BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chairman, Dr. Terrance Drew says meaningful and lasting progress in addressing crime and violence across the Caribbean region cannot be achieved without decisive leadership and political commitment.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew will later this month host a meeting with United Nations officials to discuss a diagnostic and action plan that is being developed to address crime as a systemic regional challenge, a senior United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official has said here.

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, has updated member states on the organization’s ongoing support for Haiti, citing progress in political facilitation, electoral preparations, security cooperation, international coordination, and strengthening the OAS’s institutional presence in the country. 

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - The United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, (CAAC), Vanessa Frazier, says children living in Haiti are under “constant fear” amid displacement, intimidation and trauma caused by gang violence.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Executive Director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, has said that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries susceptible to natural disasters, can expect a speedy disbursement of grant financing from a recently-launched multilateral funding agency.

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent - The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, Monday urged the subregional grouping to strengthen their cooperation to survive in a changing global environment that he often describes as “entropic” and drifting towards disorder.

CASTRIES, ST. Lucia – A senior official of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Patrice Quesada, Monday said that Caribbean countries need to develop policies that will assist them deal with a decline in their populations.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean regional coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Patrice Quesada, says Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are re-evaluating migration policies as a key pillar of economic survival,

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr.  Carla Barnett says the nine-year tenure of Roderick Rainford as secretary general of the 15-member grouping was historic not only for his seminal role in defining a strengthened integration project for CARICOM, but also because of the deep regional and global crises unfolding at that time.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Monday said that the future of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region will depend on its ability to transform pressures into momentum for democratic renewal and progress in well-being.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Friday said that the regional health sector is set to receive a welcome injection of support with the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the regional integration grouping and the government of Spain.

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says security efforts must be sustained and international engagement must remain focused and coherent as Haiti enters a new critical juncture in its process of rebuilding democratic institutions.