By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
This week, Barbados became the first small island developing state to host the 15th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). And to seal the deal was the signing of the Bridgetown Covenant, a document provide a framework for moving from actions to concrete results in tackling issues that specifically affect small island developing states (SIDS).
Spearheading these interests, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley says the international community needs to support SIDS such as Barbados, as she noted that UNCTAD was formed to give voice and protection to developing nations. If ever there was a time for that voice to be heard on issues of trade and development, it is now”.
In championing the needs of the Caribbean and other SIDS, PM Mottley said it was her desire not for their names to be associated with failure, and to that extent, assured that regional governments in the Caribbean community would work assiduously to ensure that the policy initiatives and legislative frameworks that we need at the national level are put in place.”
Meanwhile, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Sandra Husbands was said to be in the Swiss city of Geneva negotiating with a United Nations agency on a new “Bridgetown Covenant”.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the week, Minister Husbands said the document will serve as a guide to the work of UNCTAD in the coming years. She expressed confidence that Bridgetown Covenant was one that they ensured included areas of great importance to developing states similar to Barbados, and addressed issues relevant to the region.
The conference theme this year is “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all” and is said to be the United Nation’s first major conference on trade and development during the COVID-19 pandemic.