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Foreign affairs ministers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States will hold a special virtual meeting before November this year to accelerate work on joint mission restructuring and to consolidate progress on other commitments.

A statement issued by the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission on Tuesday, said that the foreign ministers met on the margins of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) against the backdrop of global geopolitical volatility, economic uncertainty, and climate crises.

OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, said that the eighth meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (COM:FA) was an opportunity to deal with the challenges facing the region, and to demand swift, coordinated, and sustained action.

He said that the Council’s deliberations were not just procedural, but vital to shaping policies and programmes that directly impact the resilience, sustainability, and prosperity of OECS member states.

‘In the face of turbulence, our mandate is clear: to safeguard resilience, defend sovereignty, and chart a sustainable future for our people. The complexity of today’s environment reinforces one central truth: our strength lies in solidarity and strategy.

‘We cannot influence global outcomes alone, but together we can ensure our voices are heard and our interests are defended,’ Jules said.

COMF FA chair, Frederick Stephenson, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said that the sub-region, though modest in size, are indispensable voices in the global community, and must continue to advocate for the relevance of small states.

‘The seas are rising, but so too is our steadfastness. The challenges gather, but so too does our unity,’ he said, urging ‘a roadmap worthy of our peoples’ hopes and history’s demands’.

The statement said that the meeting reaffirmed the region’s commitment to safeguarding and transforming Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes and strengthening the financial sustainability of the OECS.

Under the CBI, some OECS member states provide citizenship to foreign investors in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of these states.

In addition, agreement was reached to enhance coordination and advocacy ahead of the United Nations Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP30) in Brazil in November, with a focus on climate finance, adaptation, and loss and damage.

‘Progress on the Free Movement of Persons regime, with calls for harmonisation, retraining of border officials, and actuarial studies to manage social impacts, Haiti’s crisis, emphasising humanitarian assistance, diplomacy, and Haitian-led solutions,’ were also among the matters discussed.

The statement said that the meeting ended ‘with a renewed sense of purpose, emphasizing that the decisions taken were not just administrative outcomes but concrete steps to protect livelihoods, strengthen regional unity, and amplify the Caribbean voice on the global stage.

‘Ministers agreed that the coming months will be critical for advancing key priorities, including climate advocacy ahead of COP30, safeguarding the region’s economic interests, and strengthening the OECS’ joint diplomatic presence worldwide.

‘ To this end, a special virtual meeting will be convened before November 2025 to accelerate work on joint mission restructuring and to consolidate progress on the Council’s commitments,’ the statement added.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat and Anguilla.

Jamaica has reaffirmed its commitment to ratifying the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention, saying it requires one final step, which is the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act.

‘I would have seen what I hope to be the last version before it goes to Parliament within the coming weeks as a parliamentary schedule takes shape now that Jamaica would have gone through its most recent elections,’ Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda, told the opening ceremony for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Eighteenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP18) for the Cartagena Convention.

Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda

Samuda told the meeting that ends on Thursday that Jamaica is not ratifying the SPAW Protocol from a perspective of symbolism, but because the country acknowledges the principles and the benefits of the Cartagena Convention.

‘We acknowledge that the SPAW Protocol brings to life greater protection for our oceans,’ he said, noting that as they deliberate in the coming days, it is easy to feel frustrated with the pace at which things are happening.

‘We’ve all seen the impact of ocean acidification; we’ve all seen dying corals; we’ve all seen deteriorating water quality; we’ve all seen the impact of warming seas and in some cases rising sea levels as we’re experiencing,’ he said.

However, Samuda said there is hope, as he has seen the impact of the multilateral process on dealing with the issue of fishing subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the third United Nations Ocean Conference as well as the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the plastics treaty.

‘There can be creeping frustration, there can be a sense that this is an academic exercise, but I ask you in your deliberations and in your discussions and your bilaterals and your individual meetings, that we redouble our efforts to strengthen the efforts of the Convention Secretariat, to ensure that we strengthen the intention to protect our seas,’ he said.

Samuda said that the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) goal of protecting 30 per cent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 in 1983 was very far-fetched.

‘It means the multilateral process, though slow, does achieve what you want over time,’ he said.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Eighteenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP18) for the Cartagena Convention brings together governments and partners from the wider Caribbean region to discuss and implement solutions for protecting marine biodiversity, reducing pollution, and strengthening regional cooperation.

Discussions will include new recommendations on Sargassum management, waste water, and pollution control under the LBS Protocol, as well as advancing work on the SPAW Protocol concerning marine mammals and wetlands.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, says his country has absolutely no interest in hosting any form of military assets, and that the situation regarding Grenada is ‘really a sovereign issue’ for the government of that island.

‘If they decide to accommodate the United States, there is nothing we can do. We would have to respect the decision,’ Browne told reporters on a conference call from St. John’s.

Last week, the Grenada government confirmed that the United States had written seeking permission to install radar equipment and associated technical personnel at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA).

‘The Ministries of National Security, Legal Affairs and Foreign Affairs are carefully assessing the request and reviewing the request in technical consultations, in coordination with the Grenada airports Authority and other relevant agencies,’ the Dickon Mitchell government said, adding that it is carefully reviewing the request in accordance with established national procedures.

‘Any decisions will be made only after all technical and legal assessments are completed. We wish to assure our citizens that any decision taken will be guided by Grenada’s sovereignty, public safety, and national interest, including the protection of our tourism industry, the traveling public, and the country’s economic well-being,’ the government said, adding it continue to keep the public informed as developments unfold.

But former Senate president and trade unionist, Chester Humphrey and former foreign affairs minister, Peter David, have publicly come out against such a request, with Humphrey saying he is prepaed to lead a peaceful protest march.

Humphrey said that the move by Washington is a precursor to launching a military strike against the Nicolás Maduro government in the Venezuela.

David, an independent legislator, said in a statement that while Grenada values its longstanding partnerships with both the United States and Venezuela, any actions taken must be rooted in diplomacy, mutual respect, and regional cooperation.

Last month, President Donald Trump ramped up US military presence in the Caribbean Sea ordering an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of his effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.

The United States military has carried out four deadly air strikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.

During the United Nations Security Council meeting last Friday, Venezuela with support from China and Russia condemned the actions of the United States.

Prime Minister Browne said that the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) ‘will have locus to speak and to state their opposition if they are being pressured’.

He said he isn’t aware of any request before the OECS or CARICOM, adding ‘maybe there could be an intent but no such formal request.

‘Antigua and Barbuda has absolutely no interest in hosting any military assets of any country. We are friends of all and enemies of none. We are quite happy we don’t have any military bases or assets of any foreign power,’ Prime Minister Browne added.

On Monday, the US Embassy in Barbados announced that the Commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, is to visit Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada from Tuesday, where he will meet with leaders in both countries, the US Embassy here has announced.

It said that Holsey will hold talks with Prime Minister Browne and his Grenadian counterpart, Mitchell and that his visit is his first to both countries since assuming command of SOUTHCOM last November ‘and is an opportunity to further strengthen security cooperation with key partners in the Caribbean’.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis is leading the country in bidding farewell to one of the Bahamas’ finest sons of the cloth, after His Grace, The Most Reverend Drexel Wellington Gomez died on Tuesday. He was 88 years-old.

‘We give thanks for his life, a life that began in the quiet corners of the Berry Islands and stretched across the world, anchored always in faith,’ Prime Minister Davis said in a statement.

Archbishop Gomez served as Archbishop of the West Indies from 1996 to 2009 and his influence extended beyond The Bahamas, shaping theological discussions throughout the Caribbean and the global Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Drexel Wellington Gomez

In March this year, there had been calls for prayers for him after he was hospitalised suffering with stomach cancer.

In a statement, the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands said the Diocese shares ‘with immense sorrow that His Grace, the Most Reverend Drexel Wellington Gomez, Archbishop Emeritus of the Province of the West Indies and former Bishop of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands, passed away this morning.

‘We give thanks for Archbishop Gomez’s life of devoted service to God, the Church, and the people of this Diocese and beyond. His ministry, as Bishop of Barbados, then as Diocesan Bishop here in The Bahamas, and as Archbishop and Primate, bore witness to a faithful shepherd, a principled teacher, and a stalwart voice for the Gospel.’

The Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands said during this time of mourning, it was inviting all clergy, congregations, and faithful friends to join in prayers of thanksgiving.

‘May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.,’ it added.

Prime Minster Davis recalled that the late Archbishop was not born into privilege, but into purpose, adding that it carried him from the classrooms of Western Senior to the hallowed halls of Codrington College in Barbados, and later to St. Chad’s College at Durham University. There, a young Bahamian priest in training absorbed the traditions of the Anglican Church, preparing for a life of service that would span nearly six decades.

‘He carried himself with quiet authority, never loud, never seeking the spotlight, yet his presence commanded attention. When he spoke, you listened. Not because he demanded it, but because truth and conviction lived in his words,’ Davis said.

‘For me, and for many Bahamians, Archbishop Gomez was a steady hand and a moral compass. He reminded us that leadership is service, that faith must be lived, and that a man’s greatness is measured by his humility.’

‘To the Anglican family, and to his loved ones, I offer the sympathy of my wife Ann, my family, and the people of The Bahamas. We give thanks for his life, a life that began in the quiet corners of the Berry Islands and stretched across the world, anchored always in faith.’

The leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), Michael Pintard, had said when the Archbishop was first hospitalised throughout his life, Archbishop Gomez had been a unifying voice within the Anglican Community,’ and a devoted servant of God whose impact reaches far beyond the Church.’

Long Island parliamentary representative, Adrian Gibson, in a post on social media on Tuesday, described Archbishop Gomez ‘a guiding light across the Caribbean, a voice of conviction and unity, and a shepherd to many.

‘From his consecration as Bishop of Barbados, to his leadership as Bishop of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and later as Archbishop and Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies, he guided the Anglican Church through defining moments in its history.’

Antigua and Barbuda Tuesday called on the Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) to establish financing terms that match vulnerability, clear delivery timelines with partners, and a short quarterly public report to track results.

Addressing the seventh Regular Meeting of the CIDS, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Sir Ronald Sanders called for financing terms that match vulnerability, clear delivery timelines with partners, and a short quarterly public report to track results.

Sir Ronald Sanders

‘Sustainable development, for small states, is practical: keeping electricity on after storms; ensuring there are schools for children to attend; rebuilding infrastructure to keep the economy running; and making sure debt payments leave fiscal space to provide medical services, keep people employed, and pay pensions,’ Sir Ronald said, adding ‘we cannot meet these needs with vague promises and slow money’.

The purpose of the CIDS is to promote inter-American dialogue and cooperation in the area of sustainable development, propose the formulation of the policy of the OAS on this issue, and promote the development and execution of the Inter-American Programme for Sustainable Development, as well as orient the coordination and follow-up of the various decisions of the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development.

In his address, Sir Ronald outlined three immediate priorities including financing terms that fit risk.

He said standardize 30-year maturities, five-year grace periods, and automatic payment pauses after disasters in loans to high-vulnerability states. Base access to grants and low-cost loans on vulnerability, not income averages.

He noted the UN General Assembly’s acceptance of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and urged lenders to embed it in their rules.

The Antigua and Barbuda diplomat said there should be partner commitments on the record. He said that by June 30, 2026, each partner should publicly state how much funding they will provide for Caribbean projects, and how much of it will be grants versus low-cost loans.

He again urged creation of a dedicated fund for Caribbean transport and basic services-ports, runways, inter-island ferries, water systems, and small local power systems.

Sir Ronald said the third priority should be quarterly public accountability.

He said CIDS should publish a short quarterly report tracking: coastal-protection coverage; days to restore water and power after Category-5 events; renewables share, and diesel import spend relative to GDP; inter-island logistics costs; debt service vs. revenue and the concessional share; private capital mobilized per public dollar; independently verified mangrove/reef restoration; and days from disaster declaration to first insurance or support payment.

Ambassador Sanders also called for the creation of a small OAS project-preparation team on coastal defences and water security, as well as a public timeline Internet page listing who is responsible for each commitment and the deadline to be reviews at board meetings of the multilateral banks.

‘Provide resilience financing up front. Make pausing loan repayments at times of disaster a condition of loans’ Sir Ronald concluded.

Despite a much better showing with both bat and ball, the West Indies were not able to stop a rampant India from coming away with a dominant seven-wicket victory on the fifth morning of the second Test here in Delhi to secure a clean 2-0 series sweep over the regional side.

The hosts needed just 17.2 overs on the final day to chase down their modest target to reach 124-3, with opener KL Rahul guiding them home with an unbeaten and composed 58.

The visitors had some respite, after they claimed the wickets of Sai Suhharsan for 39 and captain Shubman Gill for 13, both falling to skipper Roston Chase.

The win consolidates India’s position at third in the World Test Championship standings, trailing only Australia and Sri Lanka.

The foundation for this comprehensive victory was laid early. A commanding first-innings total, built on the back of magnificent centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal 175 and captain Gill 129 not out, proved insurmountable.

India’s bowlers then swiftly bundled the tourists out for 248, enforcing a follow-on that seemed to signal an early finish.

However, the West Indies, fresh from a 3-0 drubbing by Australia, finally found some fight. A dogged partnership between John Campbell and Shai Hope, both of whom scored defiant centuries, powered them to a more than respecatble 390 all out in their second innings.

Any lingering hope for the tourists was extinguished by a 79-run second wicket partnership between the assured Rahul and the impressive Sai Sudharsan, who added 39 to his first-innings 87.

For the West Indies, it marks a second successive series whitewash. Yet, skipper Roston Chase took a measure of satisfaction from his team’s late defiance.

‘I think this is the kind of fight that I wanted to see from us,’ Chase said. ‘This is a stepping stone, a building block for us to go forward and improve as a test-playing nation.’

The West Indies, currently sixth in the WTC standings, will look to build on that fight when they begin a tour of New Zealand on November 5.

In an unprecedented moment for Caribbean football, three distinguished Saint Lucians have earned coveted appointments to the standing committees of FIFA, the world’s football governing body.

The appointments, confirmed at the FIFA Council Meeting in Zurich on October 2nd, will see SLFA President Lyndon Cooper, Vieux Fort Football League President Examin Philbert, and Dr Natasha Innocent serve a four-year term from 2025 to 2029 on key global committees.

This triple nomination marks a significant recognition of Saint Lucia’s growing influence on the international football stage.

Leading the charge is SLFA and Caribbean Football Union (CFU) President Lyndon Cooper, who has been named Deputy Chair of the influential FIFA Development Committee.

He will be joined by Examin Philbert on the FIFA Women’s National Team Competitions Committee, while Dr Natasha Innocent will lend her expertise to the FIFA Medical Committee.

In a statement, Cooper hailed the appointments as a testament to the quality of work being done locally.

‘I wish to extend my congratulations to Examin Philbert and Natasha Innocent,’ Cooper said. ‘The fact that their ability and work ethic have been recognised at the highest level speaks volumes. It should tell you that, as a country, we are on the right track.’

According to a release from the SLFA, FIFA expressed its ‘pleasure and honour’ in extending the appointments, acknowledging ‘the continued contribution and commitment of Saint Lucians to the development of football globally.’

These standing committees are vital to FIFA’s operations, reporting directly to the FIFA Council and providing expert advice in their specialised fields.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the newly formed committees are designed to foster greater inclusion and expertise.

‘The new Standing Committees will lead to the greater involvement of our member associations, increased female representation, and more focused technical expertise,’ Infantino said. ‘In other words, FIFA will be better equipped to face the future.’