AGP Executive Report

Education & Digital Policy: The UWI and Caribbean partners launched a landmark AI framework to shape the region’s digital future, aiming to guide governance and capacity-building. Environment & Tourism: Mexico’s president says her government will unveil a comprehensive sargassum plan for the Mexican Caribbean after record beach closures and rising cleanup costs in Quintana Roo. Regional Governance & Training: Jamaica hosted the International Seabed Authority assembly, with IMO’s secretary-general making a first-ever visit and highlighting maritime education and training. Student Success & Philanthropy: The American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) named new board leadership to expand scholarships, partnerships, and career pathways across the Caribbean. Higher Education Partnerships: South Korea and Brazil signed an education cooperation pact, adding to growing academic ties in the region. Health & Learning Access: New sign language storybooks are supporting inclusive education efforts. Sports & Youth Development: West Indies cricket gets a push with Brian Lara calling for a Sir Garfield Sobers initiative to revive regional cricket.

Construction & Resilience: A Mexico City MBA student traces earthquake damage to the risks of informal housing, using his experience to push for more transparent, safer construction data. Refugee Response: Belize’s Refugees Department convened a multi-agency workshop to set clear protocols for handling Central American asylum cases. Student Pathways (TVET): A Caribbean student’s agricultural science track is spotlighted after winning a TVET Student of the Year scholarship, showing how practical learning can feed higher education. Higher Education & Preservation: A university museum secured a grant to preserve Andean burial textiles, training staff and volunteers to protect cultural heritage. Tech & Learning: A first AI degree cohort begins at UTech, signaling more formal training for AI skills. Finance Access (BNPL): EBANX and Pagaleve expand Pix-based BNPL to reach millions of Brazilians without credit cards. Regional AI Policy: CARICOM launches a regional AI framework to guide the digital future across member states.

Education & Youth Protection: In the Philippines, President Marcos Jr.’s SONA and Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s “Kontra-SONA” both tied youth safety to community responsibility, citing risks like online hate, fake news, and sexual exploitation. Digital Trust & Credentials: Trinidad and Tobago is rolling out VerifyTT, starting with verifiable credentials to build digital trust infrastructure before expanding to broader digital identity services. Academic Diplomacy: Angola’s education diplomacy push links universities with U.S. HBCUs, aiming for research partnerships, student mobility, faculty exchanges, and longer-term campus ecosystems. Trade & Learning Ecosystems: Brazil and South Korea agreed to restart Mercosur–S. Korea free-trade talks via a working group, with education and skills likely to matter as markets open. Workforce Skills Demand: U.S. hiring shortages are pushing finance and software roles toward Latin America, with nearshore recruiting drawing on university pipelines and overlapping time zones. Health & School-Age Impact: AIDS 2026 opens in Rio with warnings that HIV funding cuts are undermining global targets—an issue that will ripple into health systems serving students and families.

Education Pathways: UWI-ROYTEC in Trinidad and Tobago is running its free “Pathway to Success” programme for 180 secondary school leavers, offering workshops and hands-on sessions plus talks with lecturers and industry on marketing, IT, finance, HR and entrepreneurship ahead of CSEC/CAPE results. Language & Learning: Educators at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing argued that English should act as a bridge for global communication without erasing students’ home cultures, citing models that pair English with mother-tongue learning. Student Mobility & Skills: China’s ambassador to Barbados announced a new programme sending 1,000 Barbadians to China each year for professional training across sectors, framed as human-capacity building ahead of 50 years of ties. Disaster Preparedness Education: Belize City received UNESCO “Tsunami Ready” status after years of planning, with officials stressing ongoing public education, evacuation-route awareness and community engagement. Regional Education Governance: CARICOM membership debates in the Caribbean continue to spill into public commentary, with critics warning of budget strain and knock-on effects for education and services.

AI & Education Policy: The UN convened AI leaders in Mexico City to discuss how the technology is reshaping learning, work, trust, and cultural expression across Latin America and the Caribbean. HIV Funding Shock: Reports tied to AIDS 2026 warn global HIV response funding fell 25% in 2025, driven by a steep US decline, threatening progress in treatment and prevention. Student Agriculture Challenge: CARICOM launched a Regional High School Youth in Agriculture Video Competition, asking secondary schools to submit one-minute videos on student-led farming initiatives (deadline Sept. 4). Public Health Research for Schools & Families: A study on nixtamalization in rural Guatemala found the traditional corn-cooking method can cut aflatoxin B1 levels by 81%, offering a practical food-safety lesson for the region. Community & Youth Recognition: Nevis held its Mr. & Miss Talented Youth 2026 pageant, spotlighting student talent and school participation. Sports & Student Pathways: The FISU America Games continue with college athletes from across the region, including Team USA’s basketball program.

Education Infrastructure in Belize: The Caribbean Development Bank and Belize’s government marked progress under the Belize Education Sector Reform Programme II with groundbreaking ceremonies for two new schools in Orange Walk District and the handover/expansion of facilities at Trial Farm Government School, aiming to boost learning for rural students. Student Exchange in the Caribbean: UWI Five Islands and the University of Toronto plan to make their summer study abroad programme annual after a successful first run, with students studying “Rethinking Crime, Law and Power in the Caribbean” through classes and field visits. Caribbean Exams and AI Debate: The Caribbean Examinations Council is phasing out traditional School-Based Assessments in many CSEC/CAPE subjects, replacing them with supervised Paper 032 starting for CAPE in 2027, sparking debate over whether schools should outsmart AI or teach responsible use. Health Education and Prevention in Antigua: Antigua and Barbuda’s AIDS Secretariat urged safer sexual practices during Carnival, highlighting condoms and PrEP as key prevention tools. Cybersecurity and Schools/Training: Antigua and Barbuda is developing a national Computer Incident Response Team to protect banks, telecoms, utilities and digital services—an indirect boost for safer learning and public systems.

Health Access Through Student Volunteering: Sault College nursing students spent a week near Lima, helping a pop-up clinic serve close to 2,000 people and showing how primary care can reach underserved communities. Regional AI Capacity Building: The Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Forum opened in the region with UWI and the CTU, pushing AI governance, education and capacity development via a new task force report. Urban Planning and Education Priorities: Dominica’s UWP candidate Juliette Shillingford pitched a Roseau “deserves better” agenda, including green spaces, a rebuilt botanical garden, a public library, and more investment in youth through education and sports. Disaster Recovery Inspections: Venezuela’s engineers inspected 8,000+ structures after the June earthquakes, with most deemed habitable or habitable with caution, and plans for more inspections with universities and civil protection. STEM and Community Learning: Cuba’s Holguín Botanical Garden is expanding summer activities with workshops, conservation education, and hands-on spaces for children and young people. Local Business and Food Safety: A Stockton shop improved its food hygiene rating from zero to three after council-flagged issues were fixed with staff training, deep cleaning, and better storage and labeling. Mangrove Conservation Spotlight: Aruba marked the International Day for Mangrove Ecosystem Conservation, linking mangrove protection to UNESCO biosphere goals and climate resilience.

Education Infrastructure: Belize’s CDB and government marked progress in Orange Walk District with groundbreaking for a new Indian Church Primary School and the handover/expansion of rural school facilities under BESRP II, aiming to boost learning for hundreds of students. Regional AI & Skills: The Caribbean Telecommunications Union, with UWI St. Augustine and the AI Innovation Centre, opened the 1st Caribbean AI Forum (CAIF) 2026, spotlighting AI governance, cybersecurity, data sovereignty, and education/capacity-building for a shared digital future. University Leadership: A column on what university presidents must ask on day one frames the presidency as a “covenant of stewardship,” focusing on purpose, trust, and the questions that shape a university’s future. Community Learning & Access: A piece on FoodCycle’s Midlands push highlights the need for thousands of volunteer slots to keep free community meals running—supporting families facing hunger and isolation, including during summer when student help drops. Sports & Student-Athletes: Guyana’s Devin Permaul and Ceili Peterson carried Team Guyana at the CAC Games opening ceremony, with Peterson balancing elite taekwondo and kinesiology studies.

Scholarship Deadline: ECTEL extended the Pearl Allison Lake (P.A.L.) Scholarship Fund application deadline to Monday, July 27, 2026 (10:00 a.m. AST), urging students from contracting states to submit complete forms and required referee documents on time. Regional Youth Sports: Saint Lucia is set to host the 2026 CBN/WINLOTT Windward Islands School Games (July 24–Aug. 2), with athletics, basketball, football, netball and volleyball bringing student-athletes from across the Windwards. Education & Community Arts: Santo Domingo’s Central American and Caribbean Games opening featured Dominican cultural programming with trained performers, including students from the National School of Dance (Endanza), highlighting inclusion and arts education alongside sport. Student Opportunities: Jamaica’s lobbyist-register push raises transparency questions about who influences policy—an indirect but important issue for how education priorities get shaped. Learning Through Health Tech: Saint Lucia’s TPBS initiative expands pharmaceutical care using genetic insights to support more personalized prescribing, signaling a growing link between education, training, and healthcare innovation.

Nursing Spotlight (Jamaica): The Nurses Association of Jamaica marked its 80th anniversary by naming Jervine Richards (Percy Junor Hospital) Nurse of the Year in a tie-breaking night that also saw a historic shared Second Runner-Up spot for Michelle Hales Thompson and Juline Souden, with major prizes supporting nursing education and community work. Student Sport (Caribbean): Six college athletes from Jamaica are heading to the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru, with track and field as the only Intercol Jamaica event—an effort framed as both athletic development and institutional partnership. Medical Education (Caribbean): UWI Cave Hill and the University of Ghana launched a new BSc Preclinical Sciences pathway, with Ghanaian student Fafa Hanson becoming the first graduate of the partnership before returning home for clinical training. Regional Health Research (Caribbean): A new open-access Coastal Water Pathogen Database aims to help researchers and public health teams track coastal microbial risks, linking wastewater, ecosystems, and rising water temperatures. Disaster Impact (Venezuela): Venezuela’s double earthquake death toll rose to 5,546 as relief and rebuilding continue, with thousands still in transitional camps and major damage reported. Funding for Education & Health (Colombia via CAF): CAF announced a US$9 billion financing framework for Colombia (2026–2030), including support for health and education alongside energy security and infrastructure.

Public Health: A measles comeback in the U.S. is hitting a 35-year high in confirmed cases, with transmission linked to low and declining vaccination rates; Utah’s outbreak has lasted since June 2025, and the CDC is set to finalize a major review covering Jan 2025–Jun 2026. Regional Health Systems: CARPHA opened an Antimicrobial Resistance Regional Reference Laboratory in Jamaica to expand specialized testing across 26 member states, aiming to strengthen surveillance and response to antibiotic resistance. Education & Leadership: After Hurricane Melissa, nine Caribbean school principals received $450,000 total from CIBC Caribbean via the National College for Educational Leadership to help schools get back on track. Access & Mobility: Saba and St. Eustatius proposed a €1 million Dutch government subsidy to make inter-island flights more affordable, citing barriers to healthcare, education, jobs, and family visits. Policy & Rights: Guatemala’s Constitutional Court rejected a provisional challenge to the Civil Code’s definition of marriage, blocking a push for legal recognition of same-sex unions.

Language Policy: Antigua and Barbuda’s Cabinet is reviewing a three-year plan to expand Spanish in schools, potentially adding 18–20 new teachers and updating the national curriculum with international proficiency standards. School Funding & Recognition: St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ GECCU awarded 199 bursaries and 14 scholarships to CPEA achievers, while the Agricultural Input Warehouse backed three more scholarship winners. Student Pathways: Antigua and Barbuda also highlighted graduation success at New Winthorpes Primary and used Junior Chef prize money to buy commercial ovens for St Joseph’s Academy’s food and nutrition training. Governance & Accountability: The Raheem Sterling Foundation is under investigation after failing to file charity accounts for more than two years, raising questions about oversight tied to education and youth empowerment claims. Climate & Learning: A Galápagos-focused read explains how El Niño can trigger marine ecosystem crashes—an education angle on climate impacts for schools and communities.

Leadership in Aviation: IATA named Saadia Zahidi as its new director general, starting Nov. 1, making her the first woman to lead the airline body and bringing World Economic Forum experience as Willie Walsh exits July 31. Disaster Recovery & Schools: The World Bank put Venezuela’s June 24 twin earthquakes at about US$19.6bn in direct physical damage, with residential buildings the biggest hit and major impacts to schools and hospitals—raising pressure for faster reconstruction funding. Education Policy in the Caribbean: Jamaica’s CXC is overhauling School-Based Assessments amid AI misuse concerns, with debate over how the changes will affect students and schools. Workforce Skills & Industry Training: The Dominican Republic’s free zones push toward “Free Zones 4.0” spotlights innovation and the need to train technicians and middle managers for higher-value sectors like medical devices and advanced manufacturing. Student Sports & Inclusion: Indian River High School alum Patrick Callow won bronze at the USA Special Olympics Games, underscoring pathways from local schools to elite inclusive competition. Regional Research & AI: Durban University of Technology hosts the DataScientia International Symposium, aiming to put Africa at the center of AI and data science conversations. Higher Education & Community Arts: Miami-Dade students’ artwork helped raise over $100,000 for arts education through The Education Fund’s auction, supporting classroom materials.

Digital Inclusion in Education: UNESCO and UNESCO IIEP ran regional seminars on inclusive digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean, stressing that AI and tech only help when paired with inclusive policies, teacher training, monitoring, and community participation. Regional TVET Modernization: CARICOM’s Digitalisation of TVET Delivery project wrapped with pilot countries integrating digital solutions into local platforms, aiming for a region-owned model for faster vocational training transformation. Caribbean Student Research Wins: St. Maarten students made history by becoming the first from their island to win the CBCS Best Economic Research Award at the HAVO level, with a paper on tourism dependence and economic vulnerability in small states. Tourism Education in Schools: Curaçao’s Kids Tourism Experience reached 1,006 students across 36 schools, using tours and workshops to connect classroom learning with real tourism and hospitality careers. Student Safety: Jamaica identified a Caribbean Maritime University student whose body washed ashore after he went missing while swimming in Treasure Beach. Public Health Context: Sri Lanka deployed military drones to find mosquito-breeding sites amid its worst dengue outbreak in nearly a decade, underscoring how fast vector risks can escalate.

Digital Policy Clash: The US is set to impose a 25% tariff on Brazilian products, citing big-tech legal disputes and Brazil’s internet civil-rights rules, but Brazilian researchers argue the case is distorted and that regulation is needed to protect expression from hate and misinformation. Cross-Border Skills Pathways: Ghana and Kenya are expanding labor mobility deals to reduce youth unemployment, with newer partnerships targeting skilled roles such as nurses and healthcare workers, including routes involving Caribbean states. Caribbean Education Digitalization: Curaçao and Aruba signed an MoU to speed up digital transformation in government and education, including shared work on education dashboards, diploma registers, student tracking, and linked government data systems. STEM Achievement: Trinidad and Tobago won its first-ever medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, with Reginald Mohammed taking bronze, highlighting the impact of the UWI-led National Chemistry Olympiad programme. Assessment Reform Watch: In the Caribbean, CXC’s school-based assessment overhaul is moving forward amid concerns about how AI misuse could affect non-practical subjects and student workload. Regional Maritime Cooperation: India and Panama agreed to deepen maritime ties focused on logistics, shipping, maritime security, skill development, and digital transformation.

CXC SBA Overhaul: The Caribbean Examinations Council announced major reforms to its School-Based Assessment framework for CAPE and CSEC, aiming to protect assessment integrity as generative AI rises, including shifting non-practical subjects to Paper 032 under exam conditions with reference notes and earlier topic release. Regional Education & Youth Pathways: Trinidad and Tobago won its first-ever medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, with NaParima College student Reginald Mohammed taking bronze—backed by a national chemistry olympiad programme led with UWI and the Ministry of Education. HIV Prevention Research in Latin America: Ahead of AIDS 2026 in Rio, PEPFAR disruption impacts and new long-acting HIV prevention and treatment results were highlighted, including twice-yearly lenacapavir and once-weekly oral islatravir/lenacapavir trial findings. Learning Through Culture: Sint Maarten’s Caribbean Literature Day 2026 children’s panel promoted local youth voices and access to Caribbean storytelling via a virtual format. School & Community Support: Antigua and Barbuda marked UNESCO World Heritage recognition for the Antigua Naval Dockyard’s 10th anniversary, tying heritage to education and public engagement.