Government

CRC Hands Over Report To President Of Barbados

The Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) presented its report today to the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

After 27 months of intensive deliberations, the CRC has completed the mandate given to it in June 2022. Chairman of the CRC, Mr. Justice (rtd) Christopher Blackman, made the presentation at State House.

Dame Sandra thanked the members of the Commission for working assiduously to complete the report.

After handing over the document, Mr. Blackman told the Barbados Government Information Service that the Commission produced a report with several recommendations for a Constitution for Barbados.

“The draft Bill, which accompanies the report, expands the provisions of the current Constitution by more than 50 per cent, with a notable aspect being the greatly expanded Chapter on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. This has led to the recommendation for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission for Barbados.

“While the Commission has recommended the maintenance of the status quo in respect of matters such as the first-past-the-post outcome at elections and elections being called at the discretion of the Prime Minister, other proposals, limiting the powers of the Prime Minister on appointments and the like, have been proposed,” he shared.

Mr. Blackman added that there “are dissenting opinions on the Office of the President, in terms of whether the holder should be directly elected, and the qualifying criteria for the post, as well as in relation to the judiciary”.

He said the CRC was deeply indebted to the drafting team of retired Justice of Appeal and former Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Sherman Moore, and acting Parliamentary Counsel, Gabrielle Whitehall, for their hard work and delivering within the specified timelines.

In an effort to give members of the public an opportunity to share ideas, comments and suggestions, the Commission held several town hall meetings locally, and met with various institutions, stakeholders, and persons in the diaspora.

Senator Gregory Nicholls was the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, while the other members were: Senator Reverend Dr. John Rogers; former Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite; President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, Mary-Anne Redman; Vice President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Kerryann Ifill; Muslim Chaplain at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Suleiman Bulbulia; businessman, Christopher deCaires; Attorney-at-law, Sade Jemmott, and student advocate, Khaleel Kothdiwala.

University of the West Indies lecturer, Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles, served as Secretary to the Commission. (PR/GIS)

Government

Barbados Votes To End Embargo On Cuba

Barbados joined the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in condemning the United States’ economic embargo of Cuba for the 32nd consecutive year, when the resolution entitled: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba” was considered during a meeting held on Wednesday, October 30.

The United Nations overwhelmingly passed the resolution by a vote of 187 (in favour) to two (against), with one abstention. Only the United States and Israel voted against it.

During the delivery of the national statement, Chargé d’Affaires/Deputy Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, Kereeta Whyte, informed the UNGA that: “The sentiments we express today are not new. They reflect the deep conviction we have articulated in this Assembly over the years. Indeed, since this resolution was first introduced in the General Assembly at its 46th session, in 1991.

“The Government of Barbados once again calls for an immediate end to the embargo and urges the removal of Cuba from the US Department of State’s list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that only exacerbates the suffering of the Cuban people.

“We believe that dialogue is the path forward. Barbados values its strong relations with both the United States and Cuba and calls on the US Government to engage in meaningful negotiations with Cuba to normalise relations. This step would not only reduce tensions but also pave the way for greater peace, cooperation, and development in our region.

“Barbados will continue to advocate for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, which is critical for the people and Government of Cuba to achieve full prosperity.” (PR/GIS)

Government

MORE WORK NEEDED TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

As the year 2030 quickly approaches, countries, including Barbados, need to speed up their efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This word comes from Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment Senator Chad Blackman, as he addressed Friday’s Validation Workshop for the Baseline Study on the Priority Sustainable Development Goals Indicators for Barbados at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business, where he insisted that countries had become too lax in meeting the necessary targets for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which adopted by all UN Member States almost a decade prior.

He said, “We are virtually at the end of 2024, which now leaves us just six years to that magic number of 2030. Whilst there are a lot of goals that Barbados has achieved, the world, including Barbados, has still not met a number of them in the way that we should. And, therefore, we have six years to really redouble, or some might argue, re-triple our efforts, so as to be able to tangibly achieve these objectives. But, we can’t do it alone.
He added, “The government can’t do it on its own; the private sector can’t do it on its own; civil society can’t do it on its own; it has to be government, private sector, civil society, the man on the street…. So that the entire society moves forward in a cohesive way…to meet these targets. Therefore, it calls for an out of box approach so as to ensure that we can meet these targets. Therefore, we have to use all our creativity. We have to use nonconventional ways of trying to help us to achieve these targets.”
Blackman noted that an “out-of-the-box” will be necessary for Barbados and other countries to effectively move the needle to reach the set targets.

Government

XVI Ministerial Forum On Development Starts October 30

The Government of Barbados, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will host the XVI Ministerial Forum on Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, as a space to discuss opportunities to build resilience against future shocks that continue to challenge development in the region.

The Forum will be held from Wednesday, October 30 to Friday,1 November at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle. The event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and ECLAC Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, and is expected to have over 150 participants, including more than 20 Government delegations from the region. The full agenda is available here.

This gathering builds on the discussions initiated at the XIII Ministerial Forum in Antigua and Barbuda in 2021, which discussed disasters and social protection systems in the context of protracted crises. The XVI Ministerial Forum will discuss how the region can advance and protect social gains in the context of more frequent and intense shocks.

A Ministerial Declaration is expected to be the outcome of the Forum. The Declaration aims to be a roadmap for transformative policy action and impactful initiatives that transcend boundaries, ultimately steering the region toward a more equitable and resilient future.