Willemstad:--- From Tuesday, September 16 to Friday, September 19, 2025, the University of Curaçao, Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez (UoC), in collaboration with Europe Direct Curaçao, hosted the course “CARICOM and Cooperation with the European Union.” The program provided a comprehensive introduction to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), founded in 1973 with the Treaty of Chaguaramas, and the European Union’s external relations, including ties with ACP countries, the European Development Fund, and the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreements. Lectures were delivered by five distinguished academics: Prof. Dr. Flora Goudappel (UoC), Dr. Jacintha Asarfi (UoC), Naresh Algoe MPA LL.B (National Assembly of Suriname), and Dr. Germaine Rekwest, director of Europe Direct Curaçao. The interest was overwhelming: in Sint Maarten all 25 available seats were fully booked, while in Curaçao the registration had to be closed after 125 participants have registered. To provide further academic depth, the UoC will soon offer a master-level course on CARICOM and EU cooperation. Curaçao For further information and interview requests, please contact Nicole Trinidad of the University of Curaçao by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone at +599 9 687 5769. Sint Maarten For further information and interview requests, please contact Eunelda Cairo of the University of Curaçao by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, through the Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) Project and funded by the World Bank, recently hosted Business Development Services (BDS) Information Sessions for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The sessions included an in-person session on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at the Centre for Enterprise Development Conference Room in Kingstown, followed by a virtual session on Thursday, September 18, 2025, via Zoom. These sessions followed successful engagements in Grenada and Saint Lucia, ensuring that MSME owners across the region are informed and prepared to access grant funding under the Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme.

Simone Murray, UBEC Business Development Services Consultant in Saint Vincent & the Grenadines led the information session. Murray says,

“This section of the Matching Grants Programme which speaks to business development also allows persons to participate in business training and some of the training that they would be exposed to is financial management, marketing, human resource management, customer service and also support for developing their grant proposals to be submitted on the UBEC Matching Grants Programme.”

Franze George, Organisational and Business Consultant in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, comments,

“I’m really happy to hear about the opportunity and what is being offered for persons across the three sectors. Personally, I have clients in two sectors, and I do think this is a good opportunity for them. What I look forward to is not just them applying but them also getting an opportunity to be part of a training. I think that is an aspect that sets this opportunity apart from others that I have seen so far. Kudos to UBEC and OECS.”

Gaidell Andrews, Business Development Officer at the Centre for Enterprise Development, adds,

“I think that the session was quite informative and I am very happy that they are taking this initiative to assist MSMEs to get an opportunity to get some type of funding to assist their businesses and to see potential growth within their businesses.”

Purpose of the Sessions

The BDS Information Sessions provided MSME owners in the Fisheries, Marine Tourism, and Waste Management sectors with detailed information on:

About the Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme

The programme is a flagship component of UBEC designed to provide financial support and technical assistance to MSMEs engaged in the Blue Economy. It strengthens competitiveness, encourages innovation, and builds climate resilience.

Already, the programme has begun transforming businesses across the region, supporting entrepreneurs in expanding operations, creating jobs, and accessing new markets.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme, MSMEs must:

Next Steps – Window 1 Launching Soon

The Window 1 Call for Proposals of the Regional MSME Matching Grants Programme will be launched at a virtual event on Friday, October 17, 2025, ​ opening new funding opportunities for MSMEs in the Blue Economy. The OECS Commission strongly encourages MSMEs in Fisheries, Marine Tourism, and Waste Management to prepare and apply.

By Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the Research Department at the International Labour Organization (ILO)

Thirty years ago, 186 countries met in Copenhagen for the first Social Summit for Social Development. The gathering was the largest meeting of world leaders ever at the time. By the end of the Summit, their agenda was clear: the challenges faced by our societies are global, and so are the solutions.

In response, governments vowed to put people at the center of global development. They recognized that social justice must be the foundation for economic progress if progress is to be sustainable. This means ensuring that people, regardless of gender, nationality, background, or place of birth, have the right to live in dignity, with equal opportunities to work, thrive, and succeed. Societies built on fairness work better, trust more, and grow stronger.

The consensus of the Summit became the cornerstone for the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2015, the SDGs have been the blueprint for achieving a socially just, peacefu,l and sustainable world. The deadline for their realization was set for 2030.

Since that first Summit, our world has changed, in many ways for the better. A new ILO report, The State of Social Justice, shows that extreme poverty is down from 39 to 10 per cent of the global population. Child labor for under-14-year-olds has been cut in half, and, for the first time in history, more than half the world has some form of social protection, such as a pension or unemployment insurance.

However, despite decades of efforts, the report makes it clear that major disparities persist. A person’s place of birth still determines more than half of their lifetime earnings. Globally, over 800 million people survive on less than three dollars a day. That is why achieving the 2030 SDG targets is in jeopardy. For example, for SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, we lag well behind, having met only two thirds – or 66 per cent – of the indicators.

If we wish to improve living conditions for everyone and achieve social justice, accelerating the SDGs is crucial. Decent work is a key thread that helps tie the SDGs together, because decent work is more than just making a living: it is a barometer of how well we are doing as a society as a whole, encompassing health, education, equality, and responsible consumption and production. When work is productive, paid fairly, safe, equitable, and inclusive, freely chosen, and with rights, we have social justice.

But decent work does not just “happen”. History shows that, without strong institutions, productivity gains do not translate into better lives. Institutions strengthen basic human rights, such as the rights to education and to a healthy environment, and ensure equal opportunities, fair distribution, and a voice for both workers and employers. Social dialogue is the most effective way to balance the interests of workers and employers and help make growth equitable.

Right now, our institutions are being tested. Three massive transitions are reshaping the world of work everywhere: the impact of a hotter planet and the move to a greener economy, the digital revolution, and demographic change. These transformations are creating new jobs and destroying old ones. They have the potential to bring fresh opportunities, but they also risk deepening existing divides. How these changes will play out depends largely on the choices that societies make today.

In November 2025, the second World Social Summit will be held in Doha. This global gathering will once again bring together government representatives, workers, employers, and civil society, three and a half decades after the first Summit. It represents a critical moment to turn past pledges into real change.

We must reaffirm the promise made in Copenhagen: that social justice and inclusive economic development are everyone’s business and in everyone’s interest. But above all, we must take decisive action. The ILO-led Global Coalition for Social Justice offers a platform to help move us in the right direction. Already, it brings together governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and other partners to accelerate action and cooperation towards achieving social justice and decent work for all.

If we succeed, we can help ensure that economic productivity and social progress are linked. Because in the end, social justice is not an impossible ideal. It is the only route forward to a sustainable future for all of us.

Madame Estate – Chayah is proud to announce its upcoming event under the theme Soul Cry "Kings in Concert," set to take place on Saturday, September 27th, at the Aleeze Convention Center. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

As the theme suggests, this powerful evening will shine the spotlight on some of the top male gospel singers in the region, featuring DRJ, Benjamin Bell, Ignite, and Kingdom Sound. Together, they will deliver an unforgettable concert filled with soul-stirring performances that promise to uplift hearts, move spirits, and ignite a renewed passion for faith and music.

Advance tickets are available for $30 and will be $40 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at www.xtratight.com, at the Aleeze Box Office, and at Adolphus Office Supplies.

This event is part of a series of uplifting productions brought to the island. As Managing Director Mr. Bertaux “Rude” Fleming shared, “This event is one of the many series planned to bring joy, inspiration, and togetherness. It’s an evening where everyone can dance, rejoice, and leave with a spirit fully rejuvenated.” Join us for this electrifying night of worship, community, and celebration through gospel music.