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Mott MacDonald

Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients ’businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. We: · solve social, environmental and economic challenges · help governments and businesses plan, deliver and sustain their strategic goals · respond to humanitarian and […]

Lavrov says Russia to agree debt restructuring, wheat and oil supply

24th April 2023 Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said that the terms of the restructuring of Cuba’s debt to the Russian Federation are practically agreed. He was speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Havana during which he discussed the supply of oil, wheat, and other issues with government. “Many goals were […]

Kanoo

CaribPay (Bahamas) Ltd., trading as Kanoo, is licensed by the Central Bank of The Bahamas as a “Non-Bank Electronic Retail Payment Institution.” Kanoo is one of the leading digital wallets in The Bahamas. Kanoo is a derivative of Junkanoo, the country’s most prominent cultural expression.  Kanoo’s approach to the market is bold, colorful, and energetic, centered around freedom and […]

BHM

About BHM BHM in the Bahamas was founded in 1984 by a group of Bahamian businessmen, some of whom remain on the Board of the Company to this day. As well as the Company operating very successfully and diversifying over the years, our Board has also expanded their own success outside the construction industry in […]

Bahamas Financial Services Board

About BFSB The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB), launched in April 1998, represents an innovative commitment by the financial services industry and the Government of The Bahamas to promote a greater awareness of The Bahamas’ strengths as an international financial centre. The Board is a multidisciplinary body that embraces active contribution from individuals within government, […]

Charles Russell Speechlys

About Charles Russell Speechlys Charles Russell Speechlys is an international law firm with a focus on private capital, at the intersection of personal, family and business. We have a broad range of skills and collective legal expertise and experience with an international outlook across the full spectrum of business and personal needs. We are here to guide you […]

Parris Whittaker

About Parris Whittaker We are experienced advisors & litigators. We’ve designed our practice to accommodate both non-Bahamas businesses that need sharp local expertise and local/regional businesses that want a trusted hand and 24/7 attention. That’s why our array of services is broad. As litigation and employment experts, we’ve built legal specialties around our strengths and […]

CTO upbeat about 2023 Caribbean tourism outlook

17th March 2023 The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) is voicing optimism on the region’s tourism prospects for the remainder of 2023. Speaking in Barbados during the organisation’s launch of the 2022 “Tourism Performance and Outlook Report,” Acting Secretary General of the CTO, Neil Walters declared that the Caribbean had one of the quickest recovery rates […]

Deficit budget aims to start gradual process of economic recovery

30th January 2023 Cuba’s Minister of Finance and Prices, Meisi Bolaños, has said that the most significant challenge facing Cuba this year will be delivering economic growth while continuing to deliver the country’s social provision and system of subsidies. Speaking with other ministers about the 2023 budget on the flagship television and radio programme, Mesa […]

The Commonwealth and the monarchy

16th September 2022 The late Queen Elizabeth was widely revered for her sense of duty, her wisdom, advice, and the continuity she provided. As Head of the Commonwealth and as Britain’s monarch she represented selflessness and dedication rather than self-interest. She believed in the higher authority to whom she is now accountable. This and her […]

Meet the Ambassador – HE Mr Milton Innis High Commissioner of Barbados

31st March 2022 On Thursday 31st March we were delighted to invite our members to our third “Meet the Ambassador” Series with HE Mr Milton Innis, High Commissioner of Barbados The event was being kindly hosted by Mott MacDonald at their offices in london During the meeting the HC made a short presentation about Barbados to update us on the current […]

Drowning in promises

Photo by USGS  It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the support promised by global leaders in relation to climate change will be delivered at a pace fast enough to help the Caribbean, if at all. David Jessop suggests that the region may need to consider other options.  In a powerful speech at last month’s COP26 climate […]

Tourism minister prioritises health and safety as Cuba reopens

Photo by Yifan Wu  29th November 2021 Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, has said that the country is committed to developing responsible tourism, in which the health and safety of all visitors and Cubans is prioritised.  Speaking to locally based tour operators about the reopening of the country’s airports, ports, and hotels for tourism, […]

Lafarge Holcim announces US$20m investment in El Salvador

Photo by ElSalvador.com Industrial materials producer Lafarge Holcim, has announced that it will invest US$20m to increase the production capacity of its El Salvador facilities. US$11.6m will be invested to boost production at its Maya Plant located in Metapán, after the factory had significantly scaled back production after the 2008 global financial crisis. The remaining […]

Will the new WTO Director General be able to revive multilateralism?

Photo by Umaizi The World Trade Organisation is in desperate need of resuscitation. David Jessop writes that much will now depend on its newly appointed Director General rebuilding consensus and driving forward reform and a new agenda.  A few days ago, the Nigerian-American economist, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was appointed to lead the 164 nation Geneva-based […]

Venezuela ups claim to Essequibo

[Photo: Dan Lundberg / CC BY-SA 2.0] 22 January 2021, Volume 43 Issue 2 Guyana has increased the number of troops present on its border with Venezuela and signed a maritime security cooperation agreement with the US. Both moves follow a declaration in Caracas by President Nicolás Maduro, again laying claim to the Essequibo region, […]

Reform of Cuba’s dual currency system, salaries, and prices to start on 1 January

Photographer: Yamil Lage/AFP/ Getty Images The Cuban government has announced that the unification of its present dual currency system will begin on 1 January 2021. The exchange rate will be CUP24 to US$1 and as previously announced, the convertible peso, the CUC, will be abolished. Speaking on Cuban television and radio, Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, […]

Digital Services Panel – Note

Digital Services – Harnessing digital to enable regional financial and service sector scale up During the Caribbean Council Virtual Conference 2020, we were proud to welcome expert panellists in Aviation and Tourism, Digitisation, Shipping and Food & Agriculture, to propose practical and actionable solutions to the region’s challenges post-COVID-19. We are grateful to Shiva Bissessar, Managing Director, Pinaka Consulting […]

German-Honduran partnership wins Salvadoran cargo terminal contract

A German-Honduran consortium has been selected to modernise, expand and operate the cargo terminal at Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in El Salvador, in a public-private partnership arrangement with the Salvadoran Government. The partnership of Emco and and Munich International Airport, which already operates Honduras’ Palmerola International Airport, will invest US$57m in the project after […]

COVID Restrictions are Driving Demand for E-Commerce Solutions in Central America

COVID-19 is transforming business in Central America, as digital solutions offer crucial ways around physical restrictions during the pandemic.    The trend has been most obvious with online shopping and home delivery services. International players like Uber Eats, Rappi and Glovo entered the local food delivery market in the mid to late 2010s, and have seen […]

Barbados planning to become tourism hub for the Southern Caribbean

 The Barbados Government has said that it is developing plans that it hopes will see it become the southern tourism hub in the Caribbean.  Speaking to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Senator Lisa Cummins, the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, said that as a part of its plan it was negotiating with […]

A cold wind is blowing from the north

David Jessop asks who will lean into the wind, speak out and define in Caribbean and small state terms what free, socially oriented democratic societies require of both the US and China? Whether it chooses to take sides or not, the Caribbean is about to find itself swept up into the now almost inevitable superpower confrontation […]

Tax holidays can help aviation and tourism recover

If the Caribbean is to recover from the economic crisis it is facing, governments will need to stimulate tourism in unprecedented ways. David Jessop believes that one answer may be to remove, for a while, taxes and charges on aviation and tourism. After years of failing to find a way to reconcile whether LIAT, the Antigua based […]

Cuba to begin phased recovery from impact of COVID-19

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has said that Cuba is now able to undertake a staged recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. His announcement on 11 June follows the declaration that almost all Cuban provinces and municipalities, with the exception of a district of Havana (Cuba Briefing 8 June 2020), have been without incident for almost a month and […]

A unique opportunity to reset the relationship with the cruise lines

As the region begins to recover from the effects of the virus this should be the time when governments look to the future, jointly explore how the cruise lines can be encouraged to put much more back, and play a genuinely sustainable developmental role, David Jessop suggests. Even at the best of times, the cruise lines are […]

CARICOM Heads agree to steps required to reopen the regional economy

CARICOM Heads of Government have said that they intend to gradually reopen the Caribbean economy on a co-ordinated basis, primarily using public health considerations as the criteria. A communiqué issued following an emergency online summit held on 5 May noted that CARICOM Heads had taken note of a presentation by a Regional Working Group which […]

Tourism Minister optimistic about restoring growth

Cuba’s new Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, has expressed confidence that Cuba will be able to reverse the falloff in visitor arrival numbers in 2019 and, in future, see year on year increases as new hotels and tourism facilities come on stream. Speaking on the television programme Mesa Redonda, García said that tourism continues […]

US sanctions block key Trinidad-Venezuela oil field project

Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, has said that the country is to withdraw from jointly developing with Venezuela the Loran-Manatee natural gas field which straddles the two country’s maritime borders. Addressing the Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference 2020 on 3 February, Rowley said that US sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company PDVSA […]

Is a single Caribbean foreign policy any longer possible?

Will Caribbean heads choose ideology, realpolitik or fudge when it comes to US pressure in relation to the OAS and China, David Jessop asks in this week’s View from Europe. A little over a week ago the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, met in Kingston with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness. Subsequently, he held […]

Guyana provisionally agrees to adopt CET on sugar by 2022

Photo credits [Birches group] Guyana’s manufacturers and sugar producers have agreed that the 40% Common External Tariff (CET) on imported extra-regional refined sugar will apply for the specific use by food and beverage manufacturers from 2022. A processing plant producing white sugar is expected to come on stream then. The decision by the Guyana Manufacturing […]

Parts of Bahamas devastated by near geo-stationary Hurricane

Hurricane Dorian, a powerful category 5 storm with winds of up to 295kmph and accompanying heavy rains and a powerful sea surge has devastated the Bahama islands of Grand Bahama, Abaco and nearby cays. The hurricane first tore through Abaco on 1 September killing five people and causing serious injuries and extensive damage before stalling […]

UK Trade and Investment Mission to Cuba, 17-20 June 2019

Cuba Initiative Takes Large British Business Delegation to Havana to mark 25 years of the Initiative The Cuba Initiative Business Mission to Havana at the end of June was a great success with some 28 UK participants representing 19 companies meeting with a wide range of Ministers, senior policy makers and Cuban business representatives. The […]

Tourism must deliver greater benefit to all

Tourism now dominates most Caribbean economies, drawing huge numbers of visitors and wealth into the region. Despite this, many of those who work in or with the sector have yet to benefit fully from its success. A few days ago, in the less than likely location of Baku in Azerbaijan, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, asked a […]

Business warns, Haiti close to ‘the edge of a precipice’

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery Following days of instability and renewed tension, Haiti’s Private Sector Economic Forum (FESP)has warned that the country is on the edge of a precipice. The long standing body which groups the country’s principal chambers of commerce, industrial groups and financiers said in a statement: “no dialogue, the worsening of […]

Mexico considers overhaul of Central American immigration policy

According to US and Mexican officials an agreement is currently under negotiation that would dramatically increase Mexico’s immigration enforcement efforts and allow the US to deport more Central Americans seeking asylum. Officials caution that the deal is not final and President Donald Trump’s acceptance of the agreement is far from certain. The planned overhaul of […]

Reorienting the Caribbean’s relationship with Europe

In just under a week’s time voters from across the whole of the European Union (EU) will go to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. The result is expected to alter Europe’s centrist balance, and more importantly contribute to the repositioning of all political parties including those in France, Germany, and an already […]

Chris Bennett

Over the past 15 years, Chris has worked with hundreds of UK and international investors and businesses to provide them with high-quality business advice, support and analysis on the markets of the Caribbean and Central America and helped them to grow their businesses.  He has been involved with supporting investment decisions on major transactions with in-country research […]

Latin American Networking Party 2019

  We are delighted to extend to you an invitation from the Latin American Chambers & Latin Network, to attend the 15th addition of their annual Latin American Networking Party. The event will be an opportunity for British & Latin American professionals to socialise and expand their network. Attendees can look forward to: High profile professional networking in a social environment […]

Washington’s new Africa policy suggests a changed Caribbean relationship

What should one make of the recent announcement by the US President’s National Security Adviser, John Bolton, outlining a new ‘America First’ policy towards Africa? If taken at face value it suggests that the US Administration is embarking on a policy that regards the continent as a cold war playground in which superpowers vie for […]

Article in Granma says illegal networks operating with impunity in retail outlets

Granma has published a lengthy investigative report and commentary indicating how corrupt individuals appear to be able to act with impunity in some retail outlets. The article comes at a time of continuing concern among Cubans about shortages of some foodstuffs and suspected illegality surrounding the availability of essential items. A detailed story published in […]

Chinese consortium wins US$1.42bn tender for fourth bridge over Panama Canal

A consortium consisting of China Construction Communication Company and China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd. has been selected by the Ministry of Public Works to build the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal. The Ministry hosted a public ceremony for the four pre-qualified companies to present their bids including two Chinese consortiums, an Italian-Korean consortium, and […]

The OECD has citizenship programmes in its sights

Some years ago, a well-liked and highly respected Caribbean Ambassador regularly made the point that the region should follow more closely the issues that the OECD and the G20 were debating. He reasoned that any decision by one or the other of these complimentary bodies – they bring together the world’s most powerful economies – […]

Who will reform CARICOM?

There is a pervasive view within and beyond the Caribbean that the regional integration process is foundering, and that progress is being held back by an absence of political compromise combined with bureaucratic failings. The outcome of the recently held CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Grenada did nothing to dispel such concerns. Although numerous […]

Briefing Meeting: Opportunities for UK Investors in the Dominican Republic

Date: Wednesday 5 July 2017 Time: 9.30-11.30 Venue: TBC (Central London) We are delighted to invite you to attend an exclusive Briefing Meeting with the British Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, HE Ambassador Chris Campbell, and the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the UK, HE Ambassador Federico Cuello. They will be joined by a delegation from […]

Why the concerns of Caribbean youth matter

In much of the world, young people feel economically marginalised, politically alienated and involved in a struggle against insecurity and inequity. In the Caribbean, it is little different. Lack of opportunity, the absence of generational change, high levels of unemployment, discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation and the slow pace of change are abiding […]

Overbooking and the airlines

When I go to the theatre, I buy a ticket which has seat number on it. When I am there, the seat is mine for the duration of the performance. I have paid for it, and if I fail to show up, the seat remains empty and the theatre keeps my money. I know of […]

New Opportunities To Address Energy Security In The Caribbean

It is not a new observation that the Caribbean’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels contributes to the region’s high cost of doing business, increases its vulnerability to external sector shocks, and constrains economic growth and competitiveness across most Caribbean economies. Nonetheless, the increasing cost-competitiveness of a host of renewable energy technologies with fossil fuels […]

The Caribbean Council’s Annual Reception 2017

H.E. Brigadier David Arthur Granger, President of Guyana, addresses The Caribbean Council’s Annual Reception,Tuesday 25th April 2017 at the House of Lords The Caribbean Council’s Annual House of Lords Reception provides a unique opportunity for UK, Caribbean and Central American companies to network with others from the UK and the region who are involved in […]

What advice should travellers be given?

In February, a British coroner’s court had to rule in a case that raised important matters of principle about the responsibility of tour operators, hotels and governments. In part, at issue were the warnings given to visitors, and the level of responsibility that even the most junior sales staff have in this regard. Although the […]

How might the Caribbean respond to Brexit?

On March 29, after forty years of membership, the British government formally gave notice that it will leave the European Union (EU) in 2019. In a carefully worded, conciliatory letter, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, told the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, that after separating, the UK hopes for ‘a deep and […]

Rum distillery purchase consolidates foreign ownership

In a further foreign acquisition of a major Caribbean rum distiller, the French company, Maison Ferrand, has bought the historic West India Rum Distillery in Barbados for an undisclosed sum. The purchase of the distillery from former owner Goddard Enterprises will also see the French distiller of cognac and gin acquire the West India Rum […]

The changing face of Caribbean rum

In a few weeks’ time, the European Union’s (EU) long running programme to support the development of the Caribbean rum industry will come to an end. It has been one of the most successful private sector related undertakings ever to be supported by the EU in the Caribbean. It leaves much of the industry in […]

Sugar industry to address existential threats

The Caribbean sugar industry, ministers and stakeholders are to meet at the end of March to consider how to respond to the existential threat that long planned changes to the European sugar regime and Brexit pose to the industry. The two-day meeting in Kingston Jamaica, on March 23-24, organised by the Sugar Association of the […]

Tourism, an industry of value to the whole region

As odd as it may seem, in the past, tourism has not often been discussed in depth at the highest political levels of CARICOM; leaving the strong impression that the industry’s economic centrality was either unwelcome or not understood. However, last month, when CARICOM Heads of Government met in Guyana, they made clear in their […]

Has Caribbean sugar a future?

Unless the sugar industry in CARICOM can develop a co-ordinated and concerted plan of action over the next few months, it is quite possible that in a few years’ time there will be little left of an industry which, for evil and good, has played a central role in the making of the Caribbean. This […]

New CARICOM initiatives on tourism and ICT

CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Georgetown have agreed to give greater priority to tourism, the development of a regional ICT programme, and to addressing the issue of pan-Caribbean crime. Of all the matters discussed at the inter-sessional summit held on February 16-17 under the Chairmanship of Guyana’s President, David Granger, the issue most likely […]

Guyana set to be major Americas oil producer

ExxonMobil has announced that it is preparing to drill a further offshore well in its deep water Stabroek Block this month, located about 100 miles off the Guyanese coast. The announcement comes as industry analysts and the international media have begun to recognise that Guyana is likely to become a major western hemisphere oil producer […]

When visitor numbers become too great

Around the world, some popular tourism destinations are beginning to experience a backlash against visitors arriving in such numbers that local people are seeing their lifestyles changed, as overcrowding creates unintended economic and social consequences. The case of Venice is well known – a medieval city of 60,000 residents receiving 49m visitors – but the […]

Time to improve the CARICOM-DR relationship

In a few days’ time, Jovenel Moïse, will become Haiti’s forty second President. His swearing in follows his first-round victory in the country’s November 20 election. A businessman from northern Haiti who has never held political office, Haiti’s President-to-be has said that amongst his first priorities will be the modernisation of Haiti’s agricultural sector, creating […]

Values, growth and economic globalisation

In the coming months, it is likely that the way in which governments think about international trade and their fundamental values will evolve rapidly, as the promises and threats that President Trump made on the campaign trail become US policy. To understand the likely nature of what happens next, contrast the sophisticated and measured remarks […]

Moïse stresses hope for improved Haiti-DR relations

Haiti’s President-elect, Jovenel Moïse, has said that once in office he intends to strengthen relations with the Dominican Republic, and will ensure that undocumented Haitians living there receive the documentation they need to regularise their presence in the country. Speaking to the media at the Presidential Palace following a meeting with the Dominican President, Danilo […]

Tracking the visitor’s every step

Since late last year, a small number of ships in Carnival’s Princess Cruises fleet have been offering something very different on their Caribbean sailings. In order, they say, to enhance their clients’ vacations, they have introduced a new way in which those on board can, as they put it, ‘make the most of their time’, […]

13th Edition Latin American Networking Party!

Date: Thursday 24th November 2016 Time: 10.00-11.00 Venue: Mahiki, 1 Dover St, Mayfair, London, W1S 4LD On  Thursday 23rd February 2017, the 13th Edition Latin American Networking Party took place at 6:00pm at Mahiki. The British & Colombian Chamber of Commerce, The British Argentine Chamber of Commerce, The Mexican Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain, The Latin American Network, The […]

The message in President Trump’s Mexico policy

One of the few issues about which the new President of the United States has been consistent is his approach towards Mexico. Ever since his extraordinary electoral campaign first began, he has made his intention clear. He would build a wall to stop Mexican and other illegal migrants crossing the US’ southern border; would renegotiate […]

The real challenge of citizenship programmes

A few days into the New Year, St Lucia’s Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet, suggested that all five of the Eastern Caribbean nations that sell Citizenship by Investment (CBI) should develop a joint approach through the OECS secretariat. His proposal, which is unlikely to be adopted, came amid a flurry of comments that followed a potentially […]

Big challenges face Haiti’s new President

Haiti’s new President, Jovenel Moïse, will be sworn in on February 7 following confirmation on January 4 of his landslide first round victory in the country’s November 20 elections. Mr Moïse took 55.6% of the vote, but voter turnout of just 21% suggested that most Haitians have become disillusioned with professed political solutions, and fear […]

A single word says it all

One of the oddities of country branding is the desire by those responsible for marketing, or for promoting a destination, to require a short descriptive catch line to appear in all advertising and promotional material. The idea is that these few well-chosen words will encourage a potential traveller to investigate further the possibility of visiting. […]

The US should respect the WTO ruling on Antigua

Late last November the Government of Antigua gave notice to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) that if the United States did not reach ‘an appropriate and beneficial settlement’ in relation to a legal adjudication made previously in its favour, it would act to recover the revenue it has lost. At the […]

A moment for careful reflection

Few people understand how great the daily pressures are on a Prime Minister or President. Instead they mostly observe the public persona, see their leaders in the context of tribal politics, and are variously entertained or exercised by the media coverage of what is said, done or ignored. Irrespective, as holders of high office, all […]

Star ratings and the authentic Caribbean

Some time ago I received an email asking me how many five star hotels there are in the Caribbean. I replied that there was no recognised or independently adjudicated rating system anywhere in the region other than in the French départements d’outre-mer. This meant, I said, that hotels chose their own classification largely based on […]

China prepared to help with tourism development

Last month, China published a detailed new policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean in which it set out a new approach to its relations with the Americas. The document, which has real breadth and ambition, potentially offers, perhaps for the first time, an agenda around which the region can develop a practical bilateral […]

Action needed to guide US regional priorities

On December 13, the US Congress sent to President Obama The United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 for signature into law. This extraordinarily important development comes just as a new US Administration is about to take office. Uniquely it offers the Caribbean, unlike any other part of the world, a legislatively binding timetable within […]

Philip Dubow

Philip Dubow is a political risk, intelligence, and criminology professional focused on international trade and sustainable development. Previously, he was a project manager at a civil engineering software service for smart cities. Philip has conducted research on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and maritime security, including in Caribbean contexts. Originally from New York City, he […]

Guyana begins to ready country for oil bonanza

As rumours swirl in Guyana of another large offshore oil find, the country has begun to put in place the legislation necessary to regulate the vast income that the industry is expected to generate for the country. Speaking on December 1 at the Annual Awards ceremony of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the […]

Navigating the Trump Presidency in the Caribbean and Central America

How will the new US Administration under President Elect Donald Trump relate to the Caribbean and Central America? No-one really knows at present, and with many of the fundamental tenets of post-Cold war US foreign policy currently being re-opened for discussion it seems likely that the Caribbean and Central America will hardly be a focus […]

Trump threatens as Cuba mourns

The US President-elect, Donald Trump has said that ‘if Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the US as a whole, I will terminate deal’. His tweet, which used language seemingly designed to drive a wedge between Cuba and the US and end President Obama’s policy […]

The trajectory of history is changing

Being able to identify the policy changes that will transform the future is normally far from easy. Arguably, however, in the week past, the remarks of two world leaders make plain how the trajectory of global history is about to change. In a formal policy pronouncement on November 21, the US President-elect, Donald Trump, confirmed […]

Region reacts with caution to President-elect Trump

Caribbean governments have reacted cautiously to the election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. While all governments sent congratulatory messages, in some cases indicating a willingness to work with the incoming administration, most were restrained. In an editorial, the Jamaica Observer noted that the single thread running through the Caribbean […]

Roundtable meeting with Dr. Paul Oquist

Date: Thursday 24th November 2016 Time: 10.00-11.00 Venue: Bird & Bird On Thursday 24th November 2016, The Caribbean Council organised a round table event with  the current Minister Secretary of Presidency and Private Secretary for National Policies of President Daniel Ortega Saavedra, in the Presidency of the Republic of Nicaragua, Dr Paul Oquist at Bird & Bird offices.  Following on from the Nicaraguan Elections on […]

Meeting with the Minister of Tourism of El Salvador, José Napoleón Duarte Durán

Date: Friday 11th November 2016 Time: 10.30am  Venue: Central London On Friday 11th November 2016, The Caribbean Council organised a meeting with Minister of Tourism of El Salvador, José Napoleón Duarte Durán, Ambassador of El Salvador, H.E. Ambassador Hayek, Minister-Counsellor, Patricia Comandari, and Minister-Counsellor, Adriana Mira de Pereira.  The meeting provided attendees with an interesting insight into tourism […]

Caribbean2030 Leaders’ Network turns “aspirations into action”.

For Immediate Release October 20, 2016 Last week marked a turning point for the Caribbean2030 initiative. Convened in 2015 with the aim of encouraging innovative thinking for the Caribbean region, the diverse, forward-thinking group gathered – for the second time in the UK – at Wilton Park (West Sussex). The aim of this third session […]

Venezuela to lose strategic refining hub in Curaçao

The Chinese largely state-owned Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co (GDZR) has said that it is planning, with support from some of China’s leading energy and financing companies, to invest more than US$5.5bn in upgrading the Isla refinery on Curaçao. Until recently Venezuela’s state owned oil company PDVSA had planned to renew its lease on the facility, […]

Brand Trump and the tourism industry

Mixing business and politics is regarded in most countries as unacceptable because of the conflict of interest it creates. The issue becomes particularly acute if the politician concerned not only seeks to link his campaign to his commercial interests, but also, seemingly oblivious to the implications, then insults a significant proportion of his potential market. […]

Time to reshape ACP solidarity

What does solidarity between nations mean in the early twenty-first century? Are the values inferred practical or advisable, in a multipolar world in which self-interest, overlapping relationships and multiple economic and political ideas compete? Solidarity suggests a common interest, similar objectives, and a cultural empathy binding people and societies together. It is an expression that […]

Cuba Initiative roundtable meeting with US State Department and US Treasury (OFAC) representatives

Event: Cuba Initiative roundtable meeting with US State Department and US Treasury (OFAC) representatives Date: 21st October 2016 Venue: Foreign and Commonwealth Office On the 21st October 2016, The Cuba Initiative was delighted to hold a roundtable meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss directly with representatives from the US State Department and the Office of Foreign […]

The ACP must not let the EU determine its future

On November 29, Ministers from the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states (the ACP) will meet in Brussels. There they are expected to agree a set of principles that will determine the ACP’s approach to negotiating a successor arrangement to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. This is the treaty which ends in February 2020, […]

Climate change: a test of the region’s staying power

After a period of uncertainty, it has been confirmed that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change will enter into force on November 4. This is good news for the Caribbean, one of the most at risk parts of the world from sea level change and severe climatic events. By global treaty standards, formal agreement has […]

Maximising Opportunities in a Changing Caribbean and Britain

Date: Tuesday 11th October 2016 Time: 16.00 – 17.30 Venue: The House of Lords On Tuesday 11th October 2016, The Caribbean Council was delighted to organise a roundtable meeting at the House of Lords with Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation for St Kitts & Nevis, during his recent visit to the UK. Mr […]

Round table meeting with Cuban Ministry of Agriculture delegation

Date: Wednesday 9th November 2016 Time: 9.00-10.00 Venue: Cubana (Smithfield), 59 Charterhouse St, London, EC1M 6HA On Wednesday 9th November, The Caribbean Council were delighted to organise a round table meeting with a high level Cuban delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture (Minagri). The delegation included: Osmel de La Cruz Cala, Director of Asdrubal Lopez coffee processing plant. […]

Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) 2016

Event: Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) 2016 Date: 17th – 19th October 2016 Venue: InterContinental Miami, Miami, Florida On 17th to 19th October 2016, New Energy Events organised the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) of which The Caribbean Council was a partner. CREF 2016 has become the biggest annual meeting of the regional energy market and this year it took place at the […]

The EPA, Brexit and defending the status quo

How should the Anglophone Caribbean respond to Brexit? Should it, based on the expert advice it has received from the CARICOM Secretariat and its own trade negotiators, now be actively exploring with the UK an approach that secures an equivalent trade relationship to that which it has with the EU under the Economic Partnership Agreement […]

To connect or not to connect

Having spent a significant part of my working life staying in hotels in the Caribbean, North and South America and in Europe, I have become accustomed to the varying, sometimes surprising, facilities and styles one finds in hotel rooms. For example, I have been given a hotel room in Switzerland that promised ‘colour therapy’ allowing […]

Insuring foreign investment projects in Cuba

Event: Insuring foreign investment projects in Cuba Date: 22nd September 2016. 10.30-12.00 Venue: Temple Chambers, Central London On Thursday 22nd September, The Caribbean Council held an intimate round table meeting with the General Director of the Cuban state insurance company, Seguro Internacionales de Cuba (ESICUBA), Mr Jose Carlos Meijides. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr Jose Carlos Meijides […]

It is time for a new CARICOM policy on marijuana

At the end of July eleven individuals received jail sentences in Havana of between 15 to 30 years for attempting to traffic narcotics into Cuba from Jamaica. The convictions followed a number of co-ordinated operations to stop go-fast boats arriving with large quantities of marijuana. The intention had been to sell the ganja in the […]

Cuba Energy & Infrastructure Summit

Date: 1 & 2, September 2016 Venue:  Meliá Cohiba Hotel, Havana, Cuba On Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd of September, the 1st Cuba Energy and Infrastructure Finance Summit organised by New Energy Events took place in Havana, Cuba. About the Summit: Substantial foreign investment is needed over the course of the next decade to revitalize, diversify, and […]