Category: CANA News

Belize is among six finalists named by the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) for its Superheroes of Development 2026, an award that highlights lessons learned from the financial institution’s financed initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IDB said that the selected projects stand out for transforming complex challenges into opportunities to generate impact, draw lessons, and develop replicable solutions in the region.

‘The finalist projects span a wide range of sectors and approaches: from digital connectivity and education to transportation infrastructure, energy transition, and resilience. Each provides valuable insights into how to overcome implementation obstacles and maximize impact for beneficiaries and their communities,’ it added.

The Belize submission is entitled ‘Teaching Through a Pandemic: Belize’s Online Shift Reaches More Teachers and Narrows Gaps Between Boys and Girls ‘ and it joins other finalists from Paraguay, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Colombia.

The six projects compete in two categories. The first is for IDB and IDB Lab projects that are currently in progress or finished after January 2016. The second is for IDB Invest projects that have an Expanded Supervision Report or are in the process of obtaining one.

The IDB said that the lessons from the three winning projects will be shared widely to strengthen the design, implementation, and evaluation of future operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Washington-based financial institution said that the finalist teams will present their experiences on October 6 to a panel of high-level IDB Group leaders in Washington and that former Argentine soccer player Javier Zanetti will attend the ceremony.

‘In this World Cup year, Superheroes of Development has channeled the spirit of the world’s most popular sport to recognize the teams that take to the field to improve lives in the region,’ it added.

The University of the Bahamas (UB) has confirmed that a student had been found dead in a dorm room on Monday.

It did not disclose the name or nationality of the student, but said that CPR was administered initially to the student and emergency personnel also responded to the scene. UB said it is working with authorities as the incident is being investigated.

The university said it was ‘deeply saddened’ by the incident and ‘out of respect for the student and family, we ask members of the university community to refrain from sharing or speculating about any unconfirmed information.

‘Grief counseling and support services are being arranged for students, teammates, coaches, faculty and staff who may be affected. Additional information about available support will be shared with the university community as arrangements are confirmed,’ the UB added.

The United Nations has launched a new initiative aimed at assisting persons with disabilities across the Caribbean gain greater access to employment opportunities.

The ‘HireAbility Campaign’ has been launched under the theme ‘Break Barriers. Embrace Inclusion. Champion Rights’.

The regional initiative, which promotes disability-inclusive employment and advances the economic participation of persons with disabilities, has attracted support from leading businesses, with some having committed to equitable hiring practices and workplace cultures, through a Disability Inclusive Employer’s Pledge.

The ‘HireAbility Campaign’ connects six UN Country Teams in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, and brings together governments, employers, organisations of persons with disabilities, youth advocates, development partners and UN agencies.

United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Springett, described the initiative as ‘an important milestone for disability inclusion across the Caribbean’.

He said it evolved from ‘a powerful idea advanced by Zinzee Noel, a youth advocate and Grenada’s representative on the UN Youth Advisory Group (YAG), to a Caribbean movement for inclusive employment and equal opportunity.

‘Although barriers differ across countries, the aspiration is universal: persons with disabilities must be able to participate fully in society, access decent work, contribute their talents and skills, and be recognized for those contributions,’ Springett said.

He has thanked disability advocates, employers, and Caribbean businesses, including Massy Stores St. Lucia, Grenada Broadcasting Network, and photography and videography companies Unique Productions Inc. and Bajanpro Inc. of Grenada and Barbados for their leadership and support.

Springett also urged stakeholders to view the campaign not as a one-time event, but as part of a sustained journey toward accessible workplaces and more inclusive communities.

Deputy Director of the International Labour Organization Caribbean Office, Thomas Kring, told the launch that access to decent work is not charity.

‘It’s about rights, dignity, equality and economic participation,’ King said urging that labour markets markets must provide persons with disabilities with fair opportunities to develop their skills, find decent work and contribute fully to society.

He escribed the Inclusive Employer Pledge as a public commitment to equitable hiring, dignity, respect and equal opportunity.

Among the highlights of the launch was the signing of the Disability Inclusive Employer Pledge, by representatives of Carenage Bay Holding Ltd in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Runman Belize Corporation; and The Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited. Signatories also outlined concrete actions being taken to fulfil this public commitment, including plans by the Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited to launch an internship programme for persons with disabilities.

The HireAbility Campaign will continue over the next four months and culminate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 providing more employers with the opportunity to sign the pledge.

The UN said that the campaign’s ultimate goal is a Caribbean where talent is recognised, barriers are removed, and persons with disabilities can participate fully and equally in the world of work.

Police are investigating the death of a 50-year-old Mexican national, who had been found unresponsive inside his cell at the Belize Central Prison where he had been since December last year on an immigration offence.

Prison officials said that on August 22, cellmates had found George Rodriquez hanging from the cell gate and he was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he remained for several days before passing away.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, said that the investigators have so far established that August 22, the guards at the Belize Central Prison were alerted by inmates ‘Rodriquez was unconscious and suspended from the cell gate.

‘Rodriquez was taken down and the EMT at the Belize Central Prison performed CPR where they were able to successfully restore his breathing. However, he still remained in a largely unconscious state,’ she said, adding that a postmortem examination is scheduled to be conducted on Rodriquez on Tuesday.

ROSEAU, Dominica, Sept 1, A fourth police officer, Patrick Bethelmie Jr has appeared in a magistrate’s court here, charged in connection with the murder of 16-year old Jerbiah Paul, whose decomposing body was found last month in a village north of here by members of the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS) after she had been reported missing since July 24.

The 23 year-old Bethelmie has been charged with perverting the course of justice and possession of ammunition without a valid license.

He is the fourth police officer and the sixth person overall, including two women, to be charged in connection with Paul’s death. He was not required to enter a plea, since this matter is an indictable offence, expected to be tried at the High Court.

On the charge of possession of ammunition, the police officer opted to have the matter tried summarily at the Magistrate’s Court with the prosecution indicating that on August 11, 2026, he had in his possession three rounds of Luger 9mm ammunition without being the holder of a valid firearm licence.

Bethelmie pleaded not guilty to the charge and the state attorney Dana Matthew informed the court that the prosecution intends to oppose any bail application put forward for the accused.

Defence attorney Gina Abraham-Thomas, who along with Wade Norde represents Bethelmie, requested that the bail hearing be deferred to Friday, September 4th. She told the court that Bethelmie and Juliana Naomi James, another person accused of involvement in the murder of the 16-year-old, are charged with the same offences, and that James’ bail application is set for Friday.

The defence attorney therefore asked the court to have both applications heard jointly with the Chief Magistrate Candia Carette-George granted the request. The accused was remanded into custody at the Dominica State Prison pending the hearing.

Premier David Burt is leading a delegation to Brussels and Paris to participate in the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers’ (ABIR) Annual International Insurance Regulatory Dialogue.

He will also hold a series of high-level meetings with European officials and industry leaders.

‘As Bermuda marks ten years of equivalence with the EU Solvency II directive, this is a key milestone to reflect on the important role that Bermuda’s insurance and reinsurance market plays in Europe and the global economy.

‘This visit allows us to discuss matters affecting our international business sector and continue building relationships with the policymakers, regulators and industry leaders who influence the markets in which Bermuda companies operate,’ Burt said.

The Premier will deliver remarks at the Brussels Office Annual Reception and the 19th Annual International Insurance Regulatory Dialogue, where regulators, policymakers and industry leaders meet to discuss matters affecting the global insurance and reinsurance market.

A government statement said that in Brussels and Paris, the Premier will meet with senior government, regulatory and business leaders.

‘The discussions will focus on matters affecting Bermuda’s international business sector, including regulatory cooperation, market access, developments within the European financial services framework, and ways to deepen economic and financial services cooperation with key partners across Europe,’ the statement said.

Burt is due to return to Bermuda on September 6.

The Belize government says it has achieved a significant milestone in the implementation of its Electronic Single Window for Trade (ESW) with the successful completion of an intensive four-day Knowledge Exchange Mission with the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA).

‘This initiative, undertaken under the Trade and Investment Facilitation Programme, a loan programme for the Government of Belize financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and executed through the Central Executing Unit of the Ministry of Finance, focused on acquiring practical, first-hand insights from Jamaica’s established Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) system to inform and accelerate Belize’s own digital trade transformation,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a statement.

It said that Belize’s ESW Technical Team serves as the inter-agency working body responsible for reviewing and validating business processes and requirements and supporting business process re-engineering, testing, and implementation.

‘The Belize ESW for Trade forms part of the Government’s broader efforts to modernise and digitalize trade and border processes, improve government efficiency, facilitate legitimate trade, and strengthen Belize’s competitiveness through greater coordination among agencies involved in import, export, and other trade-related procedures,’ the statement added.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday launched its inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (CEvalSpace 2026), the region’s first dedicated platform for strengthening evaluation and evidence-based policymaking across the Caribbean.

The region’s premier financial institution said that for years, most regional evaluation initiatives have had limited focus on the Caribbean’s specific realities and the CDB President Daniel Best said the three-day event provides the estimated 150 regional and international participants an opportunity to strengthen evaluation systems and practice across the CaribbeanHe said that it also marks an important shift’ in how we think about development in our region’ and that CEvalSpace 2026 reflects a growing understanding that evidence is not optional, it is essential.

‘Essential evidence informs better decisions, guides smarter investments, strengthens accountability, and ultimately delivers better results for the people we serve. Evaluation, therefore, is no longer something that happens at the end of a project. It helps institutions learn, adapt, and improve,’ Best said. Watch video

Best said that independent evaluation, therefore, is central to that responsibility and that ‘the discipline of evaluation challenges us to ask some of the most important questions in development’.

‘Today, our region faces a development landscape unlike any we have known. Climate change continues to test our resilience. Fiscal constraints demand increasingly difficult choices. Competing priorities requires to make the best possible use of every development investment.’

Best told the delegates that digital transformation is reshaping economies and labour markets and that demographic shifts are changing the composition and needs of regional societies,’ and citizens rightly expect greater transparency, stronger institutions, and better public services.

‘In this context, accountability and transparency are not simply good governance principles. They are essential to how we position ourselves to honour national, regional, and global commitments, build public trust, and ensure that scarce development resources deliver maximum impact.’

Best said that in this environment, then, intuition, experience, and good intentions, however sincere, are not enough.

‘We need evidence. Evidence gives us the confidence to make better choices. Evidence helps us adjust course when necessary, and evidence ensures that every investment contributes meaningfully to the sustainable development of our Caribbean region.’

Best said that this is why evaluation matters, adding that for CDB, evaluation is not just a compliance requirement ‘it is a strategic tool that drives learning, improves performance, strengthens institutions, and enhances development impact’.

He said that the Office of Independent Evaluation at the CDB is central to this effort, providing the evidence, insights, and accountability needed for stronger decision-making and institutional learning.

Best said that this role is particularly important as the CDB implements its 2026 to 2035 strategic plan, with its focus on development effectiveness, measurable results, and continuous improvement.

‘Independent evaluation helps us understand not only what works, but how to achieve results more effectively and sustainably. Yet, evidence-based learning cannot stop at one institution.

‘The Caribbean’s development challenges are shared and interconnected, requiring collective learning and knowledge sharing,’ Best said, noting that by drawing on each other’s experiences and evidence, (‘we can build a stronger understanding of what works and achieve greater impact across our region.

‘This underscores the vital importance of the Caribbean evaluation space,’ he said, noting that he is particularly encouraged by the strong emphasis on young and emerging evaluators.

‘If we are serious about building strong institutions for the decade ahead, we must invest in the people who will actually shape them. Youth is at the heart of CDB’s strategy because the future of our region depends on the talent, creativity, and leadership of our young people.

‘Young professionals bring fresh perspectives, digital fluency and curiosity and the courage to ask new questions. You will help redefine how evidence is generated, communicated, and most importantly, how it is used to improve lives.’

Best told the audience that many of them will one day shape national policies, advise governments, lead institutions, and influence decisions that affect millions of Caribbean people.

‘Our responsibility, therefore, is not only to strengthen decision-making today, it is to build the leadership systems and institutions our region will need for tomorrow. Friends, the Caribbean evaluation space is therefore not just a conference, it is an opportunity to strengthen the foundations of how we develop our region.

‘It will deepen regional collaboration and integration. It will encourage innovation and new approaches to persistent and stubborn development challenges. Ultimately, it will help improve the lives of Caribbean people through better public policy, stronger institutions, and more effective development action,’ he added.

The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, Tuesday urged governments of the sub-region to provide access to crown lands on transparent terms and at rates that will allow young people to make a significant contribution to the agricultural development in the region.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the OECS Youth and Women in Agriculture Symposium, here, Jules said that the access to the crown lands must be such that ‘a young farmer can pay under a 10-year arrangement that a bank can recognise as collateral.

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

BASSETERRE – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has arrived at an undisclosed medical institution overseas ‘without incident and is comfortably settled at the medical facility’, according to a government statement issued here.

BRIDGETOWN – The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday launched its inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (CEvalSpace 2026), the region’s first dedicated platform for strengthening evaluation and evidence-based policymaking across the Caribbean.

ST. GEORGE’S – The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, Tuesday urged governments of the sub-region to provide access to crown lands on transparent terms and at rates that will allow young people to make a significant contribution to the agricultural development in the region.

NEW YORK – The international human rights group Amnesty International, is calling for an end to the United States military’s ‘deadly, ongoing and illegal campaign’ of air strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

ST. JOHN’S – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he is disappointed at the decision of gas station owners here to shut down their facilities on Tuesday in support of their demands for an increase in their profit margins.

SPORTS:

PORT OF SPAIN -The Guyana Amazon Warriors crashed Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence Day celebrations at the Queen’s Park Oval, securing a thrilling 9-run victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders via the DLS method in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League on Monday night.

PENNSYLVANIA – Curacao’s Pariba Little League overcame an early deficit to defeat the USA’s Paseo Verde Little League 11-2 and capture their second Little League World Series (LLWS) title at the Howard J Lamade Stadium