Caribbean News
DDME MINISTERIAL HANDOVER FROM MIBS TO NSS
#TurksandCaicos, February 7, 2023 – On Thursday, January 19, 2023, as part of implementing the Ministerial Portfolio reassignments, the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services conducted a Ministerial Handover Meeting with The National Security Secretariat to officially Handover the Department of Disaster Management and
Emergencies (DDME).
Ministry of Immigration and Border Services, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Emilio Seymour, directly responsible for the DDME, chaired the handover meeting with National Security Secretariat (NSS), Permanent Secretary, Mr. Tito Lightbourne, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Dr Virginia Clerveaux, Mrs. Allison Gordon, Director of DDME and other DDME staff members in attendance.
Reflecting on his experience overseeing the DDME, DPS Seymour stated that he now has a greater appreciation for Disaster Risk Management on a National level and the vast scope of work the Department aims to achieve. Following lessons learnt from the national response to Hurricane Fiona, DPS Seymour pledged to continue advocating for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in TCI by encouraging every department under the Ministry’s portfolio to allocate a dedicated budget line to invest in mitigation and preparedness to support emergency and disaster operations.
Permanent Secretary Lightbourne welcomed the team to the NSS and shared his expectation for the Department. This Department realignment will provide a more significant opportunity for NSS to support DDME as the lead institution designed to build and facilitate resilience throughout the Government to protect our Turks and Caicos
Islands. In addition, the NSS will support the DDME in the coordination and strategic realization of risk reduction objectives on a national level. He stated, “NSS’s mission is to support DDME’s priorities for action and ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation. Together we will help facilitate the mission of strengthening existing resources and established practices for more effective disaster risk reduction.”
Mrs. Gordon, Director of DDME, ended her presentation with many thanks to the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services for their support and guidance to DDME. She also stated, “the DDME is off to a great start with our new parent, The National Security Secretariat. We look forward to a very productive and rewarding tenure as we foster new partnerships and investments in Disaster Risks Reduction to build a resilient future for these Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Captions:
Header: (Left to Right) DDME, Hazards Mitigation Manager (Ag.) Kevern De Bellott, NSS, PS Tito Lightbourne, DDME Director Allison Gordon, MIBS DPS Emilio Seymour, DDME PIMM Joanna Wilson-Forbes, DDME Training Officer Patrina Pollard-Harris
insert: The National Security Secretariat, Permanent Secretary Tito Lightbourne, receives the DDME Ministerial Brief Report from the Ministry of Immigration and Boarder Services, Deputy Permanent Secretary Emilio Seymour (3rd from left), and Welcomes DDME Director, Mrs Allison Gordon and Team (2nd from Left).
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Revenue from the Turks and Caicos’ Financial Services Sector will more than double in the next few years, if E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister gets his way. It ‘s one of the reasons the country is investing so much capital into getting off of the EU blacklist and becoming a secure trustworthy financial destination.
“The FSC’s revenues for 2020/21 was $10.5M— the figures for 2021/22, would be about similar,” he said. He further explained that $10.5 million from the FSC represented about 2.6 percent of the country’s 408.5-million-dollar
revenue. Though it increased to $14 million in the 2021/22 financial year, finance is still a small fry compared to tourism or even stamp duties but that will change, says Saunders.
“My revenue goal for the Government by the year 2029 [or] the election after the next election – is $500M. By that time, I want the financial sector (FSC) revenues to represent at least 5% ($25M). So that’s my goal for the financial sector by 2029.”
This goal, should it be met, would increase the Government’s revenue by 100 million dollars, a significant increase in spending power for local upgrades and improvements for Turks and Caicos residents and visitors.
Saunders says it’s time for the TCI to diversify its sources of revenue to make sure that what happened in the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw residents out of a job for months, will not happen again. Tourism now makes up around 80 percent of the country’s GDP. The Minister of Finance wants to push that down to 60 or even 50 percent.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#Haiti, March 17, 2023 – When a CARICOM delegation visited Haiti earlier this month, conspicuously absent was the Turks and Caicos Islands despite being one of the nations most directly affected by the multi-dimensional crisis there. There is no comment, as yet from the Premier, to say why this was the case.
Still, from the expedition, CARICOM heads of Government have informed that there will be lobbying in Africa for assistance in Haiti. They say they have decided that the best course of action for the Caribbean country is to bolster the Haitian National Police and act as intermediaries with Africa and the world. The decision follows a one day visit on February 27th, and a March 5th meeting chaired by the Bahamas.
CARICOM says during the trip delegates ‘met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on the
way forward to a Haitian-led solution’. With that in mind it has made a decision on how to proceed.
“The Heads of Government agreed to support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to address the security situation. The focus of the Community will be the provision of training for the HNP and the provision of humanitarian assistance to HNP and the wider Haitian society, taking into account the challenging humanitarian and security situation”
It’s not clear yet where and how this training will take place. Also distinctly absent from the report, no more mention of boots on the ground from other countries despite CARICOM Member States indicating they were ready and willing should it come to that.
In addition, recognizing ‘the common historical experiences and the strong African-Caribbean relationship’ CARICOM says,
“Heads of Government also agreed to seek support from African countries for Haiti. They also agreed to work with the Governments of Canada and the United States as well as the UNDP”
Magnetic Media has reached out to the Premier’s Office to get a full debrief of the February 27th visit (led by Jamaica; including The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago) to learn of Turks and Caicos’ posture following the critical sessions.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Musicians from the New World Symphony will be in the Turks and Caicos in concert next month and residents are invited to attend in support of the future of Ashley’s Learning Center. 
A fairly young orchestral academy based in Miami, the New World Symphony was launched in the 1980s by 1987, Michael Tilson Thomas and Ted Arison,Carnival Cruises founder. From the 1500 applicants who vie for a spot each year, the symphony accepts around 35 music graduates annually for training fellowships.
A select few of those graduates will be in country on April 8th headlining at the Ashley’s Learning Center concert ‘We’re all in this together’. The concert which also feature local artistes will be held at Brayton Hall on Venetian Road from 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Tickets are available ON ISLEHELP $75 PER GENERAL SEAT $125 PER PREMIUM SEAT $195 PER GALLERY SEAT – with /FREFRESHMENTS.
For TICKET RESERVATIONs you can call: 649-341-2304 or email EVENTS@ASHLEYSLEARNINGCENTER.ORG
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