Government

Barbados Appoints Justice Of Appeal & High Court Judge

Victoria Charles-Clarke is the newest Justice of Appeal in the Supreme Court, while Bryan Lawson Weekes has been appointed to the office of Judge in the High Court.

The two Justices were sworn in by Acting President, His Excellency The Very Reverend Dr. Jeffrey Gibson, at State House, yesterday.

Madame Justice Charles-Clarke, a CARICOM National, is an attorney-at-law with over 30 years’ experience in the judicial and legal services as Registrar of the High Court, Magistrate and Director of Public Prosecutions of Saint Lucia, and as a Former High Court Judge in Dominica.

In her remarks, Madame Justice Charles-Clarke said she considers her new appointment as an honour and a privilege and described it as the “highlight of her career thus far”.

She stated: “I look forward to discharging my duties with a high level of integrity, commitment, and industry and to bring to bear all the experience I’ve gathered over the years to this position, and I am privileged that I am appointed here in Barbados, a place [for] which I have very strong, sentimental feelings.”

Justice Weekes, the newly appointed High Court Judge, was admitted to the Bar in 1995. He specialises in family, civil, and commercial litigation and stated that he hopes to leverage his experience in these areas to help the Chief Justice “whittle away” the significant backlog that currently exists.

“The thing is, it is going to take a lot of work, a lot of long hours, and a robust approach to the civil litigation especially, which I intend to pursue…. I intend to pursue that goal, whether through ordering mediation, which I would have the jurisdiction to do, or to take very robust case management approaches,” he said.

Chief Justice Leslie Haynes, who was present for the swearing-in, conveyed his satisfaction with today’s appointments.

Concerning the appointment of Madame Justice Charles-Clarke, he said there will now be six judges in the Court of Appeal (including himself as the Chief Justice), which will allow the Supreme Court to have two panels of three to alleviate the work and add to the efficiency of the Court of Appeal in hearing and determining matters.

Referring to the appointment of Justice Weekes, the Chief Justice pointed out that his experience in family, civil, and commercial law will provide much assistance to the heavily backlogged High Court. “I welcome them, and I have no doubt that bearing their reputations in mind… they will do an excellent job,” he added. (PR/GIS)

Caption: From left to right – New Justice of Appeal in the Supreme Court, Victoria Charles-Clarke; Chief Justice Leslie Haynes; Acting President, The Very Reverend Dr. Jeffrey Gibson; and new Judge in the High Court, Bryan Lawson Weekes, pose for a photograph at State House this morning.

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.