Caribbean News
Prime Minister Gonsalves lays out true cost of Sustainable Agriculture at CWA Opening in St Vincent & the Grenadines
Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer
St. Vincent & Grenadines, October 25, 2024 – For there to be sustainable agriculture in the Caribbean, there must be a change in workforce attitudes, and financing terms from the international community according to Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves.
Delivering the featured address at the opening of the recent Caribbean Week of Agriculture, held under the theme: “Climate Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future, at the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Kingstown, the PM appealed for reparative measures rather than loans, in addressing Climate Change, restating that SVG has contributed little to global warming but is carrying the burdens of its impact.
Stressing that practicing smart agriculture will “cost a lot of money,” he said to be competitive, in can be very expensive, and while the technology is available, “having produced that Climate smart agriculture, what are you going to do with it?
“We have to get that money as grants, or in very generous terms. We are not going to get agriculture sustainable unless we have a workforce which is trained, which can use applied science and technology, can be modern,” he said, while calling for better pay for agriculture workers.
The Prime Minister also called for the region to invest in cargo ships, or lease them to move agriculture across the various territories, and for change in pattern of consumption, and “nodes of production.
“Our ways of living our lives,” he said, noting that if the necessary changes are not made, “all of us, we are going to hell in a hand basket-this is something that the scientists have shown to us. We have to stay 1.5 to be alive, and we have to keep our average temperatures on mother earth no higher than 1.5 degree Celsius,” Dr. Gonsalves told his audience.
With the numerous challenges faced by the agriculture sector in the region due to disasters, he pointed out that accessing funding remains a significant issue that must be addressed, and actions are needed to get the ships in operation.
The five-day event featured workshops and seminars coordinated by partners in regional agriculture. Through the sessions, participants benefited from the exchange of information and best practices on safeguarding agriculture in a changing Climate Climate-smart fishing with a focus on sargassum, young people as champions of regional food systems, food security and nutrition, women farmers’ pathways after Hurricane Beryl, digital agriculture in the Caribbean, and human resource development in the sector.
It was conceptualised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as an opportunity to place agriculture and rural life on the front burner of regional integration activities and in doing so enable, the key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social, and environmental stability of the region, and for the major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for the repositioning of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.
Caribbean News
Calvin James, Executive Director of PISLM, Extends Congratulations to The Honorable Stuart Young on His Appointment as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
St. George’s Grenada– March 17, 2025 – Executive Director for the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), Calvin James, extends his heartfelt congratulations to The Honorable Stuart Young SC on his swearing-in as the eighth Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, which took place on Monday, March 17, 2025.
“We are honored to witness a new chapter for the leadership of Trinidad and Tobago and are confident that Young’s vision and drive, will continue to advance sustainable soil and land management, land degradation neutrality and prosperity in the country.” James also acknowledged the contributions of former Prime Minister Dr. Ketih Rowley, expressing his gratitude, for his years of devoted service to the twin island republic. “Dr. Rowley shall not be forgotten for his commitment, leadership and contributions over the years.”
The Executive Director, also places on record appreciation to the Honourable Penelope Beckles, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Political Focal Point, who resumed her portfolio as Planning and Development Minister in Prime Minister Stuart Young’s new cabinet. The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM) looks forward to working with the new administration to continue the mission of attaining Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), employment of Sustainable Soil and Land Management practices within the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (CSIDS), including Trinidad and Tobago.
Castries, March 2025. Saint Lucia has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring human rights for all.
This was the collective assertion, as over 20 national stakeholders participated in a two-day national Human Rights workshop. This initiative was hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Regional Caribbean office, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s satellite office in Saint Lucia, and the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs. 
The workshop, was designed to enhance awareness of the International Human Rights System, including treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms; build capacity of government officials and civil society members in data gathering and human rights reporting; and to highlight the role that respective agencies and their constituents play within this system. The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs is the focal agency for Human Rights in Saint Lucia.
In welcoming participants, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Janelle Modeste-Stephen, noted that advancing human rights was a shared responsibility. “Government must enact policies and safeguard rights. Civil society must continue to advocate and mobilize. The private sector must embrace inclusive practices. Communities must challenge discrimination and uphold the dignity of every individual,” She urged stakeholders to use the workshop as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and commit to concrete action that will make human rights a lived reality for all in Saint Lucia. “Together, we can build a society, where justice, equality and inclusion are not just aspirations but everyday realities”, she stated.
A key objective of the workshop was to reactivate and strengthen the capacity of Saint Lucia’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019. The Ministry of External Affairs serves as the Chair and Secretariat of the Committee, which comprises representatives from various government ministries. The committee is responsible for analyzing the human rights situation at the national level and collaborates to report on recommendations aligned with Saint Lucai’s national priorities. The active
functioning of the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights is crucial for promoting and protecting human rights.
Reflecting on the utility of the workshop, Ms. Bynta Ernest, the representative from the Department of Gender Affairs on the National Human Rights Committee noted that the session was essential to the Committee’s revitalization and to demonstrating its importance in advancing human rights in Saint Lucia. “The practical sessions towards reporting on the recommendations from the last Universal periodic Review (UPR) were also very useful to kick-start the process towards meeting our October 2025 UPR reporting deadline,” she added.
In fulfillment of Saint Lucia’s human rights related reporting obligations and deadlines, workshop participants prepared a draft plan of action to devise next steps to advance Saint Lucia’s human rights agenda.
The workshop was held at the Harbor Club Hotel, from March 5-6, 2025. Participants included representatives from departments of External Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, Justice, Human Services, Gender Affairs, Immigration, Equity, Economic Development, the National Statistical Office, the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
2nd insert: Bynta Ernest, Gender Affairs
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