Moontown

The TripAdvisor 2010 Travelers’ Choice Best Destination Awards put Saint Lucia in the Top 10 Destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico region for two categories: Relaxation and Spa as well as Romance.

“We are delighted to be recognized by travelers as tops in the Caribbean,” says Saint Lucia’s Director of Tourism Louis Lewis, who believes this latest award adds to an accomplished list of accolades earned by Saint Lucia and its hotel partners this year.

Lewis disclosed that the Saint Lucia Tourist Board had placed strong emphasis on promoting the island as an ideal place for both relaxation and romance over the past few years. “We are comforted that more and more visitors are responding with feeling to our romance messaging and feeling the relaxing effect of the massaging they receive once they visit our shores.”

In addition to the two popular travel categories, Saint Lucia was also named amongst the Top 25 destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico for 2010. Trip Advisor’s 2010 Traveler’s Choice Awards also gave top-ranking to a number of Saint Lucia’s inns, villas and resorts.

TripAdvisor, an operating company of Expedia, Inc. and one of the world’s largest travel websites, assists travelers with real information, advice, and opinions from millions of travelers. TripAdvisor.Com is a place for insights and tips, that is alive with experiences and opinions. A friendly and relaxed community filled with honest conversations between travelers, it’s a place that feels like a local neighborhood coffee shop or café. (Caribnet)

Right Angle Imaging of Saint Lucia has been contracted by the CARICOM Secretariat to conduct a study which is funded by the Ninth (9th) European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP).

The four month consultancy aims to stimulate and encourage the active participation of labour stakeholders in the CSME. This will be done through a public education campaign which will be formulated based on background research and feedback emanating from a regional labour stakeholders seminar.

The research which will be conducted at the commencement of the project will investigate the levels of awareness, knowledge and use of the CSME regimes. The target groups for this research include labour organizations, the media, Ministries responsible for labour and employers associations.

This research will be followed by the facilitation of a regional seminar. The planned outcome for this meeting includes a strategy document for the implementation of the messages aimed at the labour sector. Additionally, the report emanating from the consultancy firm’s research will be presented. (Caribnet)

He explained that already some insurance companies are moving to help in this regard and the issue will undergo intense discussions under a jagdeo brief at the upcoming Heads of Government Conference in Montego bay Jamaica next week.

Garcia said the World Bank has committed to assisting the Caribbean in formalizing a structured regional crop insurance mechanism and as such regional experts have until October this year to outline the region’s needs to the bank.

He said as a result of the forum some regional insurance companies are moving to address the insurance needs of fishermen.

“Everybody agree there is need for risk management, we have to come up with action plan which we will look at existing institutions some insurance companies promise to start looking at agri insurance immediately in some of the islands so definitely we are already moving,” Garcia said

He added that the aim is to have the action plan ready for the next CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) meeting on agriculture in October and once pursued there the report will be forwarded to heads of government for final approval.

“Only the agri insurance but the reinsurance there are different models our there what we will do is to look at the existing organizations in the Caribbean and look ay the mechanisms that we can implement to make it work for the Caribbean.” he added.

Garcia added that the recent meeting also afforded members from the Caribbean network of farmers and the Caribbean agri-business association to lend voice to arriving at a mechanism for agriculture risk management.

The ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ identifies and defines key, crucial and binding constraints to agricultural repositioning in the Caribbean Region and aims to develop and implement targeted, focused and practical interventions at both the regional and national levels to overcome the constraints.

This has made a thorough analysis of the state of agriculture, its hard look at internal and external factors and for deepening the discussion of fundamental areas that need improvement, reform and/or initiation.

Limited financing and inadequate new investments, outdated and inefficient agricultural health and food safety systems, inadequate research and development and fragmented and unorganized private sector are some of the constraints identified under this initiative.,

Insufficient land and water distribution and management systems, deficient and uncoordinated risk management measures and inadequate transport systems are other elements outlined in the initiative.

It is also aimed at reducing the Caribbean’s annual food import bill which stands above US$2 billion. (Caribnet)

He cited improvements carried out at the island’s two international airports, noting that the facilities can accommodate up to 10 million more travellers.

Henry was speaking at a cultural reception for delegates attending the 3rd International Civil Aviation Organization conference (ICAO), held on Sunday in Montego Bay.

Representatives from 43 member states of ICAO are attending the six-day conference, where Jamaica is set to sign at least seven new open skies agreements and open the door for another 20 or more contracts.

According to the Minister, the conference is important in boosting Jamaica’s open skies policy and expand the aeronautical industry, by inviting more countries to fly into Jamaica.

These arrangements to be concluded, he said, will positively impact on the running of the island’s airports, lead to better business opportunities, lower the cost of travel, and boost job creation and the visitor market. He said that the intention is to make Jamaica a hub for the travelling world.

Henry encouraged the delegates, even as they conclude the formal arrangements, to take time out to enjoy the offerings of the country.

The ICAO is the United Nations agency with responsibility for international civil aviation. To facilitate the ease and convenience of member states negotiating air service agreements, the agency devised the ICAN Conference, so that delegates could meet annually, at one venue, to negotiate deals.

More than 150 delegates are participating in the conference, which ends on July 2. During the six days, Jamaica expects to negotiate agreements with countries from Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America. (Caribnet)

Speaking with the Government Information Agency (GINA) recently Nadir noted that the issue of child labour has been very prominent in the news.

However, he stressed that government firmly denies there are grave instances of child labour in the country.

“We will admit that we do have serious truancy problems. We’ve had a programme called TACKLE and its primary goal is to ensure that more of our children attend school and get an education,” the Minister said.

He stated that the ministry has launched several promotional campaigns over the past few weeks aimed at having parents send and keep children in school.

The programme is being spearheaded by the government of Guyana with support from the European Union (EU) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“One would have noticed we have also launched a campaign with the support of the private sector and the labour unions to hold up a red card against child labour.” This, the Labour Minister said, is an international campaign coordinated by the ILO.

“…And we’ve had the good fortune of having the top football team in the country; Alpha United partnering with us in this World Cup season,” Nadir pointed out.

He warned employers who may be involved in child labour to desist as they can be subject to prosecution.

“We are asking persons to be vigilant, report any suspicion or knowledge they have and the government will act,” the Labour Minister said.

On Monday, Nadir challenged the United States Government to produce evidence of child labour in Guyana, and provide proof that they removed 984 children from exploitative situations here.

“Since they have confidently and boldly made this claim, the Government of Guyana asks that the US provide the names of the children and where they were placed. The statutes of limitations have not run out and the government can still prosecute errant employers for engaging in child labour,” Nadir said.

He questioned why after four years of being on the ground, the officials failed to mention to either the education or labour ministries that they had found instances of child labour here.

“I again vehemently deny that there was any project in Guyana that ever removed over 984 children from exploitative child labour or prevented 2000 (plus) from entering such. I am absolutely certain that the project did not, absolutely did not, achieve this super-human feat,” the Labour Minister maintained. (Caribnet)

Edutainment is the creative use of the visual and performing arts to educate even while entertaining an audience on social issues. It is a very popular social marketing tool used largely in educating youth audiences.

Funded under the 9th EDF Programme, the workshop, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Social Transformation, Prices and Consumer Affairs, Antigua and Barbuda, is preparing young people who work in drug prevention to use edutainment strategies in developing and implementing anti-drug campaigns.

Beverley Reynolds, Programme Manager, Sustainable Development, told participants on Monday that the workshop was designed to help them appreciate the performing arts as a means of sensitising their peers about drug use and its resultant dangers.

Acknowledging the contribution youth had made individually and collectively in advancing regional development, Reynolds referenced studies which revealed the tremendous risks and vulnerability factors that prevented young people from making an even more significant contribution.

The most recent study is the watershed CARICOM Commission on Youth Development Report (2010) on the situation of Caribbean youth. Titled Eye on the Future, investing in Youth Now for Tomorrow’s Community, the Report pointed to youth being most at risk to illicit trafficking and other vulnerabilities, and called for greater investment in youth development.

Reynolds said that the study had jolted CARICOM Heads of Government to the gravity of the situation of Caribbean youth, and that they had committed to devising youth related policies and implementing the necessary interventions to address the situation.

“The war is on for the lives of our young people, and all of us ought to get involved,” she said. “It costs far less to prevent addiction, than to treat and rehabilitate someone suffering from drug addiction,” Reynolds added.

For the past two years, the CARICOM Secretariat has been building the capacity of Member States to curtail substance abuse and illicit trafficking.

Through funding from the European Union, the Secretariat has coordinated and convened more than 10 capacity building workshops covering areas such as the development of anti-drug plans and strategies, monitoring and evaluation; development of street-based drug intervention programmes to reduce health and other social consequences of drug addiction and the development of public education campaigns on drug abuse.

The introduction to edutainment is the most recent tool being used in assisting Member States in designing effective public education campaigns on substance abuse.

Applauding the efforts of the CARICOM Secretariat in the fight against drug abuse, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Health Social Transformation, Prices and Consumer Affairs, Wilmoth Daniel noted that under the Illicit drug programme of the CARICOM Secretariat, two dormant national drug councils have been re-activated; four Member States have reviewed and were updating their national anti-drug strategy and plan.

In addition, a number of manuals have been produced, including the CARICOM Universal Manual for Standard of Care Treatment and Rehabilitation of Substance Abusers, to assist drug demand reduction practitioners in providing services to their clients.

He noted that the workshop on the use of edutainment in primary drug prevention is a welcomed activity in stepping up the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking and in helping to rescue young people from risky behaviours that would destroy their lives,

The five day workshop ends on Saturday when the participants would have transferred learning to the production several edutainment pieces to be performed in the Market Square in St Johns. (Caribnet)

The UN, IMF and OAS heads will discuss with CARICOM leaders, a range of issues including the international financial system and its impact on CARICOM states, the Millennium Development Goals, climate change, crime and security.

The Conference will be presided over by Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who will assume the chairmanship of CARICOM for the next six months. Haiti’s President Rene Preval was slated to be the Chairman. However, as a result of the earthquake which devastated that country, the Caricom heads decided that Jamaica should assume the chair.

Other issues which will come up for discussion at the July 4-7 conference will cover updates on the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy; the External Trade Negotiations and Caricom in the contemporary world. The conference will open with the usual fanfare associated with Caricom meetings and will hear remarks from several regional heads. (Caribnet)

“This bill has been needed for a long time,” House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said in a statement ahead of committee action on Wednesday.

The bipartisan bill that Peterson helped craft with Representative Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, enjoys broad support from US farm and business groups that favor ending the nearly 50-year-old US embargo on communist-led Cuba.

The bill is expected to clear the committee and be sent to the full House, where it will face strong resistance from conservative lawmakers and Cuban-Americans who oppose any step to ease restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba until a democratic government is in power in Havana.

Proposals to lift the ban have floundered in Congress over the last decade due to concerns about human rights abuses in the one-party state built from Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

President Barack Obama has taken some steps to improve relations with Havana, such as allowing unlimited family travel and remittances and greater telecommunications links.

But Washington says the Cuban government has failed to reciprocate, making it politically difficult for the White House to move further in easing the Cold War-era embargo.

Cuban officials have encouraged recent US trade delegations visiting Havana to work for abolish the travel ban because the arrival of more American tourists would give the government more money to buy US goods.

Business groups mounted a lobbying effort on Tuesday to ensure Peterson would have enough votes in the committee to approve the bill without any changes.

“Enabling Americans to travel to Cuba and expand already legal export operations is an important first step to reforming US policy toward Cuba,” Bruce Josten, top lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce, said in a letter to lawmakers.

Congress exempted farm sales from the long-standing US embargo on Cuba in 2000 so long as Havana paid for the goods in cash and money transfers were handled by a third-country bank.

The administration of former President George W. Bush angered many farm-state lawmakers by interpreting the cash payment rule in a narrow way as payment before shipment.

Even so, US farm exports to Cuba reached a record $710 million in 2008, before dropping to $528 million in 2009. (Caribnet)