Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Category: Global Supply Chain Forum

  • GSCF Day 4 – Gender Equality Plenary and Closing Ceremony

    GSCF Day 4 – Gender Equality Plenary and Closing Ceremony

    Alicia Nicholls

    Ladies and gentlemen, it is a wrap! The curtains have come down on the inaugural Global Supply Chain Forum, jointly hosted by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Government of Barbados here in beautiful Barbados, May 21-24. Barbados is no stranger to hosting high-level conferences. But it gives me such pride as a Barbadian to see my country not just propose but host this important forum. Some 1,200 persons reportedly attended the Forum, of which 900 attended in person!

    Today’s proceedings commenced with the final plenary which touched on the important theme of gender equality in global supply chains. A key takeaway from the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Director General Gilbert Houngbo’s introductory remarks on the panel was that while women now make up a large part of this sector, they still only occupy a small percentage of the higher-level jobs and continue to face several challenges, including poor working conditions, discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual harassment/violence. It was also enlightening to hear from each of the outstanding women on the panel, including the UN Trade and Development SG Rebeca Grynspan, on their own trailblazing journeys and some of the ways their respective organisations are seeking to support and increase women’s participation in this sector.

    The closing ceremony featured reflections on the week’s events, key takeaways and some next steps for 2026 in Saudi Arabia. The Forum’s main outcome, the SIDS Ministerial Declaration, was signed by the ministers present and will be one of the inputs into the SIDS 4 conference taking place next week in Antigua.

    The Forum was a resounding success! Heartfelt kudos to all involved, including Carlos Wharton, Ambassador Matthew Wilson and their teams and all other members of Team Barbados, as well as the UNCTAD team, including Jan Hoffmann and Pamela Ugaz!

    I will be heading to Antigua for SIDS4. Follow us for our updates there!

  • GSCF Days 2 & 3: Sustainability Issues, the Youth and Port Tour

    GSCF Days 2 & 3: Sustainability Issues, the Youth and Port Tour

    Alicia Nicholls

    Sustainability issues, including issues around climate change and greening supply chains, dominated the discussions on Days 2 & 3 of the historic and inaugural Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) taking place here in Barbados, May 21-24! The parallel sessions touched on diverse topics, all with a sustainability underpinning, and included leveraging pooled procurement, Electronic Single Windows, National Trade Facilitation Committees, food (in)security, climate change, decarbonisation of ports, building resilient supply chains, energy transition of fishing fleets, trade in services for economic diversification, regional connectivity, among others. The sessions allowed for discussing not just challenges, but the sharing of best practices from around the world.

    I also wish to make special mention of the panel on Day 3 on Regional Connectivity and the frank discussion which ensued on the challenges and opportunities for improving regional air and sea connectivity and intra-regional trade.

    Given the sustainability thrust, it is therefore fitting that the youth voice was also featured over these past two days. Notably, there was a side event forum hosted by the UWI and UN Trade and Development with SG Rebeca Grynspan at the main campus of The UWI Cave Hill on Day 2. There was also a special panel co-organised by The UWI and UN Trade and Development on Day 3 on youth involvement in global supply chains.

    A highlight for me was the port tour this morning (Day 3) at the Bridgetown Port where we as delegates on the tour got to see first hand some of the work being done to expand the Bridgetown Port’s capacity and efficiency. This includes for example the new berth 6 under construction and a marina which will feature a small supermarket which is also currently under construction, new cranes being ordered, among other things.

    Stay tuned for Day 4 updates, the final day of the forum!

    Did you miss our updates from Day 1? Check them out here!

  • GSCF Day 1: SIDS Ministerial Declaration on Transportation Launched and Location of next GSCF Announced!

    GSCF Day 1: SIDS Ministerial Declaration on Transportation Launched and Location of next GSCF Announced!

    Alicia Nicholls

    The inaugural Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF), jointly organised by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Government of Barbados, kicked off yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados with an opening ceremony and several high-level panels, including a High-Level SIDS Ministerial Dialogue. The forum’s theme is “Transport and Logistics Challenges and Opportunities Relevant to Small Island Developing States (SIDS)”.

    One of the key highlights of Day 1 was the official launch of the Ministerial Statement for Enhancing Transport and Logistics in SIDS. This document is not only a key outcome of the GSCF but a major input into the upcoming 4th UN International conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) taking place in Antigua next week.

    The second major highlight was that Secretary General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the next GSCF.

    Stay tuned for updates from Day 2!

  • Caribbean Hosting Global Supply Chain Forum & SIDS4 Summit

    Caribbean Hosting Global Supply Chain Forum & SIDS4 Summit

    Alicia Nicholls

    While cricket fans are glued to the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T-20 World Cup, policy nerds like me have our sights set elsewhere. Over these next two weeks, the Caribbean will host two high-level international conferences gathering together delegates from across the world to discuss issues which are germane to Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In this piece, I discuss briefly what these two upcoming conferences and their themes mean for SIDS.

    Global Supply Chain Forum

    This week, May 21-24, the Government of Barbados will co-host with UN Trade & Development (formerly UNCTAD) the historic Global Supply Chain Forum. Its delegates from drawn from all over the world and include Heads of Government and other high-level political officials, experts, academics, practitioners and other stakeholders. Its high-level panels will encompass discussions on transport, logistics and trade facilitation for sustainable development.

    Issues around logistics and supply chains occupy significant importance for SIDS which due to their high dependence on international trade. Their small size, geographic isolation and climate-vulnerability also generate particular logistics and transportation challenges. As such, these panels will discuss, inter alia, practicable solutions for helping these countries better integrate into global supply chains, and to improve the sustainability, efficiency and resilience of their transportation and logistics networks.  

    Among the anticipated outcomes will be the adoption of the Barbados Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable and Resilient Transport and Logistics in SIDS which will be presented at the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS 4) conference.  

    SIDS4 Conference

    From May 27-30, Antigua & Barbuda will host the UN Fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4) under the theme “Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity”. In addition to the conference, there will be a number of side events, including the SIDS Global Business Network Forum 2024 immediately preceding the conference.

    In 1992, SIDS were declared a special case for environment and development at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. Barbados hosted the first Global SIDS conference in 1994. Subsequent SIDS conferences were held in Mauritius (2005) and Samoa (2014). As with each of these decennial conferences, the main outcome document will be a new Programme of Action for SIDS for the next ten years.

    Topics on the agenda include climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean conservation, disaster risk reduction, access to finance, debt sustainability, and the overall sustainable development of SIDS, according to the host government of Antigua & Barbuda. As such, yet again, the Caribbean will play a pivotal role in shaping the SIDS agenda for the next decade.

    Why it matters

    The Caribbean’s role in hosting these conferences brings both practical benefits in terms of tourism arrivals and spend, and international recognition. It places the region at the heart of global discussions and decision-making on issues crucial to SIDS, giving us a hand in crafting our fate. With the UN SDG deadline just six years away and climate challenges intensifying, these discussions are even more urgent now than ever.

    Exciting times await us! We at Caribbean Trade Law & Development will be in attendance at both and look forward to bringing you, our readers, updates from these two important events.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B. is an international trade consultant and founder of the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog www.caribbeantradelaw.com.

    Image by Pexels from Pixabay