Caribbean News
US $6.45Million GOJ/UN Project to be implemented in Kingston and Claredon
#Jamaica, March 21, 2018 – Kingston – The standard of living of 43,000 residents of Northern Clarendon and Western Kingston is expected to significantly improve under a US$6.45 million project to be jointly implemented over the next three years by several United Nations (UN) agencies in partnership with the Government of Jamaica and civil society.
The project, dubbed “Strengthening Human Resilience in Northern Clarendon and West Kingston”, is the first such being implemented, and will focus on building resilience in several areas based on extensive assessments of challenges in the targeted communities.
These include limited access to clean and potable water; the inability to effectively mitigate climate change and natural hazards; persistent poverty; and lack of access to social services, which the UN has identified as foremost threats to the residents’ welfare.
Consequently, the initiative is tailored to strengthen local and community governance bodies, with youth participation being incorporated to design and oversee interventions; and enhance economic, food and nutritional security by creating a climate-resilient agriculture sector and diversified local economy.
It also aims to improve environmental, health and water security to safeguard communities against preventable illnesses such as waterborne and sanitation-related diseases and ensure efficient and sustainable use of natural resources; and strengthen the institutional capacities of the Government and community stakeholders to mainstream the human security approach in Jamaica’s development strategies.
The human security approach, according to the UN General Assembly, underscores the need for protection and empowerment strategies that are people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented.
Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who spoke at the launch at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston on March 12, welcomed the project which he said will significantly benefit the residents.
The Minister said he is particularly pleased that the project will target strengthening of local and community governance bodies, as well as address water issues. He further noted that the initiative will complement the activities of agencies already working in the targeted communities, to enhance the lives of residents.
“We are looking forward to the elevation of living standards and the enhancement of human dignity… through this joint programme,” Mr. McKenzie said.
Meanwhile, Chief of the UN Human Security Unit, Mehrnaz Mostafavi, expressed confidence that the project will successfully leverage the human security approach towards a new way of advancing progress on the country’s long-term National Development Plan – Vision 2030 Jamaica.
“By taking an integrated approach to improve water, sanitation and natural resource management, the programme will create synergies of expertise towards environmentally sustainable livelihoods. At the same time, by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities, the programme promotes concrete improvements in the daily lives of the (residents),” she said.
Ms. Mostafavi further noted that by linking elements of protection, inclusion and empowerment, the project provides useful insights and mechanisms for combining policy and community-level efforts to realise the outcomes of Vision 2030.
“We are happy to help strengthen efforts to mainstream human security as part of development planning in Jamaica,” she added
Ms. Mostafavi also expressed the hope that the project will provide practical guidance on how the United Nations system can strengthen its integrated support to disaster-prone communities in their implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The SDGs are 17 global goals set by the UN which focus on addressing wide-ranging social and economic development issues. These include poverty, hunger, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, the environment and social justice.
UN Resident Coordinator in Jamaica, Bruno Pouezat, said in formulating the project, “we (not only) consulted with Government, but also visited communities to listen to their concerns and make sure to incorporate them for action”.
May Pen’s Mayor, Councillor Winston Maragh, also welcomed the project “wholeheartedly”, noting his satisfaction that it will deal with the main challenge of water accessibility.
“We are really grateful for such a project, and we look forward to working with the entire team,” he said.
Funding for the project includes US$2.94 million being provided by the Government and US$1.65 million from the UN bodies through the UN Trust Fund for Human Security.
The local partners are: the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Social Development Commission, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, Clarendon Municipal Corporation, and Clarendon Parish Development Committee.
The UN partners are: the UN Trust Fund for Human Security; Food and Agriculture Organization; Pan American Health Authority; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Environment Programme; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; UN Women; and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme.
By: Elecia Smith (JIS)
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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