Guterres explained, Shadid Adbull has extensive diplomatic experience. Within his current role has become a strong voice for small island developing States. He expressed his greater understanding of multilateralism; and it’s integral part in global challenges.

He congratulated Abdulla Shadid for choosing ‘hope’ as the basis of his vision statement. He explained that Shadid coming from a small developing State will bring a unique perception to the GA. The timing is ideal as the General Assembly prepare for the UN’s climate conference, COP26,

The election saw Shahid against Zalmai Rassoul the former Afghan Foreign Minister and confirmed Shahid with 143 votes. Rassoul received 48 votes.

At the General Assembly 75th anniversary session, the election result was announced,

Gutterres drew lots to confirm the next Member State that will take the first assembly seat in September. He went on to acknowledge his appreciation of both Zalma Rassoul for his contribution; and previous president Volkan Bozkir for his leadership.

The General Assembly is the foundation of the UN’s work; essential to the organisation’s effectiveness he said.

Gutterres announced that in 2021 and a global pandemic, their effectiveness is needed more than ever.

Bozkir joined Guterres in recognising the strong candidacy in Rassoul. Bozkir also announced the Members states respect for his strong multilateral diplomacy experience . He articulated the importance of the international community support for Afghanistan’s journey to democracy. Stating it was more important now than ever.

Covid

The UN chief recognised the millions of people lost in the pandemic and those mourning their loss. Plus the impact that it has on communities, economies and societies. Gutterres stressed the importance od the covid explaining that until the vaccines is universally available; covid still poses an enormous threat.

He confirmed that the 76th assembly will aim to tackle these issues. Addressing these across their three key chosen themes; peace, human rights and sustainable development.

Full support
The meeting was closed with Guterres reiterating Shahid  every success in his task. He also extended his full support to the entire secretariat in achieving their goals whilst upholding their values.

Messages of support continue to flood in across social media. Chief of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he looked forward to working together; towards universal health and the end of the pandemic.

Other Elected Officials

At the general assembly meeting six key UN committee chairs were also announced:

1st committee: Omar Hilale (Morocco) will chair the first Committee, covering deals with disarmament;

2nd committee: Vanessa Frazier (Malta) will chair this Economic and Financial matters committee

3rd Committee: Djibouti’s Mohamed Siad Doualeh will chair on human rights, humanitarian affairs and social matters.

4th Committee: Egriselda Aracely González López (El Salvador) will chair this committee on Special Political and Decolonization

5th Committee: Mher Margaryan (Armenia) will chair on administrative and budgetary matters

6th Committee: Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani (Qatar) will lead on international law and other legal matters.

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On the 9th of April, the volcano’s pyroclastic explosive eruption caused the government to evacuate the largest exposed areas of the island.

The volcanic flows approximately 10km and falling debris has immersed villages; creating damage to the country’s electric grid and played havoc with water supplies.

As attested by the local government between 16 to 20 thousand people have been evacuated so far. Most importantly, at least 4,000 people live in temporary shelters.

The ongoing activity of the volcano has affected the majority of the population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This is on top of the covid pandemic, and a recent dengue outbreak in the country.

Malgorzata Wasilewska, Head of the EU Delegation in Barbados, confirmed that their thoughts are with the people who have been affected by the eruption and left without electricity and running water. The announcement of this emergency aid is to overcome the disaster and get the country back on track. She also confirmed that the EU was fully supporting this humanitarian effort to help those in need in a time of crisis.

The EU humanitarian aid department will manage the the emergency aid package with local humanitarian partners dealing with the process.

The WHO will organize and prioritize their engagements. They hope to provide immediate access to water and sanitation, healthcare, and the distributions of non-food items. In addition, they have confirmed that they will do everything they can to protect the most vulnerable.

€190,000 will be transmitted to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) via their Disaster Relief Emergency Funds. The Red Cross in Saint Vincent and the Grenadine is underpinning the support of the national authorities by managing the allocation of temporary shelters hygiene kits, covid PPE, and basic healthcare.

In addition, the remaining €550,000 remaining in the fund will be allocated to humanitarian partners who are already active to enhance their emergency response.

On the 14th of April France delivered 40 tonnes of first aid items to the island via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Items received included covid PPE, hygiene kits, and drinking water.

Additionally, the EU’s Copernicus satellite service is providing area maps. Their 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre is keeping close communications with local authorities observing the situation to channel further assistance.

The current state of emergency has stretched to nearby Barbados island, where airports remain closed. The islands of Dominica, Grenada and St.Lucia are all affected by the volcano´s ashfall. However they are still accepting a limited number of evacuees.

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An Italian mobster was captured in the Caribbean after police tracked him down through food videos he had uploaded online. He had managed to cover his face but not his distinctive tattoos.

Marc Feren Claude Biart had been wanted on narcotraffic charges since 2014 and authorities located him due to his distinctive tattoos on the video. They believe him to be a member of the Ndrangheta, a brutal criminal organization based in the region of Calabria.

Biart, 53, was living in Boca Chica for five years, where he had kept out of the spotlight. By all accounts, he had settled into the Italian community without raising any unwanted attention. Known to the locals as “Marc”

It seems the mobster had started posting food videos to a YouTube channel with his wife as a hobby.

Unfortunately for him it was his love of Italian cuisine that ended up getting him arrested

Police said Biart, accused of trafficking cocaine into Holland, has been wanted since 2014. Interpol described the Ndrangheta as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world. They also say it is the only sector of the Italian mafia organization present in every continent throughout the world

Its wide ranging family ties and corrupt political and business practices have allowed it to infiltrate many areas of economic life. They are also apparently responsible for supplying cocaine to Europe from South America.

As a result of their power and influence, the ‘Ndrangheta is involved in many illegal activities. These include drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion and the manipulation of public contracts. The enormous illegal profits from these activities are then reinvested into regular companies. This further strengthens the organization’s stronghold of local economies.

Citing the threat posed by the spread of such crime, Interpol have created a three-year initiative.

It is hoped it will unite enforcement in several countries to fight the ‘Ndrangheta. Authorities claim they have already made many arrests since launching the project in 2020.

Two key members have already been taken into custody as a result of the international effort. Aside from Biart Francesco Pelle was also recently arrested.

Pelle was arrested in Portugal at a clinic where they were treating him for COVID-19 symptoms. He was later arrrested and charged in Italy for directing the revenge murder of a mobster’s wife.

The ‘Ndrangheta is just a part of one of Italy’s biggest ever mafia trials. 355 suspected mobsters and political officials face charges including murder, money laundering, drug trafficking and extortion. It is so comprehensive it took officials three hours to read the names of all the defendants at a pretrial hearing.

The trial began in January and will involve approximately 900 witnesses and continue for over two years.

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Alongside, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew); the OECS Commission will host a workshop focused on WTO Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations

The workshop aimed at Fisheries, Senior Trade, Maritime, Foreign Affairs and relevant member state officials, will take place on 24-25 February 2021.

Members of WTO have been given the instruction to come to a consensus that will put an end to damaging fisheries subsidies. This will be carried out before the next meeting held by Ministerial Conference, the Organization’s head decision-taking group.

Their next meeting is due to take place by the end of 2021 and will see the fisheries subsidies online (due to current covid travel and further restrictions).

The fisheries subsidies directive collaborates with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to enable the WTO come to an agreement to stop damaging fisheries grants. Their main objectives include:

Updating OECS Member States on the status of the WTO fisheries grants negotiations;
Understanding the extent of global and OECS subsidies spending;
Analysing the current draft fisheries subsidies negotiating text;
Deep diving into the areas of contention in the text for the OECS;
Understanding how a strong subsidies agreement can be used to advance OECS fisheries sustainability goals.

There will also be a keynote speech from Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia who is also the Chair of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations.

Other speakers include Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood, from the commission who is their Director of the Economic and Regional Integration. She will also be joined by representatives from Pew and the IISD.

The Workshop will also deliver expert insight and analysis from members of the World Bank, Pew, OECS Geneva Mission, IISD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CARICOM Secretariat, and other international and regional partners.

According to H.E. Ambassador Stephen Fevrier at the OECS Geneva Mission:

“The fisheries sector plays an important role in the economies of OECS Member States, providing both full-time, part-time and seasonal employment, contributing significantly both to domestic food security and national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In this context, it is important to build knowledge, institutional and other capacities among OECS Member States to ensure that we are well-positioned to secure a favorable outcome in the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations. Such an outcome will allow us to meet the goal of sustainability of our fisheries resources, while also providing the necessary policy space to further develop the sector commercially.

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Despite a global covid pandemic, this leading UAE financial entity has completed five important clean energy initiatives. These clean energy projects took place across five partner countries including: Cuba, Barbados, the Bahamas, Somaliland and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

The projects costing AED 1117.3 million, have allowed them to reduce their carbon footprint. They have also brought a number of economic benefits to these partner countries. ADFD’s Director-General explained that these projects indicate their solid commitment to socioeconomic growth through sustainable initiatives. Across the developing world.

He went on to explain that ADFD has been putting in double the effort in the global pandemic. Ensuring that they guarantee delivery in partner countries. Their mission has been to support these countries in order to maintain their economic and social development pathway. He also explained that delivering these projects was a learning curve. This has helped them to not only future proof their entity and deal with the global crisis; but allowed them to refocus and value their partnerships more.

He also confirmed that clean energy initiatives still remain high on their agenda. This is due to their impact on many factors from environmental to commercial. He also explained that the covid pandemic has forced ADFD to refocus their business more. Now, with a strong emphasis on what is happening around them as well as valuing partnerships and cooperation more.

Previous clean energy initiatives & funding

Last year, the ADFD announced the distribution of AED384 million (US$104.5 million) to eight clean energy initiatives. This came under the seventh round of their partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

The ADFD signed three loan agreements, totalling AED121 million (US$33 million) in West African nations of Niger, Liberia and Togo.

In July 2020, the fund backed the Maldives waste clean energy project. As a result, they were awarded an GINI certification. This is an accreditation from the Global Innovation Institute, a leading professional membership body within the innovation field.

ADFD’s eight projects were funded in Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, the Maldives, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nepal, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Once announced, it delivered AED1.28 billion (US$350 million) in cumulative funding.

The ADFD via the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF) also finances clean energy initiatives across 16 Caribbean island nations. This fund launched in 2017 is the largest renewable energy initiative in the region; supporting projects that reduce fossil fuel import reliance, climate change resilience, and increase energy access.

Despite the 2020 covid pandemic, the fund completed five of their committed projects. These increased the share of renewable energy by 14.38MW. Costing a total of AED 117.3 million, these projects supported critical socio-economic development at a critical time.

Solar projects completed last year

Somaliland Solar power project

Costing AED29.3 million, this 7-megawatt project is a game changer for Berbera City. In addition to significantly decreasing energy tariffs, it will support economic development and reduce Berbera City’s carbon footprint.

Cuba Solar PV plant

This Cuban 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic in 2019 received a capacity boost to 15MW. The grid-connected project services approximately 10,000 households

Bahamas Solar project

This AED11 million solar project located in the local stadium car park is projected to save thousands of dollars in power generation for the public purse.

The project was funded by the UAE-CREF scheme as part of a wider initiative to support their energy infrastructure and amplify the Caribbean nation’s share of renewable energy. So far the project has enabled the island to reduce its CO2 emissions by 856,000kg and has saved 310,000 litres of diesel per year,

Barbados Solar PV project

Financed by the UAE-CREF initiative, this AED 11 million projects saw the installation of solar PV panels in car parks for both charging car-battery as well as supporting the Barbados Water Authority. This led to a reduction in their CO2 emissions by 975,000kg per year and saved 265,000 litres of fossil fuel. This project also created significant job opportunities for women.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Solar PV project

This Union Island 600kW photovoltaic solar power plant has cut CO2 annual emissions by 825,000kg and reduced production cost and expenses on 320,000 litres of diesel. Financed under the UAE-CREF initiative, this AED11 million project has generated jobs particularly for women and raised the country’s share of renewable energy to 35 percent.

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Gordon “Butch” Stewart was known as an incredible innovator within the industry. He was an inspiring and charismatic man who was a very popular figure. He always made everyone, employees and guests, feel welcome at his resorts. Stewart, without a doubt, set the bar high for luxury accomodation within the Caribbean.

Travel agents are likely to miss Stewart as much as anyone. He always championed and acknowledged their role in Sandals’ success.

Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet, paid his respects describing him as a man who dreamed big; a pioneer and trailblazer. He concurred with Stewart´s son Adam who had described him as a superhero. What he did for the region and for the islands definitely didn’t go unoticed by those in charge.

Chastanet remembered him as a young Director of Tourism within the 1990s. The Prime Minister convinced him to start something in Saint Lucia. His three hotels ctreated 2000 jobs and his the legacy and impact is indisputable. Few individuals have been as key to the remaking of the Carribean as a holiday destination.

Stewart was a marketing and branding genius with the growth of his Sandals chain becoming famous worldwide.

His influence and achievements made an indelible impact on Jamaica and subsequently across the whole Caribbean.

Despite his humble beginnings, he competed against some of the most biggest names in tourism to create a successful and revered network of hotels across the Caribbean. This wouldn’t have been easy and required a person with unique skills and a huge drive.

As Stewart himself explained he got his start not with resorts, but with manufacturing air conditioners, founding Appliance Traders Limited (ATL) in Jamaica in 1968.

As with the resorts he was the underdog competing against bigger brands. This didnt stop him from becoming the market leader within one year however.

Stewart was born in Kingston, Jamaica on July 6, 1941 and grew up on the North Coast, now home to several Sandals and Beaches Resorts. His entrepreneurship was evident from a very early age. Before moving into the AC business he was selling fresh-caught fish to local hotels. His success at this led him to think about what else he could do.

He went on to revolutionise Caribbean tourism and specifically all-inclusive resort accommodation.

It all started in 1981 when Stewart purchased a rundown hotel on an attractive beach in Montego Bay. Seven months and $4 million later, Sandals’ flagship property was born.

Obviously aware of all inclusive resorts, he wanted to improve upon what he had already seen. Features including king size four poster beds, manicured gardens, hammocks and impecable service was to become the norm. Being located on a beach was the icing on the cake.

At the time of his passing, he had been working on plans for the recently announced expansions on the Dutch island of Curaçao and St. Vincent.”

Stewart was elected President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica in 1989 and inducted into its “Hall of Fame” in 1995. He served as a Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board for ten years and as President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association during the 80s.

in 2009 he created The Sandals Foundation, financing local public facilties and schools to bringing healthcare to those who couldn’t afford it. He had also given millions to charitable causes including aid for first responders who had helped in the wake of hurricanes. In 2012, Stewart also founded the Sandals Corporate University.

In 2017, Stewart was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit.

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In a company press release, Eagle Aruba resort General manager explained how the group has developed a solid working relationship with Interval International. He went on to add that the affiliation deal will continue to drive value across their business. From lead generation and marketing to employee development and owner engagement, the group continues to trust their industry professionals to support their success in years to come.

Neil Kolton, Interval Business Development Manager, Caribbean & South East US, confirmed that Eagle Aruba’s team has supervised the successful and mega $54 million renovations. The renovation has been carried out across the entire resort and every unit and communal area upgraded.

He explained that the refurbishment not only shows Aruba’s commitment but the investment will have a positive effect on guests and their experience. In turn, reinforcing their commitment to remain one of the most desired Caribbean destinations.

The renovated hotel will offer one, two and three-bedroom suites that overlook a newly landscaped courtyard surrounded by free-form swimming pools. Each spacious refurbished suite will offer large living rooms, a fully fitted kitchen with the latest appliances, tiled bathrooms and a private patio or garden.

Additional improvements to the resort include a new adults pool, a state-of-the-art gym and the expansions of Uncle Tony’s Pizza restaurant. All existing pools, lobbies, bbq and activity areas all upgraded.

New Interval Timeshare holders will be enrolled as Club Gold members; entitling them to exchange through Interval by depositing their week or converting it to points for optimum exchange flexibility. As members, they will even have access to a selection of upgraded benefits and service to enjoy all year round. This will include:

Interval Options®, offering the ability to exchange their resort week or add points towards a cruise, hotel, spa vacation or tour.

Unique Experiences adventure: ShortStay Exchange® Golf Connection with access to private courses; VIP services, dining connection and city guides.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® membership that offers a chance to earn bonus points for up to two free weekend rental days;

Discounts on Entertainment® vacation rentals; online, hotel, dining and leisure.
VIP 24/7 private concierge assistance.

Miami based, Interval International has provided membership, exchange and leisure services to vacation programs across the globe since 1976. Considered pioneers of the market they have offices in 14 countries with a portfolio of 3,200 resorts in 80 nations; with 1.8 million families members.

Eagle Beach is the widest beach in Aruba. It has become famous for its stunning white sands and fofoti trees. The fofoti trees trademark silhouette that points towards the Caribbean, has appeared in many adverts and media campaigns.

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The move will see an introduction of new rules and restrictions for the granting of licenses to online casinos and betting providers.

The local economy in Curacao relies heavily on tourism. With the arrival of the Covid pandemic the Caribbean island has suffered hugely this year. In order to reduce the spread of Covid, As a result, Curacao had to take extraordinary measures. These were financially backed by the Netherlands.

In May 2020, after the islands second round of funding, the Dutch Government informed Curacao that its financial support would no longer come without some duties and responsibility.

Within the Dutch government’s Country Pack agreed with Government they included stipulations in reference to introduce restrictions when issuing online gambling licenses. In addition, they outlined certain changes necessary overall for the gambling industry in Curacao.

Several thousand online casino and betting providers have been issued with licenses from Curacao. However, they often reach customers in other territories not authorised to operate within (including the Netherlands). The new reform set out in the Country Package, will see an end to this. Under the new proposals outlined in the country package, local license holders will no longer be able to target and accept players from other regulated territories, except a few.

Also outlined in the package agreed between Curacao and the Netherlands

Due to the pressure from the Netherlands, Curacao will now be required to create a new independent regulator. This body will oversee the gambling sector and the granting of gambling license within the island nation. In addition to these powers, it will have the ability to revoke any non compliant licenses. The dates et for the formation of the new regulator is March 1, 2021.

Currently, several master license holders within Curacao mostly private telecommunications companies who sub license to online casino and betting websites. It is important to note that these licenses are granted on the grounds of commercial purposes. There is no regulator that oversees the activity of these types of licenses.

Currently, operators who are licensed in Curacao do not have to pay tax on revenues collected from online gambling services. However, under the new reform this is due to change.

As stated in the Country Package Curacao and the newly formed regulator must produce a plan by 1st September 2021 to reorganize their current online gambling market.

This will introduce a system of licensing that stops license holders in Curacao from targeting customers in the prohibited territories such as the Netherlands.

Ensure that all operators are compliant with the new regulations.

Allow licensed operator to service local customers

Punish those operators who violate the new regulations.

This outcome will mean a dramatic increase in the amount of customers that Curacao Casino and betting operator can target. This will result in limiting their target customer base to just the 160,000 customers on the island and a few other countries.

In addition, all gambling operators will be required to pay taxes (including corporate tax) and licence fees. Currently, master license holders pay for their master license fee and only 2% of corporate tax. The reason for this being that they provide services from other locations.

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Due to the strong criticism received for the fiscal changes planned for the following year; the president has reversed his decision on this tax emption. He has withdrawn the bill from National Congress, in order to remove the new taxes from writing and the restoration of those that were suspended.

Article 32 of the Bill determined the suspension of the tax exemption on the importation of gambling machines. This measure was expected to replace the one that is established in Article 2 of Law No. 96-88 of 1988.

According to the Dominican Association of Gaming Casinos, the casino sector has 56 venues that generate around 70 million Dominican pesos each month to the treasury.

They also contribute to approximately 200 million to the hotel sector each month.

Abinader explained that the draft budget confirms the Government’s commitment to the continuous lowering of the fiscal deficit. Over time, this will allow to have a balance in public finances and reduce the debt service on tax revenues. This will then guarantee the allocation of public services in priority areas; that can improve the quality of life of the population in a context of fiscal sustainability, ”

The Dominican Casinos Association explained that the termination of operations in these venues last March (due to the Covid pandemic) has forced the closure of 20% of the casinos.

However, they also assured that all casinos operating in the country have the necessary safety and hygiene protocols in place. Ready to reopen on August 24, the date set by authorities as part of the economic de-escalation.

David Moniz, president of the Dominican Casino Association affirmed that after almost five months closed, the industry has collectively prepared protocols to the finest detail. Having adapted their venues and adopting innovative health & safety measures to guarantee a safer covid free environment in all of their venues.

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