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BAHAMAS: BEST Commission Holds Persistent Organic Pollutants Workshop

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#Nassau, July 23, 2019 – Bahamas – The BEST Commission in the Ministry of Environment and Housing and the National Chemicals Coordinating Committee (NCCC) requested participation in a National workshop on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), held at the British Colonial Hilton July 18, 2019. The Workshop aims to inform specific stakeholders in the public and private sector of the pending changes which will impact the way chemicals and certain products are imported into The Bahamas.

The Bahamas is a member country of the Stockholm Convention and under that convention we are required to identify all imports and service providers which import POPs containing products or utilize POPs in the services which they provide. During this workshop, information will be shared on the POPs information system, the intended national capacity for managing these chemicals and discussion on the draft National Implementation Plan (NIP).

The NIP is the document which will identify the way forward for the banning and or phasing out of certain chemicals and products and the document will also identify options for managing these hazardous chemicals.  Sectors were encouraged to attend this workshop to ensure that their perspective and concerns are considered during the finalization of this national initiative. The multi-stakholder workshop will include representation from various government agencies, NGO’s and private sector.

Background

It is estimated that there are approximately one hundred thousand chemicals being produced commercially around the world with an additional one thousand five hundred being added each year.  The management of these chemicals is a challenge for most developed countries and for countries like The Bahamas the challenge is even greater.

Over the years research has shown that chemicals while initial developed for a beneficial purpose their use throughout the years has also had significant impact on human health and the environment. As a result, there have been a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements to ensure that we use chemicals to maintain a good standard of living as oppose to having an adverse impact to human health and the environment.

The Bahamas has sort the support of the United Nation community by signing on to The Stockholm Convention, the Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management, The Chemicals Weapons Convention and the Basel Convention. All of which provide financial and technological assistance for dealing with chemical management issues. Recently the issue of Mercury has come to the forefront as a global concern and The Bahamas is looking forward to signing onto the Minamata Convention by the end of this year.

Since April 2019, a National Chemicals Coordinating Committee has been reformulated to execute the mandates of various Chemical Conventions. For 2019 the NCCC is particularly focusing on the Stockholm Convention and it emphasis on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The National Chemical Coordinating Committee is comprised of representatives from the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) Commission, the Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS), the University of The Bahamas, the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Bahamas Power and Light, the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ministry of Finance (Customs Department) and The Grand Bahama Port Authority, as well as other industry partners.

It should be noted that this project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Release: BIS

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Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

 

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RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos 

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RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

 

 

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Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew. 

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.” 

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.” 

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations. 

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash. 

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described. 

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating. 

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”

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