BERLIN – Transparency International says only Guyana and the Dominican Republic in the Americas have improved their Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores over the past decade, while the others have either stagnated or significantly declined.

KAMPALA, Uganda – President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Ambassador Dennis Francis, Friday warned that widening inequalities are breeding fresh grievances, while mistrust and geopolitical competition are hampering efforts to realize the aspirations of achieving sustainable development by 2030.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Forestry and Marine Resources is set to roll out its “Young Entrepreneurs, Farmers and Fishers in Agriculture and Agribusiness Project,” funded by the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF).

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Special Representative to Haiti has warned that the crisis in the country has reached “a critical point”.

KAMPALA, Uganda – Guyana has underscored the need for global solidarity and united action to address the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges that threaten sustainable development of the Global South.

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says his administration is moving to purchase or acquire Balliceaux, a 320-acre Grenadine island where thousands of Garifuna people were taken and died in the late 17th century after the death of Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer, St. Vincent and the Grenadines sole national hero.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – A new initiative aimed at lessening the Caribbean region’s poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition has been launched in Guyana.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The division within the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as to their diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan became even more glaring with some member states congratulating the President elect of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, and others re-affirming their adherence to the One China Policy.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders met on Friday to discuss the ongoing political and socio-economic conditions in Haiti as they seek to determine further action in support of a Haitian-led solution to the crisis.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – A private sector-led regional ferry service was launched on Tuesday aimed at increasing and improving transportation among the Caribbean countries.

GENEVA –  UN experts has welcomed the recent decision by Suriname’s highest court, to uphold the 20-year prison sentence of former president Desi Bouterse for the torture and extrajudicial execution of 15 political opponents in 1982.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission says it is planning a regional consultation for the first quarter of this year aimed at shaping the tenets of the OECS Sustainable Tourism Policy.