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BTC Celebrates International Women’s Day, Embrace Equity

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Embrace Equity was the theme for International Women’s Day 2023. With this in mind, the leadership core of the Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) resort embarked on a drive to encourage its team members, especially the women, to embrace equity for all. This mission seeks to help the world to recognise that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to each for an equal outcome.

General Manager James McAnally shared, “As a resort we recruit and promote based on merit and this has been clear with our leadership structure. We are currently empowering our women leaders with 70% of our supervisors and close to 60% of our managers being females. As leaders within this industry, the women who have been tasked with managing the workforce have provided unparalleled guidance to the almost 1800 team members.”

While the team at Beaches Turks and Caicos celebrate training and growth, the influence of the women leaders has created a mentorship programme that has helped in molding the lives of younger women leaders. Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions at the resort, Tanya Swann in sharing her vision for the programme added, “Every woman needs another woman to be the support and mentor at different times in their life. Having a strong friend will always give you a chance to know that there is someone who understands the challenges or success being experienced. Here at the resort, we have a bond where women leaders provide guidance for younger women in the industry and this has been working for us in helping to groom younger leaders within the resort, as empowered women, empower other women.”

Hotel Manager, Sharon Fagon noted, “Within this industry, women have broken the bias and have embraced equity in how we lead. While empowering my team members, I am firm and fair in dealing with everyone and this experience has allowed the team to value and appreciate my role as a leader. I continue to mentor and train other young leaders especially women to strive for the highest positions within the industry and know that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to doing.”

While agreeing that there is need for change within the work force, Human Resources Manager Owenta Coleby added, “. At BTC we continue to effect change in our society and the workforce by empowering a strong team of women leaders within this industry through our mentorship programme.

Audie Johnson, supervisor in the housekeeping department while admitting that being a strong woman leader is possible, it takes hard work to achieve what is needed to survive. “As women leaders we have to be mindful of not getting too complacent in what we do in our work areas or our communities. We must be conscious of the fact that we are working as a team and there is no one person who can create major change without the support of those around us. Let us be patient as we grasp every learning opportunity and help to build others.

 

Release: BTC

Photo Captions:

Header: BTC Ladies Embrace Equity

Insert: BTC Director of Sales and Conventions Tanya Swann (left) and Human Resources Manager Owenta Coleby share the message ‘Embrace Equity’ for International Women’s Day 2023

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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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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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Ministry of Tourism continues to get rid of dilapidated structures

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By LINDSAY THOMPSON

Bahamas Information Services

NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation is continuing to rid areas of derelict and dilapidated structures posing safety problems, and a threat to the overall tourism product.

In this vein the recent structure to be demolished was the Gaming Board building owned by the Hotel Corporation.  Located adjacent to Goodman’s Bay Beach on West Bay Street, it was formerly the Sir Harry Oakes property; the northern portion once housed Bahamas Information Services for several years.

 


On hand to witness the demolition were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation the Hon. Chester Cooper, and Senator Randy Rolle, Global Consultant, MOTIA.

The demolition started on Monday, February 5, 2024 by Virgo Construction headed by the contractor Terry Delancy.  

DPM Cooper explained that the government felt the Gaming Board building should no longer sit there in a derelict manner, and continue to be an eyesore and pose safety concerns.

“Goodman’s Bay will be enhanced as a result of getting rid of this building. It will be more aesthetically pleasing for residents who traverse this area. Women who walk in the mornings in particular through these areas will be pleased to see that this has become a green space, rather than a derelict structure,” he said.

DPM Cooper also noted that his ministry consulted broadly with the Antiquities, Monuments & Museums Corporation (AMMC), and other historians before proceeding with demolition.

“We are sure not to take any actions as it relates to buildings, without consultation. So they were very comfortable with the process and we continue to work closely with them on all of the buildings that we have demolished in the downtown area,” he said.

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