Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, World Trade Organization (WTO) and other International Organizations at Geneva, Matthew Wilson, at the 100th meeting of the WTO Committee on Government Procurement, held in Switzerland. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade)
Earlier today, Barbados became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to be an Observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Government Procurement, at that body’s 100th meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Speaking at the ceremony, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other International Organizations at Geneva, Ambassador Matthew Wilson, said that Barbados’ participation as an Observer reflects the Government’s recognition of the critical role that transparent, fair, and efficient procurement systems play in advancing good governance, fiscal responsibility, and sustainable development.
“We view this engagement as an opportunity to strengthen our institutional frameworks and to align our public procurement systems with international best practices, consistent with the principles upheld under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).”
According to Ambassador Wilson, Barbados is currently modernising its national procurement legislation and institutional mechanisms to promote greater transparency, accountability, and value for money in public spending.
He added: “Our aim is to build a procurement system that supports competition, enhances the participation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and encourages the integration of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible practices.”
The Ambassador further highlighted that aligning with global practices and principles of government procurement was one of the tools in the country’s investment facilitation toolbox, and by becoming an Observer, he stressed, Barbados was sending a signal that; “we are committed and serious about ensuring our system of government procurement is transparent and accountable.”
He further noted that government procurement could be a powerful tool to build the competitiveness of MSMEs and women-owned businesses, quoting a statistic from the International Trade Centre that indicated only one per cent of government contracts globally go to women-owned businesses. On this, he noted: “We must collectively do better for women-owned MSMES”.
He continued: “We must also align ourselves with the broader regional efforts of CARICOM to enhance procurement governance and efficiency across our Member States.
“We see our participation here as contributing not only to national reform but also to the strengthening of regional procurement systems in the Caribbean.”
Barbados’ role as Observer will allow capital officials to participate in meetings and benefit from technical assistance, capacity building and sharing of best practices with other WTO members and procurement authorities.
The WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) is a plurilateral agreement within the framework of the WTO. The primary aim of the GPA is to mutually open government procurement markets among its parties.
Author: Dionne Best
Source: https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/barbados-makes-history-as-wto-observer-on-government-procurement/
