Caribbean round-up: Mottley backs Haiti force, resilient homes, Guyana gas and regional agriculture week

Barbados

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley told the UN General Assembly that the Caribbean must remain a zone of peace and opposed the region becoming a place for conflict or the use of force.

She said Haiti's security crisis continued to hinder political progress and economic recovery. "Preparations for a return to constitutional government are moving forward, even with great difficulty. But those efforts cannot succeed unless security improves," she said.

Ms Mottley said Barbados supports the full deployment and renewal of the mandate of the 5,500-member Gang Suppression Force in Haiti. "Enough is enough," she said. She highlighted the role of CARICOM's Eminent Persons Group and expressed concern over Cuba's worsening humanitarian and economic situation, citing increased US pressure and disruption to the island's oil supplies.

Resilient homes

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is leading an 18-month initiative, backed by US$200,000 from CAF, to make homes more resilient to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other hazards.

The project will improve construction practices, train builders and TVET institutions, and promote resilient building standards. "Resilience begins with the way residential infrastructure is designed and built," said Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy, CAF's regional manager for the Caribbean.

Guyana

Guyana is reviewing the development plan and production licence application for the Longtail project, the first in the Stabroek Block focused mainly on natural gas. Unlike the Gas-to-Energy project, which uses associated gas from the Liza developments, Longtail would develop a new offshore field.

According to a 2026 mid-year report, the field development plan was submitted in March. Start-up is targeted for 2030, and Longtail would be the eighth development in the block.

Jamaica

More than 800 delegates from 40 countries are due in Trelawny, Jamaica, for the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture, themed "The New FACE of Caribbean Food Systems".

CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett said the event would showcase the region's achievements and "catalyse investment opportunities that will accelerate the transformation of Caribbean food systems."

Prime Minister Andrew Holness will give the keynote address and launch Jamaica's National Agriculture Development Plan. The six-day programme includes more than 70 technical sessions and closes with a special COTED agriculture meeting.