By Sheena Forde-Craigg
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – The government of Barbados and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have signed an agreement to establish a UNIDO-Barbados Global SIDS Hub for Sustainable Development here.
The signing occurred during day one of the Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael. Minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Kerrie Symmonds, and director general of UNIDO, Gerd Müller, signed the agreement.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who was present for the signing, thanked UNIDO and officials from Barbados involved in formulating the agreement.
“I want to thank you, director-general Müller, for the kind consideration of establishing the SIDS hub for UNIDO in Barbados. This is an important development for us. We believe that the capacity to diversify our economies is absolutely critical […]. “To the extent that you can partner with us and give us access to the technology and the knowledge and the partnerships that are necessary for us to build out both new industries from within our domestic market, whether it is agro-processing or ocean related, or whether it is working with investors from outside to build a strong pharmaceutical platform that can look at not just a domestic market, but indeed, the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean as a region…. So, we look forward to working with you and seeing the output of this agreement,” Mottley said.
Director-General Müller said the office will benefit all small island developing states (SIDS) as UNIDO offers “technology transfer, knowledge, and research grants, and concrete support in several sectors”.
The signing of the agreement also allows Barbados and UNIDO to renew and strengthen their partnership, while enhancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
