Government

Country Assessment Of Living Conditions Starts In July

Barbados’ true poverty line should be known by January 2025, thanks to the information that will be gained from the Country Assessment of Living Conditions (CALC) 2024, a socio-economic study that will be undertaken over the next six months.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, revealed this yesterday as he launched CALC 2024, at the Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael.

Pointing out that the CALC project will empower lives and the nation as a whole, he stressed it was essential to understand ordinary people and ordinary living in the country while also urging Barbadians to participate in the study to be rolled out in July, by the CALC National Assessment Team in his Ministry.

Noting that such a study needed to be done more frequently, as the “spaces in between studies” have “been too long”, Minister Humphrey lamented that data is often unavailable in Barbados and the region.

“Caribbean countries have a history and a very unfortunate record of not having adequate data. There is a dearth of important information on a lot of important topics, and therefore decisions can’t be made. And then when we’re being assessed, we assess on the information that people do not have,” he stated.

The last survey of living conditions was done in 2016. Commenting on this gap, Mr. Humphrey added: “We do not know what it will tell us now, but we do know that we need to know so that we can make informed decisions. I also must say to you that in the intervening years, I have had some concerns that, while perhaps we pursue the information, that a lot of the data that should be used to make decisions are not used to make decisions. Caribbean governments are very good at collecting information sometimes, and not doing anything with it.

Giving the assurance that the information from CALC 2024, would not be “stored on a shelf to gather dust” but would be used to make serious decisions going forward, he stressed: “I also hold the view, having said that we have to do that, it cannot be a kind of made-up conjecture, gut feeling, interpretation of the reality. We need scientific, evidence-based interpretations of people’s realities and to be able to express that as a true representation of what it is that people are dealing with in this country.”

Thirty-five enumerators will be conducting the survey across Barbados, which will help Government assess the living conditions of its people and come up with a poverty line by next year.

Minister Humphrey, while acknowledging that people seem tired of surveys, urged the public to cooperate, be “nice” and respond “with grace” as the country works towards improving the lives of people.

The Country Assessment of Living Conditions 2024 will target some 2,800 households. It is expected to help Government determine the minimum income a household needs to meet its basic consumption and non-consumption needs and understand the dynamic link between poor living conditions and education, health, household size, and employment.

It will also encapsulate the voices of citizens and take on board their recommendations to improve living conditions and allow Barbados to track progress towards national-level goals and international social development agreements, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

CALC 2024 is being undertaken with technical assistance from the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. It comprises four major components – the Participatory Poverty Assessment; the Survey of Living Conditions; the Institutional Assessment; and the Macro-Economic and Social Assessment. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey (second from left) greets Caribbean Development Bank Division Chief, Dr. Martin Baptiste, at the launch of CALC 2024, at the Warren’s Office Complex yesterday. Looking on is Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Jehu Wiltshire and Chief of Operations Officer for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean at the Inter-American Development Bank, Jean-Eric Theinhardt.

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.