KINGSTON, April 17 (JIS): 

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, says significant progress has been made with the publishing of names of the members of the Transitional Presidential Council for Haiti.

The names of the members were published on April 16 in the Le Moniteur. Haiti has been experiencing a humanitarian, security, socio-economic and political crisis.

Establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council for Haiti was the landmark outcome following a high-level meeting of regional Heads, international partners, and Haitian stakeholders on Haiti, on March 11, which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power and the road to free and fair elections.

The high-level meeting was hosted by Jamaica and chaired by Guyana.

“The landmark outcome was the document which sets out the agreement to establish a transitional presidential council, comprised of seven voting members and two non-voting members, and the agreement that, on the establishment of the Council and their naming of a Prime Minister, Prime Minister (Ariel) Henry and his Council of Ministers would resign, paving the way for a new political process towards new free and fair democratic elections,” the Minister said.

Senator Johnson Smith was speaking today (April 17), at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

“I just wanted to update that the process made significant progress yesterday (April 16), when the official decree naming the members was published in Le Moniteur in Haiti, as required by their legal procedures,” she stated.

She noted that queries arose when the decree was previously published without naming the members of the Council.

“The Council members have now been named… which we believe will set a new path, or rather a new energy behind the process which is under way,” the Minister said.

“There are still some issues that are being sorted out in terms of the content of the decree, but it has included the criteria that had been agreed in the outcome declaration of March 11, and does set the way for the next procedural steps on the path back to democracy,” she added.

The Minister noted, too, that a political accord has been developed by the Transitional Council, which builds out their areas of responsibility and sets a framework for how they will function.

“So, that has built a lot of confidence, in the sense that there is clarity around how it is they plan to vote internally and operate the areas of focus, including, of course, the establishment of the Provisional Electoral Council and a National Security Council that will manage arrangements in respect of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, which has been authorised by the UN,” she said.

Senator Johnson Smith encouraged members of the international community to provide support for Haiti.

“The partners continue to meet; the US, of course, has been the primary proponent of funding for the MSS, but we continue to encourage all members of the international community to provide support, even as they are providing support to other conflicts across the world. We also continue to thank Kenya for their willingness to lead the initiative,” she said.

The Minister said training for the multinational mission that will provide support to  the Haitian National Police Force is also progressing.

“So again, I remind this is not an intervention. It is not a military intervention. It is not a takeover. It is a provision of necessary and practical support to  a national police force that is outgunned and outmanned in the face of criminal gangs,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

The Minister noted that training is going well.  “We have 59 members of the Royal Bahamian Defence Force, 50 members of the Belizian Defence Force here training at the JDF with support and engagement by members of the Canadian Defence Force, who again are all here in partnership, looking at how we can work towards restoring peace and stability in Haiti to set the stage for free and fair elections,” she said.

CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON

Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer

With the ongoing conflict between Guyana and Venezuela, reports indicate that Guyana is strengthening its military capabilities, acquiring equipment from overseas.

The most recent development is the signing of a $42 million deal with France, to acquire an offshore military patrol vessel set to be put in commission in 2025 alongside two metal shark military patrol vessels from the United States, that are scheduled to arrive in a matter of weeks, as highlighted in reports.

Venezuela, weeks ago, in the Netherlands, filed a legal defense for its claims to Essequibo at the World  Court and ironically, this agreement between Guyana and France came the same day, mere hours ahead of Venezuela’s plans.

Venezuela’s move was highlighted on the social media platform X by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who expressed that documents will be presented showing Venezuela’s right for Essequibo.

She described the arrival of the Venezuelan delegation in the Netherlands as one to “deliver the historical truth.”

This came after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 1, 2023, ordered that Venezuela must not take any action that could alter the status quo in Essequibo.

Speaking at a recent military officers conference, President Irfaan Ali expressed that his country’s current efforts are a show of its dedication to defend itself.

“As we grow, the threats are going to become more sophisticated. While we are a peaceful state, no one should underestimate our resolve at protecting our territory and safeguarding national sovereignty. Let not our peaceful intent be mistaken for weakness. As I said recently, we will not bend to threats nor cower in the face of intimidation,” he maintained according to reports.

Additionally, Guyana has ordered medium range helicopters, four of them, from the Bell Corporation of Texas as well as night vision tech and long range drones among other high tech equipment.

Adding to that are transport planes from India. In fact, in recent weeks, on March 31st, Ali posted on Facebook that two Dornier 228 planes arrived from The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), to the Guyana Defence Force, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

These are major developments for Guyana which arrived after top western and American government officials visited the island over the past few months. Included in the list of visitors are U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, CIA Director William. J. Burns and  U.S. Southern Military Commander General, Laura Richardson.

For Immediate Release

April 11, 2024

The Sandals Corporate University (SCU) continues to make significant strides through their multimillion-US dollar project with EON Reality following a recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Global Campus (UWIGC) and the SCU.

The two-year agreement will allow both institutions to work together to explore and implement mutually rewarding initiatives focused on the development of extended reality projects, using the EON Reality platform.

The MoU, signed during a ceremony hosted at Sandals Barbados, provides a framework for The UWI Global Campus and the SCU to facilitate further cooperation in education and training initiatives across the Caribbean region. Dr. Luz Longsworth, Senior Corporate Director for the SCU, described the event as a historical one, where two great organizations come together to achieve great things. “Both institutions have much in common which allows us to join forces to impact the sustainability of our region. We focus on the development and education of our people and countries of this beautiful Caribbean. This MoU will create a framework for the SCU and The UWI Global Campus to work towards coordinating digital and technology related projects and initiatives across campuses and across the Sandals group.”

Dr. Longsworth went on to share the major areas the MoU will cover, “The UWI Global Campus will provide technical input and subject matter expertise for the development of 3D assets and 360-degree experiences in the development of hospitality training content specifically relating to rooms, food and beverage, bookings, watersports, and others. In turn, the SCU and Sandals will provide internship programmes for students, faculty, and staff at various levels. The MoU also makes provisions for collaborating with other institutions to foster an appreciation of new and emerging technological opportunities in the hospitality industry and to help in the understanding of how tourism can aid in environmental protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Finally, it will facilitate the use of technology, including without limitation, AR, VR, XR and AI to boost corporate social responsibility efforts,” she added.

Dr Francis O. Severin, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Global Campus, expressed his gratitude for this revolutionary opportunity to collaborate with the SCU. He shared, “in 2021 The UWI Global Campus made a decision to invest in advanced digital skills for its faculty to help prepare students academically for emerging digital technologies. It is even more important now to introduce and encourage skills to leverage platforms and technologies to generate digitally created goods and services for global audiences. This allows us to eliminate traditional barriers to productive participation like location, gender, and disabilities. These are the values we hold true which opens opportunities to collaborate with likeminded organizations. By harmoniously weaving into the teaching, technological and applied research capacities of the University through XR, AI and other emerging platforms alongside the SCU, we have no doubt we will be better able to support the movement of the Caribbean curriculum.”

He concluded by stating that The UWI Global Campus’ intention is to establish an immersive learning centre for staff, students, and stakeholders to learn, train and perform as efficiently and effectively as possible. “This will be the first of its kind for the region and will usher in a new approach to education and training that engages learners in experiential environments,” he said.

So far, both parties have already begun working on its first of many initiatives, the Digital Immersive Virtual Enhancement (DIVE) Project. Through this project, recorded experiences showcasing coral reefs, dive spots and protected areas will be used to showcase the beauty of underwater experience for tourism purposes but also used to protect the environment through training. It serves as a response to ecological challenges facing our region due to climate change, human impact, and natural disasters.