Black History Month was a time to recognise that our people are our greatest asset and that we must continue to work together to harness our differences to create and sustain an environment where our people feel able to be authentic in the workplace, where everyone’s needs are considered, and where everyone feels respected and able to achieve their full potential.

Why is Black History Month important to us in Defence?  Throughout our history, we can look back with pride and reflect on the immense contributions of Black Service personnel from African and Caribbean decent. With this year marking 100 years of Service and Sacrifice, now, more so than ever, Black History Month provides a vital platform for Defence to highlight the contributions of these service personnel.

“Through this year’s Black History Month, the RAF has engaged with several National initiatives to remember black personnel who served through our history. Additionally, events such as the RAF BAME Network Conference presented a chance to look to the future by recognising the benefits of diversity.  A key initiative is the BAME reverse mentoring scheme, which looks to embrace different views by giving a unique opportunity to pose those difficult questions in a safe space, to challenge understanding, all helping to ensure that our Service adapts to always be ready to meet the next operational challenge.”

Air Marshal Gerry Mayhew
Deputy Commander Operations

Black History Month offers us an opportunity to reflect on our shared history and celebrate the immense contributions of people from Afro-Caribbean descent to British society. However, it is also a time for us to challenge our thinking beyond history to cultivate new ways of learning, celebrating and understanding the contributions, heritage, lived experience and rich culture Black Britons have brought, and continue to bring to our nation.

“If I am honest, I never understood Black History Month.  Like most I would argue, ‘Why do we need a Black History Month? These tales are all of ‘ours’ and surely we all celebrate ‘our’ history together right?’  The problem is, the enlightenment of hearing a story recently at the Runnymede Air Forces War Memorial made me realise that not all stories had been told, and that ‘our’ stories had not been told as openly as others.

“I was not aware that people like me had served before me; this denied me a historical connection with my service and after 11 years of my own service, this was difficult to reconcile.  But why, you may ask, is this important?  In failing to recognise a history and a contribution of a people, faith, or ethnicity, we deny the sense of ownership and pride that goes with those contributions.

“We deny people from those communities a tradition and those contributions become a negligible factor in the thoughts of service; we deny them their part in the shared endeavour which made people like me serve.”

Wing Commander Calvin Baily
Chair of the RAF BAME Network

The RAF Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network hosted its Annual Conference on 20^th October, at the RAF Museum at Hendon.  The Conference was attended by members of the Whole Force and special guests, including Reverend Eve Pitts, the first black female vicar in the Church of England; and Albert Jarrett, a 96-year-old RAF World War II veteran.

Air-Vice Marshal Suraya Marshall was also a speaker, who is the highest ranking BAME military figure and first woman to command an Operational Air Group, as newly appointed Air Officer Commanding Number 2 Group.  The event focused on BAME Service Personnel’s contribution to the RAF, their lived experience and what the future looks like in improving Diversity and Inclusion.

The Defence Sikh Network hosted a Conference in September, to celebrate National Inclusion Week 2021 with other Diversity & Inclusion networks across Defence.  They later attended a wreath laying service in memory of the RAF’s turban wearing Sikh Fighter Pilot, Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji.

On 21^st October, members of the RAF joined the Association for BAME Engineers (AFBE-UK) Awards Night, to continue promoting higher achievements in education and engineering particularly among people from BAME backgrounds.  A successful BAME talent who has benefited from the equal opportunities the RAF provides is Senior Aircraftman Maryam, a Cyberspace Communications Specialist.  In September, she reached the finals for in the Digital & Technology category after completing her Unified Communications Technician Apprenticeship in March 2021.

A Jazz Quintet from RAF Music Services created a special video tribute for Black History Month.  Inspired by legendary black composers, Senior Aircraftman Jerelle Jacob led the ensemble to produce new music rooted in the style of those such as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock.

On 25^th October, the RAF held a wreath laying ceremony at the Runnymede Air Forces War Memorial; led by BAME Network Advocate, Air Commander Shaun Harris, and BAME Network Chair, Wing Commander Calvin Bailey.

The memorial commemorates over 20,000 black soldiers of the Commonwealth Air Force, who died during operations.  A ‘Black Poppy Rose’ wreath was also laid to represent over a million names, cultures, identities and historical contributions.

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The United States assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Todd D. Robinson, says while the international community will seek to assist Haiti to resolve its security problems, in the end, it is up to Haitians themselves to deal with the situation in the country.

“There are authorities in Haiti who are responsible for the security of Haiti, in particular the PNH (Haitian National Police), he said, adding “we will continue to work with members of the government around this problem of insecurity.

“But it is not the international community that will intervene to save Haiti. It will be the Haitians, the Haitian authorities and the PNH who are responsible for the security of the country,” said Robinson, who is ending a three-day visit to the country on Wednesday.

“These donations show our commitment to support the National Police in its efforts to improve security and protect the population,” said Robinson.

“During this trip, I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the cooperation between the Haitian government and the United States government in security assistance. We are proud to contribute to the growth of the PNH as a responsible professional institution and to the strengthening of its capacity.”

Criminal gangs have been blamed for a series of kidnappings including the abduction of 17 missionaries, including 16 of them from the United States.  Efforts to negotiate their release are ongoing, with the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang that kidnapped the group, Wilson Joseph, demanding a US$17 million ransom for their release.

Robinson made it clear that Washington does not plan to send troops to Haiti but is working closely with officials “to release safely and as quickly as possible” the 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian who were kidnapped on October 16.

Haiti is also recovering from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and the August 14 that killed more than 2,200 people, mainly in the southeastern section of the country.

In addition to the kidnappings, the gangs are also blamed for blocking gas distribution terminals and hijacking supply trucks, which officials say has led to a shortage of fuel.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said in a statement it was extremely concerned about the lack of fuel and called on all actors involved to do everything necessary to ensure a steady supply of gasoline.

“The lack of delivery of petroleum products constitutes a serious obstacle to the provision of essential services as well as to the movement of people and goods,” it said.

Police Chief Frantz Elbé said authorities are aware that trucks carrying goods such as rice, sugar and cement are passing through gang-controlled territory but fuel trucks are not. He said police have a security plan to ensure gas will be delivered, but he did not elaborate.

CMC

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Image source, Reuters

Image source, YouTube/Nandi Bushell

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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 09, 2021) – – The following is a national statement presented by Hon Eric Evelyn, Minister of Environment and Co-operatives for St. Kitts and Nevis, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) Catalyst for Climate Action Day, High Level Segment on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Presidents, Prime Ministers, Excellencies, Delegates, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, the delegation of St. Kitts Nevis comes with one simple message – the time for action is NOW! We are here at a time when the entire world is languishing from the horrors of climate change including sea level rise, extreme weather events, and dramatic changes in rainfall patterns. We are here at a time when coastal towns and villages and even entire islands face destruction; at a time when lives and livelihoods are at stake, all undoubtedly attributed to human interference. Yet, enough action is not being taken to remedy this situation that worsens with every second that the clock ticks.

We are at a crossroad where the science is explicit; that to contain climate change to an acceptable level we must limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C. The latest IPCC report indicates that we still have a chance but must act now in order to reach net zero emissions by mid-century.

Climate change is real and St. Kitts and Nevis has launched during COP26 a more significantly ambitious Revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) proposing to reduce emissions by 61% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels.

Our revised NDC is an example of the leadership displayed by most vulnerable countries in particular us in the Caribbean and other SIDS and LDCs as we continue to demonstrate leadership despite only being responsible for 7% of global Green House Gas emissions. We suffer the most from a problem that we did not create. Yet we are deprived of much needed climate finance for loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation efforts. This, Mr. President is unacceptable and it has to change. We need climate justice.

St. Kitts and Nevis will heavily invest in renewable energy with plans for a 35 megawatt solar farm to be operational in two years and we continue to aggressively pursue geothermal power.

Climate friendly policies will enable us to advance initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. Our efforts have been complemented by the friendship of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Taiwan has demonstrated its commitment to the climate dilemma by enacting appropriate legislation and announcing an ambitious NDC including achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Mr. President, with such exceptional efforts, Taiwan deserves a seat at the table and I humbly ask that Taiwan be admitted to the Convention.

Mr. President, the gap between where we are heading and where we need to be is far too large and we absolutely must have an outcome that fits the scale of this climate crisis.

Let us stand on the right side of history. We cannot wait another day, week, month, or year, we need action NOW. The world is a global village and the decisions you make in the United States affect us in the Caribbean; the decisions that you make in China, Canada and the United Kingdom affect the little girl and boy in the Pacific.

The world is depending on us at COP26 so let us not disappoint. I implore us all to solemnly pledge to save ourselves from extinction.

As I close I am obligated to remind us all that the environment and Planet Earth need champions. I am committed to be one and so is my country St. Kitts and Nevis. I leave you with this question, Are you prepared to be one?

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KARACHI, Pakistan– West Indies Women defeated Pakistan Women by 37 runs to clinch the Cool & Cool One Day International Series with one game remaining. Batting first, West Indies Women posted 153 all out in 45.4 overs but held their nerves on the field and with the ball to dismiss Pakistan Women for 113 in 39.2 overs.

Hayley Matthews starred for the West Indies Women, taking a career best of 4/26 from 9 overs, which included 2 maidens. She told CWI media “Coming here, our expectations were pretty high… we wanted to not only win the series but to have a clean sweep so hopefully we get that in game three. A lot of the time when I talk about my performances I speak about wanting to be consistent. We’ve come down here really hungry and we know we have World Cup Qualifiers coming and I know I’m going to play a big role in that.

Matthews added “I’ve able to apply myself better in the crease also. The change in (batting) position which has brought about runs, I have been pretty happy so far but still hungry for that last game to get a big score in and hopefully some more wickets under my belt.”

The teams meet again for the third Cool & Cool ODI at the National Stadium Karachi on Sunday November 14. First ball is at 10:00am local time/1:00am Eastern Caribbean Time/12:00am Jamaica Time.

West Indies Women

153 all out (45.4 overs)

Deandra Dottin 34                        Fatima Sana 4-1-19-2

Hayley Matthews 26                    Anam Amin 9.4-1-21-2

Pakistan Women

113 all out (39.2 overs)

Omaima Sohail 27                        Hayley Matthews 9-2-26-4

Javeria Khan 24                            Shamilia Connell 9.2-2-18-3

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Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 11, 2021 (RSCNPF): The Police are investigating a traffic accident that occurred along Wellington Road in which two persons were injured.

The accident occurred close to midday on November 09, 2021. It involved motor omnibus HA179 which is owned and was being driven by Elroy Garnette of Lodge Village and motorcycle scooter RA1307 which is owned by Dakadan Scooter Rental and was being ridden by Clifford Viera of Newtown. Investigations so far have revealed that HA179 was travelling along Wellington Road, from Basseterre towards Molineaux. Shortly after passing the round-about, Garnette came to a stop to pick up a passenger and RA1307 collided with the rear end of the bus. A passenger from the bus and Viera were taken to the JNF General Hospital.

 The passenger complained of pain in the neck and Viera sustained a broken leg. Both were treated and discharged.

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An unexpected agreement between the US and China to work together on cutting emissions has been broadly welcomed by leaders and climate experts.

The world’s two biggest emitters appeared to put aside their differences at the Cop26 climate summit and on Wednesday unveiled a joint declaration that would see close cooperation on emissions cuts that scientists say are needed in the next 10 years to stay within 1.5C.

The agreement calls for “concrete and pragmatic” regulations in decarbonisation, reducing methane emissions and fighting deforestation, Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said in Glasgow.

Tuvalu seeks to retain statehood if it sinks completely as sea levels rise

The two countries will revive a working group that will “meet regularly to address the climate crisis and advance the multilateral process, focusing on enhancing concrete actions in this decade,” the joint declaration said.

Global leaders and climate experts broadly welcomed the agreement, with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres calling the move “an important step in the right direction”.

Genevieve Maricle, director of US climate policy action at WWF, said the world’s two largest economies “have the power to unlock vast financial flows from the public and private sectors that can speed the transition to a low carbon economy.”

A US-China bilateral agreement in 2014 gave a huge push to the creation of the historic Paris accord the following year, but that cooperation stopped with the Trump administration, which pulled America out of the pact.

“While this is not a gamechanger in the way the 2014 US-China climate deal was, in many ways it’s just as much of a step forward given the geopolitical state of the relationship,” said Thom Woodroofe, an expert in US-China climate talks. “It means the intense level of US-China dialogue on climate can now begin to translate into cooperation.”

EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans agreed the pact gave room for hope. “It shows … that the US and China know this subject transcends other issues. And it certainly helps us here at Cop26 to come to an agreement,” Timmermans told Reuters.

The Climate Council head of research, Dr Simon Bradshaw, described the focus on accelerating action this decade as “significant”.

Still, some experts noted the declaration was short on commitments that would significantly reduce heat-trapping gases.

“It’s a good sign that the world’s two biggest emitters can actually work together to face the biggest crisis of humanity but there’s not a lot of meat there after the methane stuff,” said Byford Tsang a China policy analyst for the European think tank E3G.

Bernice Lee, research director at Chatham House, said while cooperation between the US and China was positive “details remain patchy”.

“The statement is not enough to close the deal. The real test of Washington and Beijing is how hard they push for a 1.5C-aligned deal here in Glasgow.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

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The government of Dominica has signed documents paving the way for the construction of a new international airport that would allow some of the world’s heaviest jet aircraft to land there.

This would ease the need for visitors to board island-hopping carriers to get to the tourist paradise.

Long touted as one of the tourism jewels of the Caribbean and nestled between the French Overseas Territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe, successive governments in Dominica have struggled to find the financing to build an airport that could accommodate the larger jet aircraft as the main Melville Hall Airport in the rocky north of the island can only accommodate small private jets and propeller aircraft.

Frustrated government and travel industry officials say this was a turn off for some tourists. Booking agents have complained about the reluctance of travelers to transit several islands before settling down to a vacation but all this is set to change in the coming years.

Roosevelt Skerrit, island prime minister since 2004, said last week that the dream of many generations past to have a world-class airport like neighboring Caribbean Community countries, is about to be achieved. The project is estimated to cost about $400 million and will open new economic gateways for the country as non-stop flights from Europe and

Financing for this transformational project will come mainly from the controversial citizenship-by investment scheme through which Dominica and a number of neighboring countries sell citizenship and national passports to foreigners for a fee or if they invest in real estate and other developmental projects identified by authorities.

PM Skerrit says the money raised from the investment scheme is proof that the program is useful despite widespread criticism and fears that it is a haven for people with dubious backgrounds.

“Fellow citizens, we continue to make good progress towards the development of our international airport. We have completed the construction of the lab where all of the material testing will be conducted for the international airport and the equipment is now being installed.

“Site clearance has started, and this will facilitate continued geotechnical and other site-specific surveys. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been completed and mitigating measures identified are being addressed. We are engaging in discussions with airlines operating in target source markets, so that when the airport is completed, we would have already secured Dominica as one of the new and exciting destinations on their route,” Skerrit said.

When completed, Dominica would be among the last nation in the 15-member Caricom tourism-dependent bloc to have a full-fledged international airport.

Nearby St. Vincent which had similar runway limitations and frustrations like Dominica in 2017 completed and activated the Argyle International Airport six years behind schedule. American and Caribbean Airlines, Air Canada among others make regular non-stop flights to St. Vincent which spent $260 million to construct the new facility and minimize the smaller one near the capital.

St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Kitts have for decades completed work on world-class airports and runways. Montserrat, still a British colony but a full member of Caricom, is the lone standout in this regard.

Others like Barbados, which recently upgraded the Grantley Adams International Airport and Guyana which extended its previously limited 7,400-foot main runway, have seen the need to improve a visitor’s first impression on landing while Suriname also has plans to upgrade its main airport and related facilities.

Guyana also constructed a brand-new terminal building and added four jetways with plans to add four more in the future. In doing so, it is eyeing plans to make the country the northern South American-south Caribbean an aviation hub in the future.

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With more than 100 COVID-19 deaths in the first 10 days of November, Trinidad and Tobago is among four countries with the highest mortality rates in the Caribbean.

While most Caribbean countries have COVID-19 mortality rates below 2 percent, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says T&T, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas and Grenada are under three percent. At PAHO’s weekly COVID-19 media conference yesterday, Director of Health Emergencies Dr Ciro Ugarte told Guardian Media that many other countries had higher mortality rates.

“When we look at the number of cases in most countries in the region, some countries in the Caribbean have shown an increase although the numbers are still low. The proportion and the temporality of these increases are worrisome for some countries. Most of the countries in the Caribbean show a case mortality rate below two percent. Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago have more than two percent, but below three percent,” Ugarte said.

He said that measures taken to protect the population, including the availability of health facilities, hospital and Intensive Care Units, and controlling rapid spread, are working quite well, but with economies reopening, this increases the possibility of transmission among populations and international travellers. Therefore, Ugarte said countries must keep track of the availability of ICU beds because many Caribbean countries have limited capacity.

“Although we have been working very closely with many of those countries to increase the capacity of ICU beds, there are still some limits, not only on equipment and ICU beds themselves but also for health personnel to support and supply to treat the patients.”

After two consecutive months of decreasing trends in the Americas, COVID-19 infections are increasing in some countries.

In the Caribbean, T&T, Barbados and The Dominican Republic experienced a rise in infections, while Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico saw decreases. The Cayman Islands and Dominica are also reporting high case counts. There were increases in Columbia and Bolivia as PAHO noted the relaxation of public health measures.

Vaccination among people in Latin America and the Caribbean climbed to 48 per cent over the past week.

But PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne said that while COVID-19 vaccinations pick up in the region, less than one in five people in Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Guatemala got the vaccines. In Nicaragua, coverage remains at single digit.

Less than 1 percent of Haiti’s eligible population is fully vaccinated.

PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne admitted that the situation in the region was still concerning as infections rose in some countries and the pace of vaccination was not adequate. Etienne said PAHO also observed rising vaccine hesitancy in the Caribbean.

“While many people may be tired of the pandemic, it is not over yet, and this is not the time to relax public health and social distancing measures, and this is what we are seeing,” Etienne said.

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