By Dionne Best
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – Barbados must continue to develop partnerships which provide strategic investment and the necessary resources to expand the country’s economic growth, says senior minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, senator Christopher Sinckler, during a courtesy call with High Commissioner of the United Kingdom (UK) to Barbados, Simon Mustard.
Senator Sinckler disclosed that Barbados is prepared to address the international agenda on climate, climate finance, and the affordability crisis caused by increased food and fuel prices and development aid issues.
“So, we know that from our experience, the issue is how much can your government really do outside of the envelope that they already have, which, for all the tax authorities, could even be reduced…. These are the realities that we’re facing,” senator Sinckler stated.
He disclosed that countries worldwide, but specifically within the region, must discover ways to create the required resources, despite the challenges presented because of existing, strict national budgets. He suggested that the way to combat such issues would be to push for increased grant funding and more concessional financing.
“Now, the question is, how do regional governments meet those fiscal demands? You can’t meet those fiscal demands if your tax base is not expanding… so the issue is reform. You need to reform the system so that it is a little bit more amenable because there are certain things which countries have to do to be able to sustain their operations,” he advised.
Senator Sinckler emphasised the importance of having technical exchanges and encouraged concrete discussion with the UK on oil exploration, the regional integration project, agriculture, access to international markets and national and regional security.
High Commissioner Mustard observed that there is “an important cultural and historical thread” throughout the Caribbean region which can create an avenue for the tourism industry to flourish, especially within and outside of its peak season.
While there is a global struggle with countries facing difficulty in sustaining reasonable economic growth, he indicated that the UK is in the market for developing innovative ideas in Barbados.
Mustard highlighted that “smart and deft diplomacy” is essential when faced with ongoing international conflicts and maintained that multilateral collaboration is vital to helping global partnerships.
The two officials also discussed proper funding arrangements for allocation to climate finance; resilience and disaster preparedness; the historical context of reparations; collaborating to achieve sustainable development goals; regional integration and better accessibility to the Green Climate Fund.
Barbados established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on November 30, 1966.
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