored that it strongly urges both nations to halt any further military actions that could worsen the situation, endangering not only their own populations but also the broader international community.

“We implore all parties to consider the severe consequences of further conflict and to commit to diplomatic solutions that ensure the safety, sovereignty, and dignity of all people involved,” the CARICOM statement said.

On October 6, 2023, the day before Hamas attacked Israel, the international benchmark Brent crude was trading at $85 per barrel and has been fluctuating at up to $96.

On Thursday, it traded at $91 per barrel. With the exception of gas-rich Trinidad and Tobago, the 14 other countries of CARICOM, are energy importers.

Approximately 93 percent of the region’s energy needs are met by oil imports, which average 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Caribbean News

Gov’t Committed to Seeking Reparations for Chattel Slavery – Minister Grange

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 16 (JIS):

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the Jamaican Government remains committed to seeking reparations for the prolonged period of chattel enslavement endured by the African forefathers on the country’s plantations.

Minister Grange said that the historical events of the transatlantic slave trade continue to have a lasting impact on Black communities to this day.

She contended that the ongoing struggles to finance education and healthcare, address poverty and housing issues, respond to economic shocks and climate change impacts, and foster peaceful societies are all rooted in the historical legacy of enslavement.

Minister Grange was addressing a church service on Sunday (April 14) at the Webster Memorial United Church in St. Andrew, where an apology was issued on behalf of the United Reform Church (URC) in the United Kingdom (UK) by Moderator of the Assembly of the URC, Reverend Tessa Henry-Robinson, for the church’s historical involvement in slavery.

“We, the general assembly of the United Reform Church, mindful of our own history and that of our antecedent bodies, wish to confess and apologise for our role in transatlantic slavery and the scars which continue to blight our society, our church and the lives of Black people in our midst and around the globe today,” the apology read.

Minister Grange, in accepting the apology, urged UK churches, particularly those whose representatives were present for the historic apology in Jamaica, to communicate to their government the ethical imperative of admitting culpability through an apology and working with Jamaica to discern the potential avenues for reparations.

She said that the church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade has had significant and enduring effects on Black communities, impacting society, the church itself, and the lives of Black individuals worldwide.

“It is this complicity of the church that gave solace and comfort to the citizens and governments of UK and Europe as they endorsed and defended with their military project, that saw the capture, the torture, the dehumanisation, and devaluation of African people, legacies of which we experience today as racism, white supremacy, and discrimination,” she stated.

“We struggle to build peaceful, stable societies because of the perpetration of violence which was the platform on which enslavement was executed yet, in spite of this, we have been good converts to these same religions. Our people have adopted and adapted the doctrines and rituals of these new religions and in many instances have energised and revitalised them with cultural practices of African spirituality,” the Minister emphasised.

The URC is a community of Christians gathering in local churches across England, Scotland, and Wales, and is part of the global family of Reformed Churches, comprising more than 70 million Christians.

With approximately 42,000 members in around 1,200 congregations, supported by more than 600 ministers, the URC plays a significant role in the spiritual and communal life of its members and the broader community.

CONTACT: BRITNEY STEVENS