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Caribbean Social Insurance Systems: When Parametric reforms are not enough

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Caribbean Social Insurance Systems: When Parametric reforms are not enough

 – Caribbean social insurance systems need reforms that go beyond pension parameters to strengthen administration, governance, and investment management.

By Carolina Gonzalez Velosa, Juan Miguel Villa Lora, Manuel García Huitrón

Main highlights

  • Population aging, emigration, and exposure to economic and climate shocks are placing growing pressure on Caribbean social insurance systems.
  • Several schemes risk depleting their reserves in the coming decades, while high administrative costs and limited investment diversification persist.
  • Strengthening compliance, funding rules, oversight, and transparency is essential to protect current and future generations.

Social insurance systems in the Caribbean were built around a simple promise: workers contribute during their working years and receive protection in old age, disability, or after the death of a family provider. That promise remains essential. However, the economic and demographic conditions that once sustained these systems have changed profoundly, and traditional policy responses may no longer be sufficient.

In a recent Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) publication, Long-Term Social Insurance in the Caribbean: Beyond Parametric Reforms, we examine the full range of challenges facing these systems and propose a comprehensive reform agenda that extends well beyond traditional parametric reforms—changes to the core parameters of pension systems, such as increasing contribution rates, raising retirement ages, or modifying benefit formulas. The agenda also includes proposals to strengthen governance, administration, and investment management, recognizing that long-term sustainability depends not only on policy design but also on institutional performance.

Multiple challenges, one urgent agenda

Caribbean pension systems face a combination of pressures that few other regions must navigate simultaneously. Population aging is reducing the ratio of active contributors to retirees. High emigration rates are further shrinking the contributing labor force. Moreover, economic dependence on tourism and agriculture leaves contribution revenues exposed to external shocks and climate-related disasters. And small population sizes mean that administrative costs are spread across relatively few contributors, making systems more expensive to operate and harder to modernise.

These pressures matter because many systems already face a structural imbalance: contribution revenues are insufficient to sustain promised benefits over the long term. As a result, several systems are increasingly relying on accumulated reserves to meet their obligations, placing them on a path toward eventual depletion. According to current projections, The national insurance schemes of The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Belize are expected to exhaust their reserves by 2028, 2034, and 2042, respectively, with several other Caribbean schemes projected to follow before mid-century.

What has changed and what has not

Governments in the region have not been passive. Several countries have adjusted parameters, by raising contribution rates, increasing the retirement age, or adjusting how benefits are calculated. However, these reforms, while necessary, can only go so far. Their effectiveness rests on something parametric reforms alone cannot guarantee: the ability to implement and enforce them effectively.

A higher contribution rate yields little if the system cannot collect what is owed. A longer working life adds modest reserves if records are too patchy to credit the additional years. A more conservative benefit formula loses legitimacy if retirees cannot verify how their pensions were calculated.

For this reason, reform agendas must extend beyond parametric measures and address how social insurance systems operate in practice. Strengthening implementation, administration, governance, and investment management is essential not only for improving system performance but also to build the credibility needed to sustain reform efforts over time.

Workers are unlikely to support higher contributions or later retirement ages if institutions are perceived as inefficient, opaque, or poorly governed. By improving service delivery, transparency, and stewardship of resources, governments can strengthen public trust and create the conditions for broader reforms to succeed.

The operational gaps that persist despite Parametric Reform

The publication proposes a broader reform agenda that extends beyond pension parameters alone. Recommendations are grounded in a diagnostic that builds on actuarial reviews, financial statements, and a questionnaire applied to eight Caribbean social insurance institutions.

The analysis follows the full operational chain, from registration and contribution collection to investment and benefit payment, and identifies significant opportunities for improvement in two areas that build on each other overtime.

The first finding concerns administrative efficiency

Administrative expenditure varies significantly across Caribbean social insurance institutions. In Jamaica administrative cost represents around 5 percent of contribution income; in Belize and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines it exceeds 15 percent; in The Bahamas it reaches nearly 21percent. By comparison, well-managed pension schemes in larger economies typically operate at a small fraction of these ratios. Every dollar spent on administration is a dollar that does not reach retirees and does not earn returns within the fund. Over 20 or 30 years, these differences accumulate into a significant share of total reserves.

The second finding concerns how reserves are invested

Most schemes hold their reserves primarily in domestic government bonds and bank deposits. This reflects the narrowness of Caribbean capital markets, but it also means that pension reserves carry the same fiscal risks as the rest of the public balance sheet. The answer is not to send reserves offshore in search of higher returns. It is to manage them against what the scheme will need to pay out: clear targets, clear risk limits, and regular public reporting on whether reserves are earning compared with what pensions will require.

Four priorities for sustainable systems

Based on the diagnostic above, the report presents recommendations that reflect the diverse realities across the Caribbean. No two countries will follow the same path. Reserve levels, institutional capacity, legal constraints, and political conditions differ across countries. The sequencing, however, is common to all: strengthen the basic operations of the system first, then introduce more complex regional or structural instruments once the core can support them. The report organizes that sequencing around four priorities:

Administration and compliance

Upgrade digital registries, clean historical records, automate contribution posting, and target compliance efforts at the highest-risk cases. Where possible, social insurance records should be linked to national identification and tax systems, so that the same worker is recognised across registries. Bringing self-employed and informal workers into coverage starts with the basic machinery of inclusion: simple registration process, accessible payment channels, and procedures adapted to irregular incomes.

Funding and reserves under transparent rules

Each scheme should adopt a public funding policy that monitors reserve performance against expected pension obligations, with clear warning thresholds and predefined responses when those thresholds are breached. Regular actuarial reviews, published assumptions, and a small set of solvency indicators can help move reform out of crisis mode and into a process of planned, gradual adjustment.

Investment management against pension obligations

Reserves should be managed actively against the long-term obligations they are intended to finance. Clear targets, clear risk limits, and transparent public reporting on returns allow contributors and governments to assess, over time, whether investments are performing as intended.

Governance, oversight, and disclosure

Boards and executives need clear lines of responsibility, qualified leadership, an independent oversight function, and regular public reporting. A simple dashboard covering reserves, contribution income, benefit expenditure, and investment performance would allow contributors, supervisors, and governments to notice problems before they become more serious. Regional supervisors can also share tools and standards, particularly in countries where technical teams are too small to build the full apparatus on their own.

These foundations open the way to a second set of instruments that are more difficult to use effectively without them. These include:

  • Automatic adjustment mechanisms that predefine how parameters respond when finances weaken;
  • Regional cooperation that lets small schemes share scale and specialised expertise;
  • Where appropriate, complementary retirement-income instruments such as a Caribbean Retirement Income Bond or longevity-sharing accounts.

These measures belong later in the sequence, once the basic operations of the system are in place.

Caribbean pension reform requires institutional discipline and politically difficult parametric change in equal measure. Contribution rates, retirement ages, and benefit formulas will remain central to public debate, and they should. But their impact and their legitimacy depend on whether schemes can collect contributions efficiently, keep reliable records, manage reserves professionally, and report financial risks transparently.

The challenge ahead is to adapt and strengthen these systems so they can continue to provide effective protection for future generations.

  • Read the full report here to get the complete diagnostic and the country-level reform pathways

Five new African countries advance circular economy roadmaps

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Five new African countries advance circular economy roadmaps
  • With support from the African Development Bank

 AFRICA – The Africa Circular Economy Facility, a multi-donor trust fund administered by the African Development Bank Group, is expanding its reach to five additional nations, supporting the creation and implementation of national circular economy roadmaps and continuing to work with three countries. This second cohort enhances a program that continues to demonstrate how the integration of circularity into public policy, can drive economic transformation.

As part of this second phase of the National Roadmaps for the Circular Economy (NCER) program, Angola, Liberia, Madagascar, and Senegal will develop their own roadmaps by identifying priority sectors, aligning institutional efforts, and tailoring strategic guidelines to their local productive structures. Meanwhile, Benin, Chad, Ethiopia, and Mauritius, are entering the implementation phase to translate government frameworks into actionable policies, funded programs, and sustainable institutional capacities.

“The continent faces an annual development financing gap of more than $400 billion. Roadmaps for the circular economy can help countries strengthen their domestic productive capacities and turn their priorities into investment opportunities,” said Anthony Nyong, director of the climate change and green growth department at the African Development Bank Group.

A vast portion of Africa’s natural resources continues to be exported unprocessed, hindering industrialisation and limiting local job creation. The circular economy directly mitigates this structural loss of value by retaining resources and their productive potential within national economies.

Focused on value creation and community opportunities, this approach aligns seamlessly with the African Development Bank Group’s Four Cardinal Points strategic vision and the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), seeking to mobilise more African capital, strengthen the continent’s financial markets, and finance large-scale transformation to promote employment, business growth, and local value creation.

The four countries in the first cohort- Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Ethiopia have already demonstrated the potential of this approach. Their respective roadmaps successfully identified priority sectors, most notably in construction, forestry, agriculture, plastics, textiles, manufacturing, energy, and water management.

In Chad, the roadmap aims to create more than 25,000 green jobs and reduce non-recycled waste by 40 percent by 2035, across six priority sectors. “Far from being a luxury, this initiative is a vital necessity for Chad’s future. It paves the way for us to diversify an economy that is still heavily dependent on oil,” said Chad’s minister of the environment, Hassan Bakhit Djamous.

In Benin, the Circular Economy Action Plan, launched in February 2026, sets ambitious 10-year goals: to achieve a 25 percent recycling rate, ensure the collection of all municipal waste, and establish 300 circular economy businesses.

Roadmaps serve as structural frameworks for investment. They allow stakeholders to pinpoint the sectors where circular solutions create the most value, organise the actions necessary for deployment, and define the governance mechanisms essential to their sustainability.

Through the Africa Circular Economy Facility, which also finances the African Circular Economy Alliance, the bank group provides the technical assistance needed to establish an enabling policy and institutional environment. The goal is to move Africa’s circular economy transformation from ambition to action.

Strengthening democracy, human rights, and multilateralism – ECLAC

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Strengthening democracy, human rights, and multilateralism – ECLAC
    • The Sixth Session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean concluded in Montevideo. The session was organised by ECLAC in coordination with UNFPA.

SANTIAGO, Chile – The member states of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which participated in the Sixth Session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, acknowledged on 20 August, 2026, that in order to take on the challenges of demographic change, it is necessary to strengthen democracy, human rights, and multilateralism, emphasizing the importance of promoting alliances at all levels and innovative approaches that combine private initiative and multi-actor cooperation.

Among the Conference’s resolutions, the countries reaffirmed that the Montevideo consensus on population and development is a comprehensive roadmap for national and regional action in this matter and called for reinforcing compliance with its priority measures through the execution of specific actions, appropriate allocation of resources, and the creation and strengthening of institutional mechanisms for its implementation and monitoring.

They also acknowledged that transformations in demographic dynamics, in a context of persistent poverty and structural inequalities in the economic, social, and territorial spheres, will have repercussions on all aspects of society, such as labor markets, health systems and social protection, care systems, education, and the fiscal sustainability of social policies. It is therefore necessary to bear these changes in mind when financing the design and implementation of public policies that promote the population’s human rights within a framework of sustainable development.

The main intergovernmental forum for monitoring and reviewing issues related to population and development in the region brought together delegates from 29 member and associated member states of ECLAC, as well as representatives from 12 entities in the United Nations system. They were joined by participants from intergovernmental organisations, parliaments in the region, academia, the private sector, and nearly 400 members of civil society. Nearly 800 people participated in total.

The Conference was created in 2012 by ECLAC, which serves as the Secretariat, in coordination with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The closing session included the participation of Luis Fidel Yáñez, secretary of the Commission at ECLAC; Héctor Hugo González Coltrinari, deputy regional director of the UNFPA Office for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Rodrigo Arim, director of the office of planning and budget of Uruguay, the country serving as chair of the regional conference on population and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“It is clear that the demographic changes our region is experiencing today are not a terrible fate. The drop in fertility, population ageing, care crisis, transformation of households, human mobility: all of this is, in fact, a historic opportunity. The opportunity to restructure our development models toward sustainability, toward inclusion, toward gender equality. This Conference was a space in which to think collectively about that opportunity,” the secretary of the Commission at ECLAC affirmed.

For his part, the deputy regional director of the UNFPA emphasised that “our task as we go back to our countries is clear: to contribute to transforming consensuses into concrete policy, strategies into allocated budgets, and commitments into the transformation of lives that face multiple and intersectional discrimination. This also means strengthening the institutions for population and development in our region so they will have the capacity to call on different sectors and translate demographic transformation into concrete and sustainable responses,” he said.

Director Rodrigo Arim, in turn, recalled that 13 years ago in Montevideo, the foundation was laid for a new regional agenda on population and development.

“The Montevideo Consensus marked a turning point in the region by placing human rights, equality, dignity, autonomy, and the wellbeing of people at the center of public policy and translating those principles into concrete commitments throughout people’s lifespans. Thirteen years later, in this same place, we renew that commitment. We are not here to replace that agenda but rather to reaffirm and update it in order to hold firm to those principles and, at the same time, put them into dialogue with a region that has changed profoundly,” he asserted.

In the final resolutions, the delegates reaffirmed their commitment to achieving gender equality, as well as to combating racism and the inequalities that affect Afrodescendent, Indigenous, and migrant people, and emphasized the importance of continuing the work of inclusion of disabled people’s rights.

They likewise recognized homeless people as an especially vulnerable population group that faces multiple and interrelated forms of discrimination and barriers.

The presiding officers of the regional conference on population and development for the next two years will have Uruguay as chair, along with the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, and Mexico as vice-chairs.

DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreading exponentially, UN responders warn

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DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreading exponentially, UN responders warn

Key points

  • Ebola deaths reach 2,516 in DRC
  • Response funding could run out within weeks
  • Dozens of frontline healthcare workers among dead

By Daniel Johnson

GENEVA, Switzerland – As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.

“We’re only covered for the next weeks, and very soon funding will run out,” said Julien Harneis, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator. “Every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop and more expensive. So, we need that international support immediately.”

Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, 5,290 people have been infected 2,516 have died, according to latest health authority data published on Friday.

Of the total confirmed number of cases, 1,152 people have recovered and nearly 840 people remain in isolation or hospitalised. The fatality rate is 47.6 per cent and contact follow-up is 82.9 percent.

Deadly progression

Briefing journalists from the Ebola epicentre in Bunia, Ituri province, Mr. Harneis warned that the disease is “growing exponentially”, with half of all deaths occurring in just the last 20 days.

“The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France. And the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,” he stressed, as “brutal” operating conditions continue to impede the progress of frontline workers.

Three months into the outbreak, 160 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola and 43 of them have died. “And then when we do respond, apart from the threat from the virus, healthcare workers and frontline workers have been attacked by youths, ambulances have been burned and stoned and the healthcare facilities have been attacked,” Harneis explained.

“Conditions on the ground are extremely difficult, but we will continue deploying all the humanitarian and medical assistance needed until the job is done,” the veteran aid official said.

“Last week, I was trying to get into an Ebola hotspot, and it took three hours to drive 60 kilometres (37 miles),” he added.

Another key obstacle to the response is the lack of basic social services in the six eastern, provinces where the virus is spreading (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé), a direct result of decades of violence in the resource-rich area.

Gaps in government-run, coordinated healthcare services and a limited number of banks have created further problems.

“In this area, the banking system barely functions,” Harneis explained. “We’re unable to bring in the amount of money that is required to pay the workers, which has led to great unhappiness amongst frontline workers.”

US aid boost

And although the United States has contributed $80 million to the DRC government to boost bed capacity and safe burial practices, among other support, cuts to aid work – especially in the last two years – have reduced the capacity of humanitarian organisations by more than 30 percent, he added.

Despite these challenges, multiple specialist UN agencies continue to work alongside the DRC authorities to push back Ebola. They include the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN migration agency (IOM) and partners including Médecins Sans Frontières.

“It’s a disease, it’s an invisible threat which comes into your community and suddenly people start falling sick around you and your loved ones die,” Harneis said. “And that generates a lot of fear in any community.”

Colombia becomes first country to submit its second Biennial Transparency Report

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Colombia becomes first country to submit its second Biennial Transparency Report

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombia has become the first country to submit its second Biennial Transparency Report (BTR2) under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), marking an important milestone for the transparency system that underpins global climate action.

Submitted well ahead of the 31 December 2026 deadline, Colombia’s BTR2 was filed on 8 August 2026, alongside its fourth National Communication under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It covers the country’s national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and removals; progress towards its nationally determined contribution (NDC); mitigation policies and measures; climate impacts and adaptation; support needed and received in the areas of finance, technology transfer and capacity-building; Action for Climate Empowerment; and research and systematic observation.

The submission demonstrates that the ETF is working as intended. Countries are steadily strengthening their reporting capacity and national transparency arrangements. The data collected can then be used to sharpen climate policy, direct support where it is most needed, and accelerate the implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions.

Colombia’s BTR2 builds on its first report while incorporating methodological improvements and stronger approaches to tracking progress. It shows how successive reporting cycles can improve both national systems and the information available to decision-makers.

Transparency is a cornerstone of the Paris Agreement. It builds trust among countries, helps show whether commitments are being delivered, and provides the evidence needed to strengthen ambition and accelerate action. Each report makes the collective picture clearer and helps countries make better-informed decisions. This is especially important as Parties prepare to launch the second global stocktake at COP31.

UN Climate Change encourages all Parties to sustain this momentum. Parties at all stages of the reporting process are encouraged to continue advancing their BTR preparations and submissions, helping to sustain momentum and support the biennial reporting cycle. Parties that have already submitted a first BTR are encouraged to submit their second by the end of 2026.

UN Climate Change remains ready to support Parties in implementing the ETF. This includes providing technical assistance and capacity-building for developing countries that require additional support.

  • More information is available here. 

Ed Miliband outlined his priorities following his appointment as foreign secretary

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Ed Miliband outlined his priorities following his appointment as foreign secretary

LONDON, England – It is a great honour and privilege to have been appointed by prime minister Andy Burnham, to serve as foreign secretary, Ed Miliband outlined in a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) statement:

“ My parents came to Britain as Jewish refugees from the Nazis. To them, Britain was both a sanctuary and a beacon of hope in the global fight against fascism. I will carry my parents’ faith in that spirit of Britain to my role representing our country.

I will be a foreign secretary who fights for Britain’s interests and our values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law on the world stage.

Today, as we face a time of greater instability and threat to international law and democracy than at any time since the Second World War, these values are more important than ever.

From Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine to conflict in the Middle East, time and again we have seen the consequences of a more dangerous world in the cost-of-living crisis that families and businesses face.

For Britain, that means we must work with others to defend the principles that we cherish, because it is in our national interest to do so, building on the excellent work of my predecessors and friends, Yvette Cooper and David Lammy.

I will seek to deepen and strengthen our strategic alliance with the European Union, which is so important for our prosperity and security and at the same time nurture our strong, enduring and essential alliance with the United States. I will uphold our commitment to multilateral institutions from NATO to the UN as well as working with global partners, particularly in the Global South.

Pursuing our interests and values means continuing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine against Russia’s illegal invasion, as Britain has done for the last four years. It means playing our part to seek to end the conflict in Iran and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It must also mean working tirelessly to seek a sustainable peace in Palestine and Israel, including an end to the terrible suffering of the people of Gaza and security for the people of Israel.

The FCDO I lead will also be at the forefront of issues which pose profound and substantial threats to justice and equality in Britain and across the world. We will work with others on tackling the climate crisis, strengthening our partnerships for international development, and reforming our international institutions so they deliver for all countries, including the world’s poorest people.

“FCDO is a great British institution filled with talented, expert, and committed staff who do crucial consular work for our country and have reach across the world. I look forward to working with Britain’s world-class network of embassies, diplomats, civil servants, businesses, and cultural organisations to represent and promote the interests and values of our great country.”

APEC deepens disaster preparedness as risks grow across region

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APEC deepens disaster preparedness as risks grow across region
    • 19th Senior Disaster Management Officials’ Forum

SINGAPORE – Weeks after Typhoon Dolphin brought record rainfall and flooding across parts of China, a powerful earthquake claimed lives and displaced thousands in Indonesia and torrential rains triggered flooding and landslides across parts of Korea, senior disaster management officials from APEC economies and leading international organisations are meeting in Dalian to strengthen regional cooperation on disaster preparedness and resilience.

The 19th APEC senior disaster management officials’ forum is putting a policy-heavy agenda at the center of that effort, spanning early warning systems, disaster risk financing, artificial intelligence, data governance, anticipatory action and community preparedness.

Experts from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) joined officials from APEC economies earlier this week, reflecting the increasingly cross-border and multidisciplinary nature of disaster risk management.

The discussions focus not only on responding faster when emergencies occur, but on building systems capable of identifying risks earlier, converting information into action and reducing impacts before they escalate.

“Disaster management cooperation is an indispensable pillar in building a resilient Asia-Pacific community,” said Xu Jia’ai, vice minister of China’s ministry of emergency management, calling for greater investment in early warning technology and deeper integration of artificial intelligence, big data, satellite remote sensing and the Internet of Things into disaster preparedness.

The first major policy track examines how economies can strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems from end to end, from risk monitoring and forecasting to information dissemination, institutional coordination and emergency response.

UNDRR brought the wider global disaster risk reduction policy agenda into the discussion, while WMO focused on regional efforts to expand early warning coverage. Economies also examined how ex-ante investment, financing frameworks and stronger decision-support systems can help authorities act before hazards translate into major economic and human losses.

The challenge is becoming more urgent as extreme weather patterns change. Zhang Zuqiang, vice administrator of the China Meteorological Administration, noted that northern China has experienced around 50 percent more heavy rainfall events on average over the past five years compared with the 1990s.

“Only through multilateral cooperation, complementary strengths and coordinated prevention and response can we address regional and systemic climate disaster risks,” Zhang said.

A second policy track turns to how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies can strengthen risk-informed emergency management.

Discussions include the use of AI in disaster management, satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems, alongside the less visible but equally important challenges surrounding data governance, institutional capacity and the ability of economies to turn technological advances into practical emergency-management tools.

ADPC is contributing experience on anticipatory action and how risk information can support earlier decisions, reinforcing a central theme of the forum: better forecasts matter most when institutions are equipped to act on them.

The final major track shifts attention from systems and technology to the people and institutions that ultimately carry out preparedness and response.

With insights from the IFRC, economies are examining whole-of-society approaches to disaster risk reduction, including stronger coordination between governments, humanitarian organizations, communities and the private sector.

The discussions also address local capacity building, emergency supply systems and the participation of women and young people, recognising that resilience depends not only on national systems but on whether communities can prepare, respond and recover effectively.

Together, the sessions reflect a broader shift in disaster management across the region, from responding to individual emergencies toward managing risk across the full cycle of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

The forum builds on cooperation through APEC’s Emergency Preparedness Working Group as economies work to strengthen regional resilience and turn policy, technology and partnerships into practical protection for communities across the Asia-Pacific.

Support the Troops: Bring them home!

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Support the Troops: Bring them home!

By Ron Paul

Last week we heard that US sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and other ships in the Middle East were being fed food that, from photos that surfaced in the media, looked worse than what you would feed a dog. Parents and spouses of service members risked disciplinary action against their loved ones to highlight to the US Navy Secretary and to the media the revolting conditions aboard the carrier, which has been at sea with no port of call for a record period of time.

Stories of broken toilets, filth, and mold everywhere were reported in the media last week. One troubling story in the Guardian claimed that multiple sailors aboard the Lincoln have attempted suicide due to the unbearable conditions aboard the carrier.

The Trump administration’s response speaks volumes about its claim to “support the troops.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth immediately brushed off concerns about conditions aboard the Abraham Lincoln as “fake news.” He didn’t utter a word of concern for the troops he so enjoys being photographed working out with. He didn’t order a thorough review of the conditions on the ship. He didn’t promise to get to the bottom of things. He didn’t express any concern for the troops. He just said reports were “fake news.”

President Trump responded to the allegations even more callously than Hegseth. When a reporter told him that family members are concerned about conditions aboard the Abraham Lincoln, president Trump said, “no they’re not.” When asked whether the carrier’s record eight-month deployment was too long, he responded, “no no no, not nearly long enough.”

I am sure the parents and spouses of the sailors aboard the Lincoln would disagree.

By the end of last week, we learned at least some of the reasons for the lack of decent food for the troops. According to a report in the New York Times, on the first day of the US attack on Iran, Iran responded by nearly destroying the US Naval base in Bahrain. That base, the (former) home of the US 5th Fleet, had been a major logistics hub for the US in the region and was critical for re-supply of fresh food for the service members on board. With Bahrain no longer capable of functioning as a major US base, the fallback was a US facility on the tiny island of Diego Garcia, more than 2,000 miles away.

There is a bigger lesson here than lack of planning for Trump’s war of choice on Iran. Our Constitution – the supreme law of the land – only allows the United States to go to war if the war is approved beforehand by “the people’s branch” of government, the US Congress. There is a reason for this. Unless under direct attack, the use of the military must be subject to a thorough public debate. It was never meant to ride on the whim of a President. Given the opportunity, the executive is much more likely to take the country to war for reasons not related to defending our country. That is the chief reason we broke with King George in the first place.

As I always said on the campaign trail, the best way to support the troops is to bring them home. Never has that message been clearer than today.

Guyana drives regional food production

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Guyana drives regional food production

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Guyana is positioning its agricultural sector as a regional production and investment hub, leveraging its land, freshwater resources, expanding infrastructure and strategic access to CARICOM and northern Brazil to strengthen food security across the Caribbean.

Investment is being channelled into key areas including corn and soy production, livestock, aquaculture, large-scale farming, agro-processing, cold storage, logistics, packaging and value-added food production.

The focus is increasingly shifting away from the export of primary commodities, with Guyana seeking to attract investors to establish processing and other value-added operations locally.

This approach is expected to create greater productive capacity, expand employment and retain more of the value generated within the country.

According to chief investment officer of the Guyana Office for Investment, Peter Ramsaroop, during an interview with the Department of Information (DPI), this presents opportunities for CARICOM businesses through joint ventures, contract farming, processing facilities, regional distribution networks and technology partnerships.

“The investment proposition is straightforward: produce in Guyana, add value in Guyana and use Guyana as a platform to supply the Caribbean,” Ramsaroop urged.

CARICOM investment currently accounts for approximately five percent of recorded investment activity in Guyana, with notable participation from Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as investments from Barbados in services and other Caribbean markets.

However, the broader objective is to deepen regional economic integration by creating supply chains that connect Caribbean capital and expertise with Guyana’s agricultural resources and access to South American markets.

As Guyana expands its agricultural production and processing capacity, the country is seeking to become more than a supplier of raw commodities, positioning itself as a regional platform where production, processing, storage, and distribution converge to support CARICOM’s food-security objectives.

The strategy ultimately seeks to transform investment into sustained regional food security while creating new opportunities for Caribbean businesses to participate in Guyana’s expanding productive economy.

US sanctions Cuban regime actors associated with Marxist subversive networks and corrupt economic dealings

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US sanctions Cuban regime actors associated with Marxist subversive networks and corrupt economic dealings

USA / CUBA – The Cuban regime has long sponsored a vast subversive network in the United States aimed at identifying, cultivating, and radicalising subversives, largely operating under the pretext of educational or cultural exchange, according to US Department of State.

“Just days ago, the regime attempted to use Communist kingpin and despot Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday to reinvigorate this subversive network, ferrying a new brigade of international sympathisers to Havana to network with regime officials. The Trump administration will not stand by while a hostile foreign power seeks to exploit our freedoms—none of which are afforded to its people—by misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft, and other malfeasance as part of the regime’s raison d’être of exporting Marxism, racial resentment, and Communist violence across the world.”

Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14404 of May 1, 2026:

“Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy,” [today], I am designating three leaders of the sanctioned Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), including ICAP president Fernando González Llort.  Llort, a convicted Cuban spy who served 15 years in US prison for his role in the infamous Wasp Network — a massive illegal Cuban spy ring uncovered in Florida in the late 1990s – has continued his efforts to destabilise the United States following his return to Cuba through his involvement with ICAP.  ICAP was previously designated under E.O. 14404 for being a political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of the government of Cuba. It hosts international brigades at facilities across Cuba, including Campamento Internacional Julio Antonio Mella (CIJAM), Casa Memorial Salvador Allende, and Casa de la Amistad, which I have identified as alternative addresses of ICAP and are to be treated as sanctioned property.”

“I am also designating nine entities, including the ministry of construction of Cuba, that sustain the regime’s repressive apparatus through control of key economic sectors,” the US State Department press release August 20, 2026, added: “Today’s designations make clear that the Trump administration will not tolerate the Cuban regime’s efforts to fund its repression or continue its decades-long campaign of subversive anti-American activities.”

The Department’s actions are being taken pursuant to E.O. 14404, which authorises sweeping sanctions on Cuba, including against persons who support the Cuban regime’s security apparatus and those responsible for repression in Cuba and other threats to US national security. These actions also further both E.O. 14380, “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba,” and National Security Presidential Memorandum 5, which directs the Executive Branch to improve human rights, encourage the rule of law, foster free markets and free enterprise, and promote democracy in Cuba.  

InterContinental Grenada celebrates opening with exclusive offer

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InterContinental Grenada celebrates opening with exclusive offer

~Guests Can Save 40% on Best Available Rates Through January 2027, With Daily Breakfast, Welcome Cocktail and Complimentary Room Upgrade~

LA SAGESSE, Grenada – In celebration of its highly anticipated November 2026 opening, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is introducing an Exclusive Opening Offer inviting travellers to experience the newest luxury resort on Grenada’s southeastern coast. The offer includes 40 percent off the Best Available Rate for stays through January 2027, along with daily breakfast, a welcome cocktail upon arrival and a complimentary room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability.

Set along the sheltered shores of La Sagesse Bay, InterContinental Grenada Resort & Spa will offer a sophisticated yet relaxed approach to Caribbean luxury, pairing contemporary accommodations and elevated amenities with the natural beauty, culture and spirit of Grenada.

Guests booking the Exclusive Opening Offer will have the opportunity to settle into thoughtfully designed guest rooms and suites inspired by the island’s lush landscapes and vibrant character. Days can be spent relaxing along the resort’s secluded beach, exploring Grenada’s coastline and local culture, or enjoying the property’s expansive culinary and wellness offerings.

The resort will feature five distinctive dining experiences, including Mosaic, an island-inspired all-day dining restaurant; Coralie, an open-air Mediterranean restaurant; Solara, a rooftop bar overlooking the ocean; Cove, a pool and spa bar; and Café Amber, offering coffee, pastries and house-made selections.

Wellness will also be central to the experience, with an on-site spa, fitness facilities including Pilates reformers, and curated relaxation experiences designed to complement the restorative setting. Guests can also enjoy water sports, beach activities, culinary and cultural immersions, island-focused adventures and a dedicated Kids Club.

The Exclusive Opening Offer is designed to provide an opportunity for travellers to experience InterContinental Grenada Resort & Spa during its inaugural season, whether planning a Caribbean escape or a winter getaway.

The exclusive opening offer includes:

  • 40% off the Best Available Rate;
  • Daily breakfast;
  • Welcome cocktail upon arrival;
  • Complimentary room upgrade at check-in, subject to availability.

Terms & Conditions:

  • Valid for stays through January 2027;
  • Full pre-payment required at time of booking;
  • Reservations are non-refundable and non-cancellable;
  • No minimum length of stay required;
  • Offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts.

Opening in November 2026, InterContinental Grenada Resort & Spa will introduce a new destination for luxury hospitality in Grenada.

Located along La Sagesse Bay on Grenada’s southeastern coast, the 120-room resort will offer sophisticated accommodations, immersive culinary experiences, a serene spa and wellness retreat, family-friendly programming and more than 20,000 square feet of versatile indoor and outdoor event space.

Designed to become Grenada’s social and cultural resort, the property will combine contemporary luxury with authentic island experiences rooted in connection, comfort and discovery.

For more information and reservations, visit InterContinental Grenada Resort & Spa.

WHO – Africa CDC welcomes Ebola vaccines to the DRC

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WHO – Africa CDC welcomes Ebola vaccines to the DRC

DRC / AFRICA – Last week, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) requested a release of Ervebo vaccines from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine stockpile, managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG). The request was for use of the vaccine in the current Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.

Ervebo vaccine is licensed and recommended for use in outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (previously called Zaire ebolavirus). On Monday, the ICG informed the DRC government of an immediate initial release of 70,000 doses.

The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, and 50 000 doses for frontline and health workers in line with the current recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE).

It is not known whether Ervebo may be protective against the Bundibugyo virus in humans. Early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection. Thus, the clinical trial is expected to provide important new evidence, which is essential for policy-makers to inform future use of the Ervebo vaccine. It is key that the people offered the vaccine, in the trial and otherwise, receive information of the risks, potential benefits and limitations related to the use of the vaccine in an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus and are able to provide informed consent.

The ICG partners are WHO, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins Sans Frontières and UNICEF. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provides funding for the stockpile.

WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) welcome the allocation of vaccines to the DRC.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing outbreak, and based on the available evidence, WHO and Africa CDC support DRC’s focus on protecting the people of DRC and using a community-led approach, which empowers communities to play a central role in the response.

Africa CDC and WHO are united in support of the government of the DRC, to protect affected communities, save lives and bring the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak to an end, while generating the scientific evidence needed to strengthen Africa’s preparedness for future outbreaks.

ICG – Ebola vaccine stockpile

The International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision was established in 1997, following major outbreaks of meningitis in Africa, as a mechanism to manage and coordinate the provision of emergency vaccine supplies and antibiotics to countries during major outbreaks. The partners and founding institutions are the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, MSF, UNICEF and WHO. The core mandate of the ICG is to make available and ensure equitable access to licensed vaccines for cholera, meningitis, yellow fever, and Ebola virus disease during outbreaks.

Ebola vaccine stockpile: The ICG has managed the emergency stockpile of Ebola vaccine since January 2021, which was created as an additional tool to control outbreaks of Ebola virus (previously called Zaire ebolavirus). Since the establishment of ICG Ebola mechanism in 2021 until July 2026, over 56, 000 doses of Ervebo vaccine have been allocated to respond to Ebola virus outbreaks in DRC. A further 167 000 doses have been used in preventive campaigns for health and frontline workers in DRC, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

US – Jamaica signs Status of Forces Agreement

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US – Jamaica signs Status of Forces Agreement

By War.gov

WASHINGTON, USA – The governments of the United States and Jamaica have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). This agreement builds on the already strong bilateral security partnership acknowledged and discussed by United States secretary of war Pete Hegseth and the Jamaica deputy prime minister and minister of national security Dr Horace Chang during their bilateral meeting in the margins of the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition Forum in Panama on August 12, 2026.

Status of Forces Agreements are international instruments that establish and formalise the terms under which members of one country’s armed forces may be temporarily present in another country for mutually agreed activities, including training exercises and joint operations. Jamaica joins more than 120 partner nations that have similar agreements with the United States.

Jamaica and the United States have enjoyed decades of close security cooperation. Since the establishment of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), members of the United States Armed Forces and JDF have participated in joint training exercises, professional exchanges, humanitarian and disaster response activities, and other forms of security cooperation. This SOFA agreement is a message to the criminal organisations in the region, that the United States Armed Forces and JDF are committed to deepening and expanding their cooperation, including in their efforts to fight criminal organisations and narco-terrorists who traffic guns, drugs, and people.

The signing of the SOFA provides a modern and predictable framework to further strengthen cooperation in areas of shared interest, including regional security, defense cooperation, and disaster response. Through this agreement, the United States and Jamaica reaffirm their commitment to a strong security partnership that advances peace through strength and the mutual interests of our countries.

Caribbean MSMEs to benefit from new CDB supported digital transformation initiative

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Caribbean MSMEs to benefit from new CDB supported digital transformation initiative

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB / the Bank) and the Small Business Association of Barbados have launched a regional initiative designed to help Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) strengthen their digital capabilities, improve competitiveness, and expand their participation in regional and global markets.

The project, titled “Reengineering MSMEs for Growth: Adoption and Application of Digital Solutions to Build Resilience and Global Competitiveness,” was officially launched on August 19, 2026, at the CDB Conference Centre in Wildey, Barbados.

The initiative will support a minimum of 150 MSMEs across Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with targeted assistance to help firms assess their digital maturity, adopt practical digital solutions, and implement transformation plans. The project also places inclusion at its centre, with specific attention to women-led enterprises and underserved businesses that often face additional barriers to growth.

Delivering remarks at the launch, Daniel M. Best, president of the Caribbean Development Bank, said the initiative responds directly to the urgent need to strengthen the region’s private sector and prepare Caribbean businesses for a rapidly changing global economy.

“The future prosperity of the Caribbean depends on our ability to build economies that are more productive, resilient, and competitive. At the centre of that effort are our MSMEs, the businesses that create jobs, sustain families, support communities, and drive innovation across the region,” emphasised Best.

He noted that many MSMEs continue to face constraints linked to scale, geography, access to finance, digital readiness, and market access. However, he highlighted that digitalisation offers small states and firms a powerful opportunity to overcome traditional barriers, increase productivity, strengthen resilience, and compete more effectively.

The project combines knowledge, institutional support, local networks, and financing, including grant support for selected firms to implement their digital transformation plans. This integrated model is intended to help participating businesses move from ambition to action by applying digital tools in ways that improve operations, customer reach, and market competitiveness.

“This is what development partnership should look like: finance, knowledge, technology, institutional support, and local networks working together to help businesses move from ambition to action. Through this initiative, we are helping Caribbean MSMEs turn digital visibility into real sales, and business potential into greater productivity, resilience, and sustained global competitiveness,” said president Best.

In his keynote address, Kerrie Symmonds, senior minister and minister of energy, business development and consumer affairs, government of Barbados, welcomed the new initiative, noting that the pace of technological change makes digital transformation an imperative for Caribbean businesses.

“The rest of the world is moving swiftly in the direction of artificial intelligence and digital transformation. The Caribbean cannot be the last to move, and we cannot afford to be left behind. We have to confront the challenges of digital adoption, build the capacity of our businesses, and create an environment in which MSMEs can use technology to improve productivity and efficiency,” asserted minister Symmonds.

The launch brought together representatives of the government of Barbados, the Small Business Association of Barbados, Business Support Organisations, regional partners, and participating stakeholders from across the beneficiary countries.

The programme included remarks from Dr Lynette Holder, CEO of the Small Business Association of Barbados; Donna Hope, vice chairman of the Small Business Association of Barbados; Sunita Daniel, CEO of Export Saint Lucia; Victor Boyce, head of country, Barbados, CIBC Caribbean; and Natasha Edwin-Walcott, coordinator, MSME Development, Private Sector Division, Caribbean Development Bank.

The project also supports the wider goals of Small Business Week 2026, which will be held from September 13 to 19, 2026, under the theme “Beyond Borders: Positioning Small Business for the Global Economy.”

Through this partnership, the Caribbean Development Bank is reinforcing its commitment to a stronger, more innovative, and more inclusive private sector, while working with regional institutions to ensure that Caribbean entrepreneurs are better equipped to thrive in the digital economy.

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