Commonwealth Caribbean Disability Access Policies: Access to Educational Institutions and Libraries

Disability Acts are aimed at providing disabled students with both physical and intellectual access to education. The research takes into account UNESCO’s mission and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) that education as a fundamental human right lies at the heart of equal access. The document analysis approach was used to select six Caribbean countries’ disability Acts to examine the kind of access indicated for educational institutions and libraries. The roles of the stakeholders who are expected to implement the Acts were also examined. Additionally, document analysis was used to determine if what was seen in these Acts were actually being implemented. The disability Acts selected were those from a Commonwealth Caribbean country that developed national policies or acts on disability and that the Acts had specific articles on access to education for disabled persons. It was discovered that the clauses with regards to access and stakeholders’ role in implementing the Acts were very limited. There is also a significant gap between what is written in the Acts and what is actually taking place. One recommendation that was suggested was that each country treat their Act as a priority as equal access is a human right as emphasized by UNESCO.

Strengthening financial integrity and combating economic crimes in the post-pandemic Caribbean: what lies ahead!

Purpose This paper aims to map key strategic concerns that Commonwealth Caribbean States will face in combating economic crimes and strengthening financial integrity in the post-pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach Horizon scanning was used to conduct a qualitative policy analysis of key regulatory developments in international anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFTP) and tax governance, from the perspective of Commonwealth Caribbean countries. Findings This paper finds that the COVID-19 pandemic might widen several fault lines, along the Global North/South axis, in international AML/CFTP and tax regulatory governance. These include the “sustainable development” gap in AML/CFTP norm-making; making the Financial Action Task Force fit-for-purpose; renewed campaigns against “harmful tax competition”; and international commitment to scaling up technical assistance to combat economic crimes in developing countries. It questions the sustainability of the prevailing “levelling the playing field” regulatory approach to AML/CFTP and tax matters and whether serious consideration ought not to be given to mainstreaming “differential treatment” in international AML/CFTP and tax standards, for resource-strapped Caribbean countries. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to assess the strategic policy risks and challenges that will arise from balancing economic recovery and fighting economic crimes by small and vulnerable Commonwealth Caribbean States in the post-pandemic era.

Development of eLearning in the Commonwealth Countries

The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people (almost one-third of the world population). The countries of Commonwealth, 54 in number, are spread across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. The Commonwealth countries are amongst the world's biggest and smallest states in terms of population and size, with about 32 of them having less than 1.5 million people. Over the years, the Commonwealth countries have emphasized using distance education and technologies to improve access to quality learning opportunities. In this pursuit, online learning or eLearning has been adapted in many Commonwealth countries, although in varying degrees. This chapter provides an overview of eLearning in Commonwealth countries by looking into the developments that emerged as various policies, projects, and practices in the four regions of the Commonwealth (i.e., Commonwealth Africa, Commonwealth Asia, Commonwealth Caribbean, and Commonwealth Pacific).