Press Release 

Washington, USA, April 26, 2024 – Hon. Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture, signs CADE declarations at the General Assembly American Sports Council, CADE 2024 held in Washington DC, USA.

The Sport meetings commenced on Thursday, 25th April and continued through Friday, 26th April, 2024. There were three meetings held during the two days: A bi-lateral meeting hosted by the USA for English Speaking Caribbean countries; CONCECADE (Meeting for Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean); and CADE (meeting with South America, Central America, and the Caribbean and North America).

Accompanying the Minister were the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr. Amin McCartney, and the Director/CEO of the TCI Sports Commission, Mr. Jarrett Forbes. Sport leaders from thirty (30) plus countries from across South America, Central America, North America, and the Caribbean were present.

Amongst the topics discussed were: a report from the recently hosted Pan-American and Parapan-American Games in Santiago Chile 2023 and its legacies; Jamaica’s approach to developing mass participation through its Sport for All programmes; USA Commission for Athlete Representation; Inclusion in sports through strengthening para and special Olympic programmes; the commitment and social benefits of physical activity in schools; Structure and application of the Paralympic sport system in Columbia; and anti-doping in sports.

After the General Assembly, common positions for the future of sports in the Americas were taken with a final declaration and bilateral agreements of the CADE Assembly 2024.

Comment from the Minister of Education Youth Sports Culture and Library Services

“It was a pleasure to attend the General Assembly of the American Sports Council – CADE 2024 for the first time as the Minister of Sports for the TCI. It provided a greater insight into the roles and responsibilities of each entity and the kind of support we can garner whether financially, technically, or in the area of training. The CONCECADE bi-lateral meeting with Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean provided an opportunity for Caribbean Member countries to voice their concerns in relation to legacy matters including the dissemination of minutes and other content in English. This year yielded the largest number of Caribbean Ministers in attendance for the English-speaking countries, providing an opportunity to share best practices and collaborate with their counterparts.”

CADE Declarations signed by the Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture include:

First: Sports is something very special – it brings people together from every corner of the world, from every possible background. Each person, from every age, should have the opportunity to participate in the sports they enjoy. It is essential that all of us throughout the Americas reiterate our longstanding commitment to the development and implementation of sports policies for every segment of society, without any discrimination of any kind. It is essential to recognize that sports also have a critical role to play in addressing many of our social issues, including gender equality and inclusion, health promotion, education, and livelihood.

Second: Paralympians are amazing athletes and an inspiration to everyone who gets the chance to see what they can do. It is essential for every country to ensure that Paralympic athletes have robust opportunities to train, compete, and celebrate their amazing and vital contribution to sports.

Third: The Americas is proud of the success of the 2023 Pan American Games hosted by the Government of Chile and organized in cooperation with Pan Am Sports and the Chilean National Olympic Committee. We offer our deepest congratulations to all athletes who competed, their coaches and families, and to all those in Chile who worked so hard to ensure the success of the Games.

Fourth: The success of sports in the Americas has many elements, but first among them is the commitment to excellence of our athletes. The dedication, discipline, and spirit of everyone who seeks to be the best in their fields is an inspiration to us all, especially our children, who need role models and heroes to look to as they pursue their dreams.

Fifth: The Members of CADE commit to strengthening CADE as an organization with the vision of it building on the strong foundation that already exists, to becoming an even more robust hemispheric multilateral organization specializing in Sports.

Sixth: All CADE member countries are signatories to the UNESCO convention and we reiterate the importance of the convention as a government multilateral institution with critical anti-doping responsibilities and an obligation to work collaboratively with all sports and anti-doping stakeholders.

Seventh: Anti-Doping is a critical responsibility for every country. In this regard, it is vital that public authorities, whether through their Sports Ministry or otherwise, ensure that sufficient funding is available to national anti-doping organizations so that they are able to effectively implement their important obligations to ensure fair competition. It is the responsibility of the government to support the institutions our athletes are part of, to ensure the integrity of sports. The CADE general assembly very much appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from the WADA President for the first time.

Eight: The Olympic Movement plays a very critical role in the World of Sports. They are a vital stakeholder year-round, not just when it’s time for the Summer and Winter Olympics to develop Sports. They are part of the Sports ecosystem, which includes sports ministries, the International Olympic Committee, Pan Am Sports, the National Olympic Committee, Sports Federations National Anti-Doping Organizations, and a wide array of support and sponsors. It is critical that these vital relationships among all stakeholders remain strong. We thank the International Olympic Committee for their participation in this year’s CADE Sports Summit and invite them to participate again next year.

END

 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 8th May 2024 – The Department of Special Education Needs Services (SENS), under the Ministry of Education, organized a series of inclusive events over the weekend dedicated to celebrating children with special needs and raising awareness about autism.

The weekend kicked off with the SNAP Center Fun Day on April 26th, which welcomed children with special needs from special education classrooms across Providenciales and clients of the SENS Department. The Fun Day offered a range of engaging activities tailored to the unique needs of the participants, fostering a sense of joy, inclusivity, and community.

“We are delighted to have provided a platform for children with special needs to come together and enjoy a day filled with fun and laughter,” said Dr. Anya Malcolm, Director of SENS.

“Our goal is to create inclusive spaces where all children feel valued and supported.”

Following the success of the Fun Day, the Department organized a Rainbow Walk on April 27th in honor of Autism Awareness month. The early morning walk was well attended by over 100 individuals, including esteemed guests such as the Governor H.E. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure Hon. Jamel Robinson, Minister of Health and acting Minister of Education Hon. Shaun Malcolm, Commissioner of Police Edvin Martin, and other dignitaries, and demonstrated solidarity and support for individuals with autism and their families.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our community and honored to have had distinguished guests join us for the Rainbow Walk,” remarked Hon. Shaun Malcolm.

“Their presence underscores the collective commitment to promoting understanding and inclusivity.” Permanent Secretary for the Ministry responsible for Special Education Needs Services, Mrs. Cherylann Jones was also present at the inaugural event and praised the department for the successful walk.

She also noted that in the next year the intention is to hold these walks across all islands.

Although the Minister of Education, Hon, Rachel Taylor, was away on official duties, she conveyed her full support for the walk and other initiatives conducted in the month of April.

She commented, “I am proud of the Department’s efforts in organizing these events and raising awareness about the needs of children with special needs. I look forward to greater support in the future as we continue to strengthen our special education needs services.”

The Department of Special Needs Services extends sincere appreciation to all volunteers, sponsors, and community partners whose contributions made the weekend of events a resounding success.

For more information about the Department of Special Education Needs Services and upcoming events, please contact sens@gov.tc.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

Nassau, THE BAHAMAS — In a dynamic global society where work colleagues are often not in the same building, or territory, University of The Bahamas students are taking advantage of growing opportunities to study abroad and forge new scholarly relationships with peers around the world while earning their degrees at home.

Central South University (CSU) in Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China, recently became the latest partner institution, paving the way for students and faculty of UB and CSU to explore new vistas of scholarship and research. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Wednesday, 24th April formalized the relationship. It was one of several partnership initiatives solidified between the two countries.

President (Acting) of UB Janyne Hodder emphasized the significance not only to a growing relationship but in advancing the strategic priorities of UB.

“Internationalization is a key pillar of our current strategic vision, one in which we attract great students and great faculty to our campus and also offer them opportunities to explore the world beyond our shores,” said President Janyne. “In turn, we very much want to increase opportunities for the broader world to experience The Bahamas, opportunities for visiting students, faculty, and researchers to expand their own global outlooks by forging study, research, and scholarship partnerships with us.

“It is through such exchanges that bonds of friendships and understanding are formed, that cross fertilization of ideas are made possible, and that we are all made better and wiser.”

Through the five-year agreement, both institutions will explore potential collaborations in mutually-agreed areas like exchanges among faculty, staff, students, and researchers; jointly-held international academic conferences; and information exchange via books, academic materials, journals, and scientific publications.

CSU Executive Vice President and Dean of CSU’s Xiangya School of Medicine, Dr. Xiang Chen, said with the agreement came the first step towards a bright future of collaboration between both institutions.

“We’re very glad to be here to sign a cooperation memorandum with the president, and I believe there’s broad room for us to cooperate with each other in the fields of education, healthcare, and other sectors,” said Professor Xiang. “And, we want to make more efforts to open a new chapter of the higher learning cooperation between the two sides.”

Minister of Education and Technical & Vocational Training, the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin called it the latest manifestation of the harmony and goodwill that exists between The Bahamas and the PRC, which has been 27 years in the making. Less than two years ago, the Government of The Bahamas formalized three agreements with the People’s Government of Hunan Province to enhance synergy.

“We are truly appreciative and value this relationship that has a history, but is being strengthened by the signing of this MoU,” said Minister Hanna Martin. “I am very, very pleased at this collaboration between the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China, particularly as it relates to the universities.

“We believe that some really good things are going to come out of this, and we intend to capitalize on it. And we hope you (PRC and CSU) capitalize on it, and we look forward to an ongoing, strengthened, productive, successful relationship between the two universities.”

Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government, His Excellency, Mr. Mao Weiming, echoed similar sentiments.

“(This) is a testament of the friendly exchanges between CSU and UB, but moreover, it’s a very important move of the cooperation between Hunan and The Bahamas in various fields, and also it’s a concrete cooperation that will deliver true benefits to all the people,” said Mr. Mao.

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