Work is in progress on finalising the Bridgetown Covenant, one of the deliverables expected at the end of the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15).
This was underscored today during a virtual press briefing, from the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael.
The briefing, which looked at the state of negotiations in Geneva, to achieve the Covenant, saw the island’s Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Sandra Husbands, who is negotiating on behalf of Barbados, providing delegates with an update on the proceedings.
While first complimenting “the tremendous work that is taking place in Geneva with respect to UNCTAD 15”, she noted that “many ambassadors and officials and experts are involved in the negotiations to help us arrive at an outcomes document that is called the Bridgetown Covenant”.
Minister Husbands told conference participants that the Bridgetown Covenant would guide the work of UNCTAD, over the next few years.
Of their work programme, she noted: “In it, we have been able to include things that are of great importance to developing countries. The issues that are relevant to us; the information that we need in order to be able to plan better, and to advocate better for the benefit of our citizens. And so, the Bridgetown Covenant is proceeding quite well.”
Barbados’ Foreign Trade representative further noted that accompanying that particular negotiation was the political declaration.
Explaining its aim, she said: “The political declaration is known as the Spirit of Speightstown, and the Spirit of Speightstown provides us with the opportunity to share generally about a number of things that we believe are of critical importance for the world to pay great attention to.”
Adding that those in the negotiations in Geneva were busy trying “to bring to conclusion a political declaration that represents us all”, she declared: “So, the negotiations are going well. We’re working hard. We’re anticipating that we will be able to arrive at positive conclusions that will be for the benefit of all developing countries and their peoples.”