Government

Barbados Opens Research-Only Laboratory

The opening of the Barbados Living Laboratory, a strictly research-focused lab, shows that Government continues to prioritise the health of its citizens, says Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

The lab was officially opened by Prime Minister Mottley and Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, on the grounds of the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, Enmore Complex, Martindales Road, St. Michael.

Ms. Mottley said Barbados had a history of treating medicine and medical care as critical components of the work done on the island, adding that medical services, medical research, medical tourism, and the manufacturing of medical devices were some of Government’s priorities.

She said it was important to send the message to children and schools that they need to continue pursuing studies in the sciences.

“The Government is about to invest in a major programme for the training of our Maths teachers, along with partners internationally. This is a problem not just for Barbados but the Caribbean region. Secondly, be curious. We have too much flora and fauna…. There must be something about Cerasee bush or Horehound bush….

“We have to be able to command our scientists to do the serious research that helped our forebears survive on those different plants like Cerasee bush and how they used them. It should not be our lot to only buy back pretty medicine in a box. We have AI as a tool that can help break down much more effectively and quicker, the constituent elements of the particular plants to see how best this region…can benefit,” Ms. Mottley said.

Senator Jerome Walcott said the opening of the Barbados Living Laboratory signalled Barbados’ journey into precision medicine.

“It is expected that the Barbados Living Lab will link patients to physicians to researchers and academia with industries. In our case, pharmacogenomics and biotechnology being all linked. I am told that this lab will conduct genomic sequencing and various molecular studies related to cancer, chronic diseases, rare diseases, and HLA typing, not only for transplant surgery but to diagnose certain conditions,” he explained. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley (right), and Minister of Health and Wellness Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott (second from right), officially open the Barbados Living Laboratory yesterday. Looking on are (from left), Director of the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, Professor Simon Anderson; Director of the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, Dr. The Most Honourable Songee Beckles; and Professor Juliet Daniel of Master University.

Government

CARICOM Nations Grappling With Several Pressing Matters

Prime Minister of Barbados and Chairman of CARICOM, Mia Amor Mottley, has warned that it cannot be business as usual for Barbados and other CARICOM member states when countries are still grappling with a number of pressing matters that need urgent attention.

Ms. Mottley listed the climate crisis, achieving full freedom of movement in the region, reducing the cost of living, fixing an education system that is “in shambles; achieving food security, reducing gun violence, and an overall worrying crime situation as issues that need urgent attention.

The Prime Minister raised these matters while addressing the opening ceremony of the 48th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government of CARICOM at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, yesterday evening.

She told the audience, including the President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason; United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres; and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that CARICOM, as an institution, needed to be reformed.

She added that the reform must include establishing independent funding mechanisms and reviewing governance structures.

Ms. Mottley stated: “What is clear is that it cannot be business as usual. We have come to Bridgetown in this year of 2025 at a time when the world is reeling, reeling from all kinds of problems, the climate crisis; we don’t need anyone to tell us about it.

“We know what it is each summer to have to hold our breath and to wait and to hope that this is not going to be our turn. We know first-hand how the world has become an awful place since the pandemic, where all of the wars and all of the scars and all of the cuts have become very, very clear and open for everyone to see. And where, effectively, the world has said that might is right, and where small states are often excluded because our orders are too minuscule to command attention.”

She urged regional leaders to use their deliberations during the sessions to agree on a common platform of critical issues.

“We will not get it all right one time, but we must have a common vision and we must be prepared to recognise that none of us will get exactly what we want, but we must all work for what the people of the Caribbean need. And if we can do that, then we will have run successfully our leg of the relay race,” she underlined.

The CARICOM business session got under way in earnest behind closed doors on Thursday, February 20. The summit, which has as its theme “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development” concludes today Friday, February 21. (PR/GIS)

Government

Prime Minister Mottley & UN Secretary General Discuss Geopolitical Tensions

Regional and international geopolitical tensions in Haiti, Venezuela, and the Middle East were high on the agenda during bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and United Nations (UN) Secretary General (SG), António Guterres.

During the meeting at Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle the two officials also focused on the chronic lack of supplies situation in Cuba, the ongoing Ukraine War and efforts to broker a peace deal, among other issues.

In addition, Prime Minister Mottley and Secretary General Guterres spoke about violence in the Caribbean, with both sides agreeing that a greater effort was needed by all involved in the fight against crime, to stem the flow of illegal guns into the Caribbean.

Present during the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, and other government officials.

Caption: Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley listens attentively to United Nations (UN) Secretary General, António Guterres. during their bilateral meeting at Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle

Government

BILATERAL TALKS HELD BETWEEN PRIME MINISTER MOTTLEYand PRESIDENT OF THE EU

Matters pertaining to further expanding Barbados’ pharmaceutical industry, cyber security, artificial intelligence and its regulation were among the issues discussed yesterday, during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and President of the European Commission (EU), Ursula von der Leyen.

During the discussions at Ilaro Court, both sides praised their long-standing relationship, as they explored other avenues for cooperation in a number of areas that include, but are not limited to, battery storage; production of precision medicine to help the country in the fight against cancer and NCDs; genomic testing to explore the link between race and NCDs, among other areas.

*Mrs Von der Leyen and Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley*

Mrs Von der Leyen, who is the first EU Commission President to visit the region, expressed her delight to be in Barbados and expressed renewed optimism in the friendship and strategic partnership with the island.

Also present during the meeting with the EU Commission and her team were Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable, Jerome Walcott; Attorney General Dale Marshall; Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins; Minister in Finance, Ryan Straughn; Minister with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight; Minister in Economic Affairs, Senator Chad Blackman, and other officials. (PR/GIS)