GENEVA, Feb 12 2015 (IPS) - A week of climate negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland Feb. 8-13 are setting the stage for what promises to be a busy year. In order to reach an agreement in Paris by December, negotiators will have to climb a mountain of contentious issues which continue to overshadow the talks.
One such issue is the relevance of gender in the climate change negotiations.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will mount a small Electoral Observer Mission to monitor the general elections to be held in St. Kitts and Nevis on Monday 16 February 2015.
The CARICOM Observer Mission will meet with St. Kitts/Nevis electoral officials, the leaders of political parties and other stakeholders.
On the day of the Elections, the Observer Mission will monitor the electoral process, including the opening of the poll, the voting process, the closing of the Poll and the counting of ballots.
JAMAICA is on track to be among the first countries in the world to reach the targets for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, according to the Ministry of Health.
The country's status will be confirmed later this month, once the Ministry of Health submits its country report to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
UNAIDS acknowledged the major progress following a recent meeting with Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson.
The Group of Friends of Haiti at the Organization of American States (OAS) met this week at the headquarters of the institution in Washington, DC under the Chairmanship of OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin.
During the meeting, Ambassador Ramdin, the Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS, Bocchit Edmond, and representatives from other member states, observers, and international organizations discussed the status of democratic processes in Haiti including a report on the anticipated timeline for the new electoral calendar.
Germany’s government has agreed to provide just under $1.6 million in funding to support reforms in Grenada’s energy sector.
The funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety is for a project called “Reform of the Electricity Sector to support Climate Policy in Grenada.”
The project, which will launch later this month, aims to support Grenada both in the use of green energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Feb 11, CMC – The Electoral Council has released a schedule that will allow voters to elect a new legislative assembly as well as the first round of the presidential election.
The nine-member Electoral Council, tasked with organizing a series of elections this year, said the first round for electing 20 senators and the entire Lower Chamber will take place in July.
LONDON, Feb 12, CMC –The London-based Privy Council Thursday ruled that the St. Kitts-Nevis elections on February 16 will be held using the old voters list and the existing boundaries.
The five-member panel of judges said it would later provide a written judgement.
For the first time in almost half-century of its existence, the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados will be headed by a woman.
The new principal is Professor Eudine Barriteau, who was appointed last August as principal of the University’s Open Campus but will now replace Sir Hilary Beckles, the new Vice-Chancellor who is leaving Cave Hill in April to succeed Professor Nigel Harris.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is urging health authorities in the Region to maintain high levels of measles vaccination coverage at the national and local levels, as part of efforts to prevent an outbreak of measles.
PAHO issued an alert earlier this week that urged countries to strengthen measles surveillance activities and to “take appropriate measures to protect residents in the Americas against measles and rubella.”
Please see below press release issued by PAHO/WHO.
The Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, met on Wednesday 11 January 2015 with a delegation from Guadeloupe, which is one of five Caribbean territories which have applied for Associate Membership of CARICOM. The delegation from the Regional Council of Guadeloupe comprised – Mrs Thérèse MARIANNE-PEPIN, Président of the Commission on Cooperation, Mr Olivier SORET, Director General, Europe and Cooperation and Mr Lionel SAROTTE, Cooperation Officer .