Caribbean News
CTO Highlights Tourism Sustainability in Quarterly Webinar Series
The first webinar in the series is scheduled for February 17 and will provide actionable strategies related to carbon footprint reduction
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (January 24, 2025) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) kicks off 2025 with its new Sustainable Tourism in Action quarterly webinar series. The first webinar, entitled “Sustainable Tourism in Action: Measuring and Reducing Carbon Footprints in the Caribbean” will take place Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m. ET. The event will be co-hosted by Sustainable Travel International (STI).
The event builds on the Caribbean’s continued advocacy for climate resilience, following discussions at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Small island developing states face unique challenges, especially those related to climate change, and this webinar aims to equip tourism stakeholders with actionable tools and strategies to measure, manage, and reduce their carbon output.
“Tourism is vital to the Caribbean, but climate change directly threatens this industry,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General & CEO of CTO. “We must take action now to develop a more sustainable, resilient tourism industry if we expect to ensure the region’s future prosperity. Through this webinar series, we aim to inspire stakeholders and decision makers to join us in creating a more sustainable Caribbean.”
The webinar will introduce participants to Sustainable Travel International’s Carbon Calculator Tool, explore real-world applications of
carbon measurement, and highlight its importance in crafting sustainable tourism strategies. Attendees will also benefit from expert insights and practical examples from the region and beyond.
Key speakers include Regis-Prosper, who will deliver remarks on the urgency of sustainability in tourism, and Paloma Zapata, CEO of Sustainable Travel International, who will provide insights into carbon measurement tools. Information presented by UN Tourism representative Virginia Fernandez-Trapa will contextualize the global climate framework, linking the outcomes of COP29 to the Caribbean’s specific challenges and opportunities. In addition to an interactive exploration of the Carbon Calculator tool, a case study will be presented by Dianille Taylor-Williams with the Ministry of Tourism of St. Kitts and Nevis. Taylor-Williams will showcase how local businesses have successfully implemented carbon reduction practices.
The session will culminate in an open discussion, moderated by Narendra Ramgulam, CTO’s Sustainable Tourism Consultant, providing attendees the opportunity to share experiences, insights and actionable ideas for sustainable tourism. Participants will gain practical knowledge on integrating sustainability into their operations while fostering a collaborative spirit across the industry.
This webinar is the first of a four-part series designed to address topics related to sustainability and resilience in Caribbean tourism. It aligns with the CTO’s 2025 theme, “Caribbean Resilience: Crafting Tomorrow’s Tourism”, and reinforces the organization’s commitment to advancing the region’s position as a global leader in sustainable travel practices while fostering innovation and resilience across the tourism sector.
Attendees can register for the event, which will be held over Zoom, at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d6vh7u1HQneFMhBf5rnvgg
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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