New Category : Politics

Medals and Honours Given to “Exceptionally Performing” Foreign Service Officers

Thu, Oct 26th 2023, 11:37 AM

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis told all of the recipients of Foreign Service medals and honours that their service is profoundly appreciated. 

“Your work, always measured and ever mannerly, rises above any individual footprint. It hovers, my friends, in the heart of the nation,” the Prime Minister said during the 2023 Diplomatic Week Foreign Service Awards Ceremony held at the Baha Mar Resort on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

“These awards are more than a material prize; they are a profound gesture of gratitude toward those Foreign Service Officers who have performed exceptionally in their duties.”

He explained that diplomats working in the foreign service not only represent the Bahamian people, but also pursue the country’s national interests, forge new friendships, and explore untapped opportunities abroad.

“Though we may be an archipelago of just under 400,000 persons, our role on the world stage is changing.

“There is a surprising reality emerging out of the overlapping crises of our time – be it a worsening climate crisis, unanticipated economic blows, or colonial aftershocks. The surprising reality is that more and more, the spotlight is shifting towards us. Ours is a golden opportunity, my friends, to turn crisis into transformative change. This is the time to reorient the conversation, to champion new ideas, and to chart a new course.”

Prime Minister Davis explained that small island developing states the world over, are experiencing the distressing symptoms of modernity’s fatal flaws.

“Globally, climate change is causing countries like ours the most harm, despite us having done the least to bring it about. This is not just a catchphrase. This is an idea – and ideas are capable not only of changing their minds, but our tomorrow.”

He noted that he advanced this idea earlier this month at the Canada-CARICOM Summit in Ottawa, and he will continue to expand upon it at COP28, where CARICOM countries will push for progress on the much-needed Loss and Damage fund.

“In the future, it is likely that we will need new ideas to counter novel crises. It will then be up to our diplomatic corps to convey and act on these ideas, while simultaneously building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.”

During the ceremony, seven service medals were awarded principally to foreign service officers of exceptional performance.

The first recipients of the foreign service medals (13 in total) were given plaques in lieu of medals in 2014 and 2016 because the medals were not struck at that time.

At this awards ceremony, the same 13 recipients were presented with their Foreign Service Medals along with Rhoda Jackson, former Director General of Foreign Affairs with the Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service.

The recipients are:

2014
• Marilyn Zonicle – Distinguished Foreign Service Medal
• Andrew McKinney – Lynden Pindling Medal for Leadership
• Sharon Brennen-Haylock – Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence
• Carlton Wright – Clement Maynard Medal for Innovation
• Dr. Patricia Rogers – Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service
• Sergeant Michael Merunard – Foreign Service Bravery Medal

2016
• Mary T. Sweetnam - Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service
• Philip Miller - Clement Maynard Medal for Innovation
• Harcourt Turnquest - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence
• Her Excellency A. Missouri Sherman-Peter - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence
• Rev. Dr. James Moultrie - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence
• Selwyn Smith - Distinguished Foreign Service Medal
• Facundo Bacardi - Distinguished Foreign Service Medal

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis told all of the recipients of Foreign Service medals and honours that their service is profoundly appreciated.   “Your work, always measured and ever mannerly, rises above any individual footprint. It hovers, my friends, in the heart of the nation,” the Prime Minister said during the 2023 Diplomatic Week Foreign Service Awards Ceremony held at the Baha Mar Resort on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.   “These awards are more than a material prize; they are a profound gesture of gratitude toward those Foreign Service Officers who have performed exceptionally in their duties.”   He explained that diplomats working in the foreign service not only represent the Bahamian people, but also pursue the country’s national interests, forge new friendships, and explore untapped opportunities abroad. “Though we may be an archipelago of just under 400,000 persons, our role on the world stage is changing. “There is a surprising reality emerging out of the overlapping crises of our time – be it a worsening climate crisis, unanticipated economic blows, or colonial aftershocks. The surprising reality is that more and more, the spotlight is shifting towards us. Ours is a golden opportunity, my friends, to turn crisis into transformative change. This is the time to reorient the conversation, to champion new ideas, and to chart a new course.” Prime Minister Davis explained that small island developing states the world over, are experiencing the distressing symptoms of modernity’s fatal flaws.   “Globally, climate change is causing countries like ours the most harm, despite us having done the least to bring it about. This is not just a catchphrase. This is an idea – and ideas are capable not only of changing their minds, but our tomorrow.”   He noted that he advanced this idea earlier this month at the Canada-CARICOM Summit in Ottawa, and he will continue to expand upon it at COP28, where CARICOM countries will push for progress on the much-needed Loss and Damage fund.   “In the future, it is likely that we will need new ideas to counter novel crises. It will then be up to our diplomatic corps to convey and act on these ideas, while simultaneously building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.” During the ceremony, seven service medals were awarded principally to foreign service officers of exceptional performance.   The first recipients of the foreign service medals (13 in total) were given plaques in lieu of medals in 2014 and 2016 because the medals were not struck at that time. At this awards ceremony, the same 13 recipients were presented with their Foreign Service Medals along with Rhoda Jackson, former Director General of Foreign Affairs with the Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service. The recipients are: 2014 • Marilyn Zonicle – Distinguished Foreign Service Medal • Andrew McKinney – Lynden Pindling Medal for Leadership • Sharon Brennen-Haylock – Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence • Carlton Wright – Clement Maynard Medal for Innovation • Dr. Patricia Rogers – Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service • Sergeant Michael Merunard – Foreign Service Bravery Medal 2016 • Mary T. Sweetnam - Janet Bostwick Medal for Women in the Foreign Service • Philip Miller - Clement Maynard Medal for Innovation • Harcourt Turnquest - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence • Her Excellency A. Missouri Sherman-Peter - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence • Rev. Dr. James Moultrie - Paul L. Adderley Medal for Excellence • Selwyn Smith - Distinguished Foreign Service Medal • Facundo Bacardi - Distinguished Foreign Service Medal

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Week - The Bahamas-European Union 6th Political Dialogue Opens

Tue, Oct 24th 2023, 10:42 AM

Foreign Minister the Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell M.P. Opened the Sixth Political Dialogue betweenThe Bahamas and the European Union.

The talks are based on the long-standing partnership and friendly relations between The Bahamasand the European Union and have served as the foundation for a wide array of cooperation andcollaboration since its inception.

Foreign Minister Mitchell told all in attendance

“Our lived reality as a developing nation is impacted by a myriad of global crises. These range fromintense and more frequent climatic events, high indebtedness of developing countries, poverty, theunreliability of supply food chain systems, the cost of fuel, heightened food insecurity, the remnantsof COVID-19 and the emergence of new diseases, more sophisticated modes of organized crime,the situation in Haiti, the war in Ukraine, and the Israel and Palestine conflict. If there ever was atime for countries to forge and revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development, the time isnow. Hence, as we deliberate on today’s agenda items, let us deliberate with a view to promotingsystems and meaningful policies that respond to the needs of vulnerable countries like our own”.

Diplomatic Week serves as another means for the Foreign Ministry to expand our country'sdiplomatic ties to combat external forces that directly and indirectly are increasing the cost of livingfor all Bahamians.

The Foreign Ministry and the European Union also issued a Joint Communique on the Ministry ofForeign Affairs website www.mofa.bs.

Foreign Minister the Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell M.P. Opened the Sixth Political Dialogue between The Bahamas and the European Union. The talks are based on the long-standing partnership and friendly relations between The Bahamas and the European Union and have served as the foundation for a wide array of cooperation and collaboration since its inception. Foreign Minister Mitchell told all in attendance “Our lived reality as a developing nation is impacted by a myriad of global crises. These range from intense and more frequent climatic events, high indebtedness of developing countries, poverty, the unreliability of supply food chain systems, the cost of fuel, heightened food insecurity, the remnants of COVID-19 and the emergence of new diseases, more sophisticated modes of organized crime, the situation in Haiti, the war in Ukraine, and the Israel and Palestine conflict. If there ever was a time for countries to forge and revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development, the time is now. Hence, as we deliberate on today’s agenda items, let us deliberate with a view to promoting systems and meaningful policies that respond to the needs of vulnerable countries like our own”. Diplomatic Week serves as another means for the Foreign Ministry to expand our country's diplomatic ties to combat external forces that directly and indirectly are increasing the cost of living for all Bahamians. The Foreign Ministry and the European Union also issued a Joint Communique on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website www.mofa.bs.

Grant urges rally-goers to 'take a stand' against govt

Mon, Oct 23rd 2023, 09:09 AM

IN his first rally speech in West Grand Bahama since the FNM ratified him as its candidate for the by-election, Bishop Ricardo Grant urged supporters "to take a stand" against the Davis administration, saying the time for change has come.

Prime Minister Davis tackles Climate Finance and Haiti at Canada-CARICOM Summit

Thu, Oct 19th 2023, 03:15 PM

On the Invitation of The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Phillip Davis, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Frederick Mitchell, joined Heads of State and Government from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at a summit with Canada to fortify the long-standing and significant relationship between the country and the Caribbean region and to discuss pressing issues of mutual importance. 

The Canada-CARICOM Summit, which was co-chaired by Prime Minister Trudeau and Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and sitting Chair of CARICOM, commenced in Ottawa on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, and will conclude Thursday, October 19, 2023. The Summit focuses on four main themes: Climate Change and Resilience, Access to Finance, Regional Security, and Trade and Investment Relations. 

On the first day of the Summit, Prime Minister Davis and the Bahamian Delegation continued the country’s leadership in the global conversation on Climate Change. The Summit is the latest in a progression of interventions in which The Bahamas has advocated for a rethinking of Global Climate Finance and urgent access to Loss and Damage funding for Small Island Developing States (SIDs).  

The Prime Minister and delegation built upon his statement at the UNFCCC Caribbean Heads of Government meeting in Grenada last month and the recent OAS Declaration of Nassau, Inter-American Climate Change Action Plan, and OAS Declaration of The Bahamas on Climate Finance in The Americas. The Prime Minister highlighted the region’s fatigue with the Global North’s unmet commitments on Climate Change and underscored the need for a new mechanism to enforce these commitments. He urged Canada to support the region in insisting that developed nations honor their financial and carbon emission commitments. 

He furthermore underscored the link between climate change and cost-of-living, noting that the crisis has impacted global energy usage and cost, food security and prices, and the cost of borrowing in climate-vulnerable nations like The Bahamas. He warned his colleagues not to delay action, as it will cost the people more in the long run. 

The first day also focused heavily on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, where Canada has been a prominent international partner to CARICOM in addressing the unrest. The Bahamian delegation joined CARICOM in reiterating support for Haiti and advocating for a Haitian-led solution. The Bahamas also reaffirmed support to the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group which will be returning to Haiti at the end of this month in its mandates to map a path to free fair elections and a longer-term solution for stability.

The second day of discussions will be led by Bahamian High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency V. Alfred Gray and is expected to focus on Trade and Investment between the regions and Canada and deepening the existing friendship.  

On the Invitation of The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Phillip Davis, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Frederick Mitchell, joined Heads of State and Government from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at a summit with Canada to fortify the long-standing and significant relationship between the country and the Caribbean region and to discuss pressing issues of mutual importance.  The Canada-CARICOM Summit, which was co-chaired by Prime Minister Trudeau and Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and sitting Chair of CARICOM, commenced in Ottawa on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, and will conclude Thursday, October 19, 2023. The Summit focuses on four main themes: Climate Change and Resilience, Access to Finance, Regional Security, and Trade and Investment Relations.  On the first day of the Summit, Prime Minister Davis and the Bahamian Delegation continued the country’s leadership in the global conversation on Climate Change. The Summit is the latest in a progression of interventions in which The Bahamas has advocated for a rethinking of Global Climate Finance and urgent access to Loss and Damage funding for Small Island Developing States (SIDs).   The Prime Minister and delegation built upon his statement at the UNFCCC Caribbean Heads of Government meeting in Grenada last month and the recent OAS Declaration of Nassau, Inter-American Climate Change Action Plan, and OAS Declaration of The Bahamas on Climate Finance in The Americas. The Prime Minister highlighted the region’s fatigue with the Global North’s unmet commitments on Climate Change and underscored the need for a new mechanism to enforce these commitments. He urged Canada to support the region in insisting that developed nations honor their financial and carbon emission commitments.  He furthermore underscored the link between climate change and cost-of-living, noting that the crisis has impacted global energy usage and cost, food security and prices, and the cost of borrowing in climate-vulnerable nations like The Bahamas. He warned his colleagues not to delay action, as it will cost the people more in the long run.  The first day also focused heavily on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, where Canada has been a prominent international partner to CARICOM in addressing the unrest. The Bahamian delegation joined CARICOM in reiterating support for Haiti and advocating for a Haitian-led solution. The Bahamas also reaffirmed support to the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group which will be returning to Haiti at the end of this month in its mandates to map a path to free fair elections and a longer-term solution for stability. The second day of discussions will be led by Bahamian High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency V. Alfred Gray and is expected to focus on Trade and Investment between the regions and Canada and deepening the existing friendship.