Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, has expressed his appreciation to staff based in Barbados and the 18 missions abroad, during the Ministry’s second Staff Appreciation Dinner and Awards Ceremony, held last Saturday.

Under the theme “Nostalgia”, the ceremony was held at the Radisson Aquatica Resort, Aquatic Gap, St. Michael, where the Minister told staff how “indispensable and invaluable” their service was to the Ministry and the country.

Addressing in-person and online attendees, Mr. Symmonds said he felt a “sense of pride” to be their Minister, and their dedication and exceptional service have helped the ministry to achieve its mandate and Barbados’ international relations and development.

“We are celebrating what I genuinely believe to be the most indispensable team of people in the Government of Barbados…. I’m very proud of you, and I wish all of you the very best as you go forward. And awardees, you have served long; you have toiled in the vineyards.

“There are some of you who are not only getting it as a result of long service, but later on, there are some awardees who will be given awards on the basis of some other criteria, but to all of you, congratulations.  And to the rest of you, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to say that you have done this country proud,” he stated.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also shared that the Ministry is in ongoing negotiations for better External Service Orders to address challenges like the cost of living and family support, and would continue to provide in-house training to build the capacity and confidence of its young core of Foreign Service Officers. 

He added that the Ministry would be working to ensure a balance between career civil servants and non-career ambassadors to provide equitable opportunities for professional growth.

Permanent Secretary Joy-Ann Skinner also praised the staff and stressed that taking care of their mental and physical health was important to achieving the Ministry’s goals.

“You are doing an excellent job, whether you hear that every day or not, you are delivering and keeping Barbados moving forward and delivering beyond our expected ability…. The world has become even more unpredictable and a space where it has proven to be requiring a whole lot more of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a whole lot more of our Government as a whole.

“I don’t want you to think that that means you have to work harder.…  It means that you have to take care of your health and your strength. In order to be able to put the mask on for your child in the plane, you have to put yours on first, so, in order to deliver for the country, you need to take care of your health.… Your health and well-being are paramount,” Ms. Skinner stressed.

Senior Foreign Service Officer, Tyrone Brathwaite, was presented with the Minister’s Award, while staff of the National Implementation Unit for UNCTAD 15 and the Global Supply Chain Forum, led by National Coordinator, Carlos Wharton, received the Permanent Secretary’s Award.   

Chargé d’affaires at the Panama Mission, Sandra Gittens, received the Director General’s Award. The Director of Trade’s Award went to Economist I, Keisha Goddard, and the Ambassador to CARICOM’s Award was given to staff who served in the Caribbean Affairs and CARICOM Division for the last two years. 

Awards were also given for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service, and to retired persons, as well as in the categories of ‘Above and Beyond’, and ‘Positive Attitude’. (PR/GIS)