TWP- Monthly Brief

The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief – Vol. 2. No. 3. (May – June 2017)

The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief

Vol. 2. No. 3. (May – June 2017)

The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief brings together in one convenient location a synopsis of, and links to the TWP blogs posted during the previous two months.

Trafficking in Persons 2017 Report Shows Progress in the Caribbean (06/27/2017) Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

The U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report 2017, issued today, shows progress in some Caribbean countries but leaves some unhappy with their Tier rankings.  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement to the TIP Report stressed that it “highlights the successes achieved and the remaining challenges before us on this important global issue.”   According to Tillerson, “Human trafficking is one of the most tragic human rights issues of our time.  It splinters families … undermines the rule of law, and spurs other transnational criminal activity.  It threatens public safety and national security.”  He stated further that human trafficking “robs human beings of their freedom and their dignity. That’s why we must pursue an end to the scourge of human trafficking.”

I concur strongly with this view, and, while some Caribbean countries may be disappointed with the 2017 TIP Report, some rightly so, they should be encouraged to double their efforts to end human trafficking in their jurisdictions and to prevent their territories from being used as transit or harboring sites for trafficking. Read More

OAS Secretary General Offers Resignation Over Venezuela but Sets High Bar (06/24/2017) – Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

In a dramatic “in your face” challenge to supporters of the Nicolás Madura government and the status quo in Venezuela, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro offered to resign, in response to calls for his resignation as a precondition for Venezuela’s return to the OAS. He said, however, that his resignation would be predicated upon significant changes in governance, restoration of democracy and rule of law, and the protection of human rights in Venezuela. Setting a significantly high bar, in a statement released today, Almagro said:

“ I will resign from the General Secretariat the day that free, fair and transparent national elections are held without impediments and with international observation ….”  Read More

Human Trafficking Challenges Caribbean Capacities (06/23/2017) – Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

On June 27, the U.S. Department of State will issue its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. According to the Department of State,

“The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. It is also the world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts and reflects the U.S. Government’s commitment to global leadership on this key human rights and law enforcement issue. It represents an updated, global look at the nature and scope of trafficking in persons and the broad range of government actions to confront and eliminate it.”

No civilized country wishes to be associated with doing little or nothing to prevent human trafficking, but many unwittingly due to lack of capacity, and in some cases lack of appreciation for the extent and nature of this international crime are not doing enough. … Read More

Caribbean Policy in the Trump Era: Forum on Startegic Engagement (06/13/2017) – Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Chair of the Caribbean Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, on June 8, 2017, convened an open discussion on “U.S.–Caribbean relations in the era of President Donald Trump’s Administration.” Congresswoman Maxine Walters (D-CA) was co-convener of the discussions, which were also set in the context of The United States–Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 (H.R. 4939), signed into law on December 2016, by President Barack Obama. The venue at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill provided for a large turnout of Congressional staffers, a few members of the Caribbean diplomatic corps, and members of the Caribbean community. … Read More

Reconstructing Education in Jamaica: A Model for the 21st Century (06/11/2017) – Lisa K. Soares (PhD candidate)

(As a guest blogger on The Ward Post, Lisa continues to offer a Youth Perspective on Jamaican Diaspora Engagement Imperatives.)

I spoke on the subject of “Youth and Education” recently at the 2nd Annual Calabar Old Boys Association (COBA) United Kingdom Spring Gala & Dance in London. Specifically, on how the Jamaican community might engage in the betterment of our country and take a closer look at the needs of the next generation and nation building, by re-constructing Jamaica’s education system into a 21st century model. My views are extended here to Jamaica and friends of Jamaica on The Ward Post. … Read More

Dame Mary Eugenia Charles Biography Launched as E-Book – (05/31/2017) Gabriel J. Christian, Esq. and Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

The publication, Mamo! The Life & Times of Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, is authored by Dominican-American attorney Gabriel J. Christian, one of the founders of Pont Casse Press, and who is proving to be a prolific writer and publisher of important works on the Caribbean. The e-book version of this publication will be available on Amazon, Google books, and 15 other e-book devices within the next few weeks and downloadable on desktops, laptops, Kindle, and smart phones.  Interested readers may get a head-start on the publication – available now …  Read More

Furor over AML/CFT Evaluations of Caribbean States – Who Makes the Next Move? (05/16/2017) – Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

A number of Caribbean governments have responded bitterly to the recent negative “evaluation” of their anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AFL/CFT) legal and administration capacities. More specifically, the U.S. State Department 2016 INSCR named nine Caribbean countries, four of which are CARICOM Member States (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, and Haiti) specifically as “major money laundering states”, or as “Jurisdictions of major concern.”  These are among a group of 67 countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the United States named as “major money laundering states.” All other CARICOM Member States, except for Dominica, are listed in the next category, “Jurisdictions of concern.” Dominica falls in the “Monitored” category. … Read More

 

 

About the author

Ambassador Curtis A. Ward

Ambassador Curtis A. Ward is a former Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations with Special Responsibility for Security Council Affairs (1999-2002) serving on the UN Security Council for two years. He served three years as Expert Adviser to the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee. He is an Attorney-at-Law and International Consultant with extensive knowledge and experience in national and international legal and policy frameworks for effective implementation of United Nations (UN) and other international anti-terrorism mandates; the legal and administrative requirements to effectively implement and enforce anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); extensive knowledge of the legal and regulatory requirements for effective implementation and enforcement of United Nations multilateral and U.S.-imposed unilateral sanctions; and the imperatives for Rule of Law and governance. He is a geopolitical and international security analyst, and a human rights, democracy, and anticorruption advocate.

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