Day: September 26, 2022

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, Sept. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Countries across the globe have recognised the importance of investing in their youth. Beyond providing basic amenities such as healthcare, education, employment and housing to their citizens, developing economies need to act purposefully to uplift their young populations. These efforts largely define how rapidly a nation will advance.

From this perspective, the government of Saint Lucia is proactively investing in its citizens – with its youth at the top of its list of priorities. The country is advancing at a significant pace, particularly in terms of infrastructure development and its economic undertakings. This growth and development are directly linked to its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), launched in 2016.

The major inflow of funds generated by the Citizenship by Investment Programme has propelled Saint Lucia’s economy, promising a brighter future ahead for its young population.

Rates of employment on the island have improved significantly over the last few years. This is directly linked to the development of various multi-million dollar projects. These projects have been stimulated by foreign investment generated by the country’s CIP.

The advancement of infrastructure is opening a wide range of opportunities not only for investors but also for the country’s youth across a diverse range of industries which include hospitality, service, architecture, banking, and broadcasting. Saint Lucia is growing, and so too are its people.

Recently, the Global Hyatt group signed plans to construct the 345-room Grand Hyatt luxury hotel in Saint Lucia. The project will provide employment for at least 2000 of the island’s citizens through opportunities in construction, operations and management. While providing a major boost to the economy, it will also create significant opportunities for aspiring youth to grow professionally and achieve financial independence. This is just one of the many examples of how foreign investment is directly benefitting the country.

Mathurin is a media and communications professional in Saint Lucia who is reaching new heights in her career. She has expressed confidence about the role that the CIP plays.

“It makes me so happy every time when our talent and accomplishments are celebrated. For me as a young Saint Lucian, as a young creator, I am looking forward to projects like CIP helping us channel resources in the right direction,” said Mathurin.

Mathurin looks forward to the programme providing her with a wider platform to exhibit her talents and further hone her skills. With the development and growth of CIP in Saint Lucia, she is just one of the country’s young professionals who will benefit from the increased investment.

Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme allows foreign investors to become citizens of the country in exchange for investing in the country’s economy. It is a much sought-after programme, ranking third in the CBI Index of 2022 and scoring 87% with 78 points.

The CBI Index is released annually by the Professional Wealth Management Magazine (PWM), published by the Financial Times. It provides a comprehensive evaluation of citizenship by investment programmes in thirteen jurisdictions.

The Index compares jurisdictions according to nine parameters, known as the “nine pillars of excellence.” These include: the minimum investment outlay, the extent to which investors can obtain citizenship for family, the timeline for securing citizenship, the due diligence of the process, ease of processing, freedom of movement within and between countries, mandatory travel or residence conditions, and the certainty and robustness of the programme.

Saint Lucia has particularly excelled in the minimum investment outlay, freedom of movement and ease of processing pillars. This excellent score has drawn a diverse range of individuals with adequate resources to invest in the country. The programme has thus proved mutually beneficial – helping both the country and investors.

The establishment of wider business networks is yet another aspect of the programme from which young Saint Lucians profit. CIP investors often bring significant entrepreneurial networks from their respective fields to the country. Working and collaborating with investors thus provides a great platform for existing businesses to grow, stimulating the development of new businesses and industries as well. While investors receive a stable and secure environment from which to operate their businesses, young professionals have the opportunity to learn from experts in their field and to grow to their maximum capacity.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the government’s emphasis has also shifted towards developing and uplifting public health infrastructure and services. CIP funds are therefore also being directed to the health sector. Recently, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs donated a haematology analyser and immunoassay analyser to St. Jude Hospital in the coastal town of Vieux Fort. These additions to the healthcare infrastructure will strengthen the delivery of diagnostic testing in the country. In this instance, both young and elderly citizens will reap the benefits of CIP funds.

This is just one of the various impacts of resources generated by Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme. However, it is not just the country’s citizens but also investors who benefit from the programme. They gain a safe, secure and stable environment from which to grow their families and businesses.

SAINT LUCIA: CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT PROGRAMME (CIP)

Saint Lucia is the latest Caribbean country to open its borders to Citizenship by Investment. Although the programme was launched just six years ago in 2016, it is already considered one of the top three countries for Citizenship by Investment, according to the CBI Index of 2022. The CIP of Saint Lucia provides numerous benefits such as:

1: Providing investors with global mobility

2: Delivering opportunities for diversifying investors’ portfolios

3: Planning wealth and business expansion overseas

4: Gaining a citizenship that can be passed down to future generations.

Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment programme is also notable for the ease of its application process. This includes five steps:

Step 1: Completion of the application by applicants.

Step 2: Submission of the application via the CIP Portal.

Step 3: Document verification by the CIP Unit and the undergoing of due-diligence processes.

Step 4: The selection or rejection of the application by the board.

Step 5: The provision of certification, subject to selection.

Contact Information:
Nandi Canning
nandi.canning@csglobalpartners.com
+27 82 821 5664

TURIN, Italy, Sept. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Terra Madre Salone del Gusto is back in Turin and in Piedmont. From 22 to 26 September the former industrial spaces of Parco Dora are hosting The Slow Food event, dedicated to good, clean and fair food and those who produce it. The show will bring together more than 3,000 farmers and breeders, indigenous peoples and cooks, migrants and young activists from 150 countries and 700 exhibitors at the Market, around the claim #RegenerAction.

The lead concept of the entire event is regeneration which starts with food in order for it to become the engine of the ecological transition necessary for a profound renewal of thought and society– the only way to address the current crises. Renewing agricultural practices, production and distribution systems, diets and consumption habits in cities and small towns alike are just some of the themes that will be addressed during the exhibition at the Salone del Gusto.

With this event, Piedmont not only proves that it is a region with a vocation for welcoming different cultures, ready to turn the spotlight on topical issues such as sustainability, ecological transaction, exchange between people and inclusion, but also reconfirms itself as the perfect destination for every gourmet. Piedmont is an ambassador of Italian food and wine culture around the world with a historic reputation, with products of undisputed quality: from chocolate to IGP hazelnuts and from rice cultivated in the largest rice fields in Europe, between Vercelli, Novara and Biella to the great variety of artisanal cheeses, with DOPs such as Castelmagno and Toma, Robiola di Roccaverano, Raschera, Murazzano, Ossolano and Gorgonzola. Needless to say, the real star among Piedmont’s agri-food products is the White Truffle of Alba, celebrated every autumn at the International Fair of the White Truffle of Alba and the World Market of the White Truffle of Alba.

Wine is another celebrity in Piedmont with 18 DOCG and 41 DOC products in over 43,000 hectares of vineyards, many of which are included in the ‘Langhe-Roero Monferrato Vineyard Landscapes’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. Many of these wines, together with the various products of Piedmontese gastronomy, will be present at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto and the audience will be able to enjoy them.

In addition, the choice of location for the Salone del Gusto di Terra Madre corresponds with the discourse of openness and regeneration that Regione Piemonte wants to pursue. Indeed, the Region together with the City of Turin have highlighted how Parco Dora is an area that until a few years ago housed manufacturing plants and steelworks and is now one of Turin’s most important green lungs. A perfect place to show a tangible example of environmental and social regeneration.

For more information:
LaPresse SpA Communication and Press Office Director
Barbara Sanicola – barbara.sanicola@lapresse.it

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c190115d-cb8c-4ef4-8c64-468c40beea94

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

 

ROSEAU, Dominica, Sept. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The climate crisis is real. Several severe weather patterns are confirming this.

Take Pakistan, the scale of the recent deadly flooding in that country is staggering to say the least. Floods triggered by early monsoon rains began in June and remained intense throughout the season. A full one-third of Pakistan is underwater—an amount of land that exceeds the total area of the United Kingdom. More than 30 million people or 15 percent of the population have been affected – 1,200 people have lost their lives and half a million are homeless.

After Hurricane Maria left an estimated 90 percent of buildings damaged or destroyed in Dominica in 2019, the small Caribbean Island of just 70,000 has been on a clear path to become the first climate-resilient nation by 2030.

According to Germanwatch’s 2021 Global Climate Risk Index – an Index that analyses to what extent countries and regions have been affected by impacts of weather-related loss event – Dominica ranked 11th out of 150 countries at risk based on an analysis of extreme weather events between 2000 and 2019. Two factors were cited for Dominica: the impact of global warming on rising sea levels that increase the risk of storm surges, and the increase in the strength of hurricanes. Dominica is at risk to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides, and hurricanes.

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, has been an advocate and voice for sustainability, urging nations across the globe to implement serious and tangible measures to deal with global warming as they impact smaller nations more acutely.

He recently conveyed his condolences over material and human losses caused by the floods in Pakistan and again called upon the international community to stand together to act against climate change in order to mitigate its often-deadly consequences. He said, “Together, we must ensure a better future for our coming generations.”

Taking to Twitter he stated, “The Commonwealth of Dominica stands in solidarity with Pakistan at this time of crisis. Climate change is destroying the world, and it is now our time to take responsible actions.”

Dominica is leading the fight against climate change, and the government continues to invest in new projects and programmes to achieve their goal of resiliency and having the strength to fight back when catastrophic events occur.

This year marks five years since Dominica witnessed the witnessed the deadliest Hurricane Maria.

Dominica’s objective to become resilient by 2030 needs around EC$4 billion to EC$5 billion in funding and around 40 percent of that funding could come from funds generated through the country’s citizenship by investment programme.

In response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, Dominica launched a climate resilience policy framework to help guide its recovery journey in the form of the National Resilience Development Strategy 2030 (NRDS). The NRDS speaks to the overall policy framework of the government and summaries 43 resilience goals desired to assure that development is people centred.

The Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan of Dominica aims to build strong communities, build a robust economy, have a well-planned and durable infrastructure; strengthen institutional systems and, protect and sustain natural and other unique assets.

It centres around three pillars: structural resilience, financial resilience, and post-disaster resilience.

Pillar 1: Structural resilience:

Under this pillar, the government of Dominica strives to build a resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding natural disasters, including category five hurricanes. It includes the construction of climate-resilient homes, healthcare centres, roads, bridges, airports and schools.

The revolutionary “Housing Initiative” will deliver climate-resilient homes to the public, who were displaced as a result of Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria in 2015 and 2017, respectively. The government is aiming to construct more than 5 000 climate-resilient homes and has already handed over keys to about 1 500 families who were displaced by Hurricane Maria.

The construction of 40 climate-resilient homes in the Salybia constituency commenced in February 2022.

In July of this year, Dominica also launched the “Future Housing Programme” which provides reasonably priced homes to youth aged 45 or younger.

The World Bank Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project is a five-year projects worth US$25 million and it aims to restore agricultural livelihoods and enhance the climate resilience of farmers and fishers affected by Hurricane Maria.

The project will ensure:

• Farmers adopt new technologies and climate-smart practices for increasing modification and climate resilience in the crop, livestock, and fishing sectors;
• Reconstruction and climate proofing of key agriculture infrastructure.

Several bridges have been built and damaged roads have been rehabilitated with the inclusion of slope retention walls and expanded sections to increase capacity and facilitate the movement of larger construction machinery.

Pillar 2: Financial Resilience:

The government of Dominica is implementing institutional fiscal reform to ensure stronger fiscal resilience which will aid in the strengthening of debt sustainability utilising several key institutional fiscal areas.

Pillar 3: Post Disaster and Social Resilience

This pillar helps encourage farmers to plant more root crops which are more resilient to heavy rain and wind, increases farmer training programmes and government assistance with the provision of seeds and fertilizers. The government’s plan to strengthen food security, includes specific policies for the resiliency of the agriculture and fisheries industries.

During a time when larger and more developed countries have been holding talk-shops about finding accurate solutions to climate change, Dominica has emerged with concrete and efficient plans and strategies to mitigate the effects of these global issues.

Nandi Canning (PR Dominica) nandi.canning@csglobalpartners.com +27828215664