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National Security, Housing; issued broached by TCI Premier at Freeport Diaspora Meeting

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By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

#TurksandCaicos, February 24, 2023

Housing Concerns

The issue of insufficient housing must be addressed, admitted TCI Premier, if there is to be a population boom in the Turks and Caicos Islands.  The country’s leader was hosting his second diaspora meeting in The Bahamas; this time in Freeport, Grand Bahama amidst an immigration push to attract third-generation Turks and Caicos Islanders.

“The need for housing is expanding so rapidly that we estimate we’re going to need around 600 houses per year for the foreseeable future,” he explained.

The announcement came within weeks of bi-lateral exchange between Jamell Robinson, the TCI Minister of Physical Planning, and Infrastructure Development and JoBeth Colby-Davis, Bahamian Minister of Transport and Housing.

The Premier described the potential of a housing shortage as a point of serious concern for his government.

“In inviting people from the diaspora to come to TCI and this is my greatest fear, the shortage of accommodation”

Turks and Caicos Islanders are well aware of the issue, having complained bitterly for years about the shortage in land and housing and subsequent high costs for rent.

The housing policy of the Turks and Caicos Islands is literally, ‘under construction’ along with the new Crown Land Recommendations which are ready to be written into law. Both emphasize the building of turnkey-ready apartment-like homes in areas identified as suited for building properly outfitted communities.

It has been strongly intimated, accomplishing this, would enable the government to slow down the sale of what little Crown Land remains and modernize the living conditions for the thousands of residents often subjected to sub-par residential living.

Sharing National Security Database

As the Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas deepen their connection, some fear criminals will use the countries as escape routes; hopping from one island to the other perpetrating offences and dodging authorities.  Premier of the Turks and Caicos, Washington Misick, was challenged about the notion and aimed to allay those fears at a diaspora meeting in Grand Bahama on February 18th.

The Premier shared that the Governments had already recognized this as an issue and information sharing would be set up in tangible ways to put a wrench in the current “ease with which people can hide away in the TCI , and people from our country can hideaway in the Bahamas and shield themselves from the law.”

“One thing we have been working on, is to be able to have our shared database and other information with the Turks and Caicos islands, and the Bahamas security and Police Force” he said

He also maintained that the influx of TC Bahamians was not responsible for the increase in crime.

“The last spike that we had here was a TI Bahamian, who was involved in the but it wouldn’t be fair to say that is the reason. We’ve had a number of Turks and Caicos Bahamians who have gotten themselves in trouble, but that is probably no more other people from different countries”

He referenced the case of Brandon Rahming, whom he said, as he understood it, had been wanted in The Bahamas before he entered the Turks and Caicos participating, what Police believed was a gang-fuelled killing spree.

“I know of situations where people have skipped bail and come to The Bahamas as well” he said. The country leader emphasized that collaboration was ongoing, even now, to fix the security gaps between two countries.

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RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

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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.

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

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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.

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TCI News

South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

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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

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