The Hon. E.P. Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Heads of Delegation
Secretary General Albert Ramdin, in his absence
Assistant Secretary General, Nestor Mendez,
Permanent Observers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Mr. Chairman, let me start by thanking you and the Government and people of Antigua and Barbados for the excellent arrangements for this meeting and the hospitality extended to the Barbados delegation.
The delegation of Barbados welcomes this opportunity to underscore its support, as well as reiterate earlier contributions about the appreciation for the enduring partnerships and substantive collaborations with the Permanent Observers of the Organization of American States.
The dedication of the Permanent Observers to the OAS is evident in their involvement across 71 countries, 87 programmes, and over a span of 45 years.
The four pillars of our organization are strengthened by the support and dedication of the Permanent Observers.
Mr. President, this afternoon, several Permanent Observers reaffirmed their support for these four pillars and shared future initiatives to assist OAS Member States in addressing the climate crisis, achieving food security, energy security to help us realize our development goals and enhance the quality of life and security for citizens in the hemisphere.
And Barbados, as one of the 14 Caribbean Community Member States of the OAS, and a Small Island Developing State, is truly appreciative. We know only too well that with greater collaboration and greater unity meaningful and lasting resilience is achievable.
Barbados is committed to multilateralism and is a firm and staunch advocate for reform of the international development and financial architecture – including climate finance – as articulated through the Bridgetown Initiative.
Indeed, it will be impossible for OAS Member States to build resilience in the global financial system without reform. For this reason, the third iteration of the Bridgetown Initiative identifies the following priorities:
- Scaling debt for development swaps through the establishment of a $1bn guarantee pool.
- Scaling local currency solutions to unlock domestic private capital.
- Addressing bottlenecks in post disaster contingent financing to enhance recovery in vulnerable countries.
These are not radical ideas but rather practical solutions to help vulnerable countries build resilience.
Colleagues and friends, there are synergies and opportunities that Permanent Observers can play in this regard. And dialogues of this nature can build bridges between the broader international community to foster greater cooperation.
And Mr. Chairman it is only through an extended hemispheric approach to global problems that OAS Member States will not only build resilience but will also strengthen partnerships to help us address our priorities and achieve our shared objectives of strong democratic institutions, human and social development, security, equality, inclusion and prosperity for the citizens of the Americas.
I thank you.