Just Caribbean Updates

As the Caribbean hurricane season hits its peak, the U.S. National Hurricane Center is monitoring three separate tropical waves in the Atlantic, including one in the Caribbean region. According to Loop News, the tropical wave is “causing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over Hispaniola and parts of the central Caribbean.” Per reporting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, there is a 40% chance that the tropical wave turns into a tropical depression affecting the western Caribbean Sea within the next week. 

The region is still recovering from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Beryl, which struck at the beginning of July (see last week’s Just Caribbean Updates on the continued impact). Experts at Colorado State University predict 18 more named storms in the 2024 hurricane season, which would result in a total of 23 such storms by the end of November. By comparison, “the average number of named storms between 1991 to 2020 is 14.4,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel. The growing impact of climate change has both increased the frequency and intensity of tropical storms.

Climate Justice

• The Economist Impact highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on small island developing states (SIDS), particularly that 70% of these islands are at risk of water shortages.  

Decolonisation

• The NGO Baku Initiative Group signed an memorandum of understanding with the Bonaire Human Rights Organization and the Bonaire Movement for Change, in a significant step to increase global awareness of decolonization, especially in multilateral organizations, reports Caribbean Magazine Plus.
  
  
• Trinidad and Tobago held a public hearing where citizens shared their points of view on the removal of statues, signs, and monuments with colonial ties, according to Voice of America. Opinions varied, from putting statues in museums to destroying them all together.
• The hearing comes after Trinidad and Tobago began a new initiative to redesign its coat of arms, removing references to Christopher Columbus (see last week’s Just Caribbean Updates).  
  
  
• Dr. Claudius Fergus, chair of the National Committee on Reparations, recently announced his support for the changing of the coat of arms to remove colonial references, reports Repeating Islands. 

Public Security

• In Foreign Affairs, International Crisis Group’s Renata Segura and Diego Da Rin explain how recent efforts by the UN multinational security support mission to curb gang violence in Haiti remain unsuccessful, and offer suggestions on how long-lasting stability in the country may be achieved. 
  
  
• Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has sidelined a government initiative to build a new maximum security prison, despite urgings from a local human rights organization to prioritize the prison’s construction in the aftermath of a mass killing by formerly incarcerated persons that left eight people dead, reports the Jamaica Gleaner. 

Human Rights

• Dominican Republic “President Luis Abinader’s second mandate must prioritize respect for human rights and put an end to racist migration policies,” says Amnesty International.
  
  
• “In relation to the profiling, detention and deportation of pregnant women, Amnesty International has found that the intimidating effect of such acts puts their lives and health at serious risk. According to testimonies collected, some pregnant Haitian women living on sugar cane plantations (bateyes) or those in need of postnatal care do not seek medical attention for fear of detention and deportation when visiting public hospitals or leaving their communities,” explains Jordi Amaral at the Americas Migration Brief newsletter.

Migration

• “The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is on the cusp of unveiling a transformative Regional Migration Policy, designed to address emerging migration trends and longstanding challenges across the region… the draft will be presented to CARICOM leaders in February 2025,” reports Newsroom. (via Americas Migration Brief)
  
  
  • “St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said he is hoping that by the next meeting of CARICOM leaders a decision will be taken on the issue of contingency liability within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) initiative,” notes IWN.
    
    
• As Canada considers reducing the number of temporary labor migrants it accepts, the policy change may impact the Caribbean. “Jamaica’s Ministry of Labour says it has taken note of the announcement and will be taking steps to safeguard the almost 9,000 workers that go to Canada on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme,” reports Radio Jamaica News.
  
  
• Belizean officials discussed migration and international cooperation with Guatemalan and Cuban officials in separate meetings, per Americas Migration Brief. 

Art and Culture

• Repeating Islands pays homage to Haitian artists Richard Barbot and François Cauvin, who highlight the special role of women during the Haitian Revolution in their paintings.
  
  
• Also in Repeating Islands, Pooja Shah notes the work of Indo-Caribbean female artists, an often-overlooked community within the broader South Asian diaspora. 
  
  
• The Round Table reports the death of Sir Shridath Ramphal, former Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs of Guyana and Assistant Attorney General of the West Indies Federation, among many other governmental and diplomatic posts. Global Voices notes his “unwavering commitment to advancing regional integration and global diplomacy.”
  
  
• The Karibbean Collective profiles Zoe Teague, a lawyer from Antigua and Barbuda who, in an effort to lead a more meaningful life, has turned to human rights advocacy and content creation. 

Opportunities

• “The Americas Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking a full-time Researcher who will focus on improving human rights in the Caribbean, particularly on Haiti and Cuba… The Researcher will preferably be based in the Caribbean” (job board)
  
  
• Jordi Amaral/Arianna Kohan / Just Caribbean Updates
  
• https://caribbeannewsupdates.blogspot.com
  
• Sept. 9, 2024