Government

Minister Lauds Bravery Of Fire Officers

Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams, has lauded the bravery of Barbadian fire officers who were deployed to St. Vincent and Grenada after the devastation caused in those islands by Hurricane Beryl.

The fire officers were praised during the Chief Fire Officer’s Parade and Awards Ceremony, at the Arch Hall Fire Station, last Friday.

Mr. Abrahams, who presented awards to the fire officers, commended them for their acts of bravery in the hurricane-ravaged islands of St. Vincent and Grenada.

“I want to formally, on behalf of Government, thank you for what you did. It was not easy going to St. Vincent and Grenada, in the midst of devastation, and executing your duty.

“This was not part of the duties that you signed up for when you signed up for the Barbados Fire Service. I don’t think you even contemplated that you’d be called upon to give of yourself in the way that you did. But what you, in effect, did, was help a country and a people who were at their lowest,” the Minister stated.

He noted: “Fire is the one profession that you all put yourselves at risk every single time you go to save somebody you don’t know, to preserve a family that you don’t know, to help somebody else go back to the family that you don’t know.

“I want you all to understand – all of you in here who are family to these brave men who are standing here and even all the rest who are not receiving awards today – I want you to truly understand the service and the risk and the bravery that is exemplified in the Barbados Fire Service.”

Certificates of Commendation were presented to Fire Officers Kyle Brathwaite, Miguel Cort, and Isaac Newton for their bravery and rescue efforts at home in Barbados. Junior Brathwaite, Nicholas Collymore, Daniel Toppin, Chad Blackman, Corey Bridgeman, Jason Codrington, and Christian Hunte received theirs for their exemplary humanitarian service in St. Vincent and Grenada. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams (fourth from left) and Chief Fire Officer, Errol Maynard (centre), pose with some of the fire officers who received their Certificates of Commendation for bravery and exemplary humanitarian service.

Government

IMF Managing Director In Barbados For Green Energy Transition Forum

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, arrived in Barbados yesterday to participate in the Caribbean High-Level Forum on Managing the Energy Transition, a joint initiative with the Government of Barbados and the IMF.

Ms. Georgieva was met at the Grantley Adams International Airport by a high-level delegation, led by Minister of Economic Affairs and Investment, Senator Chad Blackman; Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, The Most Honourable Alies Jordan, and other government officials.

The three-day forum, slated to begin on Tuesday, December 3, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, will see government ministers, regional central bank governors, private sector stakeholders, academics, and members of civil society convene to hear various presentations on the green energy transition.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and the IMF Managing Director will be the main speakers during the opening ceremony on Tuesday, which starts at 9:00 a.m.

Thereafter, there will be presentations and panel discussions covering a range of issues such as Taking Stock of the Macroeconomic Implications of the Green Energy Transition, Achieving a Sustainable and Equitable Green Energy Transition, in which Minister in Finance, Ryan Straughn, will be one of the panellists, and Scaling Up Climate Finance – The Potential of the Private Sector.

In the afternoon session, Ms. Mottley and Mrs. Georgieva will participate in a panel discussion entitled: How Can the International Community Support the Green Energy Transition? That discussion will begin at 3:40 p.m.

It is expected that at the end of the forum, Barbados and the region would be in a better position to achieve the various targets set to fully transition and implement the various green initiatives. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva

Government

Caribbean Leaders Meet U.S. Congressional Delegation

Yesterday, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley was joined by Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Keith Rowley; the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, and Minister of Finance, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Camillo Gonsalves, for a significant bi-partisan meeting with a Congressional Delegation led by US House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

This high-level engagement took place during Barbados’ celebration of its 58th Anniversary of Independence, 3rd Anniversary of the Republic, and the centenary of Shirley Chisholm’s birth. The discussions spanned several critical areas of mutual interest, including:

● Regional Security: Reinforcing efforts to maintain the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

● The Climate Crisis: Addressing the disproportionate impacts on Small Island Developing States and advocating for urgent global action.

● Access to Concessional Funding: Calling for financing models based on vulnerability rather than GDP per capita to better reflect the unique challenges faced by the region.

● Economic Transformation: Proposing a new development and investment agenda to drive sustainable growth.

● Market Access and Near-Shoring: Exploring pathways to enhance trade opportunities and strengthen economic partnerships.

Prime Minister Mottley, joined by Prime Minister Rowley and President Ali, reiterated the Caribbean’s commitment to forging strategic alliances that prioritised sustainable development, equitable trade, and regional security.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Jeffries reaffirmed a commitment to supporting the Caribbean’s development agenda, emphasising the importance of deepening U.S.-Caribbean relations in addressing pressing global issues.

Other members of the Congressional Delegation present were Rep. Aumua Amata Radewagen, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Steven Horsford, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Robin Kelly and Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett. Also joining the meeting was Rep. Mark Green.

The Government of Barbados remains unwavering in its efforts to advance policies and partnerships that foster regional prosperity and elevate Barbados and the Caribbean’s voice on the international stage. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley; President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali; and Minister of Finance of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Camillo Gonsalves, in discussion with the Congressional Delegation, led by United States House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, at Ilaro Court yesterday.

Government

MEDAL RECIPIENTS TOASTED AT STATE HOUSE

Photos from BGIS

Following yesterday’s morning’s Independence Ceremonial Parade, recipients of the 2024 Independence Honours were hosted by President The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason at State House, for the Toast to the Nation.