Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Tag: Barbados

  • Barbados’ hosting of UNCTAD 15 historic for island and the world

    Barbados’ hosting of UNCTAD 15 historic for island and the world

    Alicia Nicholls

    Barbados will be writing its name on history’s page this week as it becomes the smallest nation and first Caribbean country to host the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15) on October 3-7, 2021. In normal times, this week would have seen an influx of thousands of delegates into the island to participate in the negotiations and meetings, as well as the various side events. This would have been a much-needed shot in the arm for our tourism sector and wider economy. However, the Conference, which had been postponed from 2020 due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, is being held virtually.

    But in every challenge, there is opportunity. The conference’s virtual nature opens it up to the general public in a way that previously might not have obtained, allowing anyone interested to register and follow the open sessions.  A small contingent of high-level delegates, however, are on island. The most notable include the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebecca Grynspan, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland and CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett.

    As I had noted in an article I wrote shortly after the exciting news of Barbados’ successful bid in 2019 to host the conference, the success of our island’s bid is a significant achievement for several reasons. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, UNCTAD is the United Nations’ main subsidiary organ dealing with trade and development matters. Barbados will be the first Caribbean country and first Small Island Developing State (SIDS) to host the quadrennial conference, which is UNCTAD’s highest decision-making body which sets that organisation’s mandate and priorities every four years. The first quadrennial was held in Geneva, Switzerland in 1964 and the 14th Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2016.

    Despite being held virtually, this conference gives Barbados – a country of just 166 squared miles and a population of 287,000 (World Bank 2020 data) – unprecedented international exposure on the world stage. In a virtual way, it exposes the world to our music, our country and reiterates the Barbados brand as a voice for small States, and wider development issues. Indeed, Barbados  has always sought to be a thought-leader and global voice championing the issues affecting small States not only with regard to trade, but also climate change. For example, in 1994, Barbados hosted the UN Global Conference on Sustainable Development for Small Island Developing States, out of which had come the Barbados Programme of Action. Barbados’ ability to pivot from planning for a physical conference to a virtual one cements our country as a logical choice for conference tourism and a perfect venue to host high-level conferences on the world stage.

    Although the World Trade Organization (WTO) has increasingly incorporated development into its work, its main role is to serve as the global body for setting the rules of the multilateral trading system. The Geneva-based UNCTAD was born in 1964 following concerns about the need for a special conference to address the place of developing countries in international trade, and amidst the belief that the GATT (the precursor to the WTO) was not sensitive enough to the needs of developing countries. UNCTAD serves as an important forum for world leaders from both developed and developing countries to put their collective wisdom together to treat to the most pressing trade and development issues confronting us in a multilateral setting and for the sharing of best practices. The UNCTAD Secretariat also produces high-quality research and policy analysis on a variety of trade and development issues. I am a particular fan of their research work on investment law and policy, which is one of my research areas. It also provides technical assistance to developing countries to assist in making trade and investment have a greater development impact.

    Hosting the UNCTAD Quadrennial gives Barbados the opportunity to have a strong imprint in setting UNCTAD’s trade and development mandate and work priorities for the next now three years. This is even more pertinent now given the multiplicity of global issues whose disproportionately sharp impact on SIDS has been given greater focus and encapsulated in the conference’s theme “from inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all”. These challenges include not just climate change, but the COVID-19 pandemic which has struck a hard blow to the tourism industry of many SIDS and also further worsened these countries’ debt profiles at a time when many have been rendered ineligible for most concessional financing due to income per capita considerations. Already Barbados’ hosting of UNCTAD15 has led to the first UNCTAD Gender Forum, one of several pre-events which were held in the weeks leading up the conference.

    While many Barbadians feel a strong sense of pride at our country’s hosting of this event, for those not in the trade or development spaces it is not always easy to appreciate what this means for the ordinary man or woman on the street. Like most SIDS, Barbados is a small open economy, which is highly dependent on international trade. From the clothes we wear, most of the food we eat, the cars we drive, all of them are reliant on trade. In the midst of this pandemic, we can appreciate even more the importance of trade and efficient supply chains in order to get access to medical equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE), items which we do not manufacture ourselves. We all benefit from trade in some way, but this does not negate that trade produces both ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ and while it can empower, it can also negatively impact marginalized groups in the absence of sound development policies.  How can we ensure that trade takes into account its gendered impact or that youth are empowered to participate more in trade? How can we ensure that other countries’ protectionist policies do not block our access to food stuffs or much needed medical equipment? How can trade help with the achievement of the SDGs by the 2030 deadline? These are all issues which world leaders will discuss and it will be incumbent on all of us, the youth, civil society, to ensure that they follow through with their commitments.

    At the opening ceremony held October 4, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados was formally elected as the President of UNCTAD’s 15th session, which she will hold for the next three years.

    The outcome document of the conference, which will be the work programme for UNCTAD for the next three years, is expected to include many issues impacting SIDS.  As a young trade and development professional and as a Barbadian, I am truly proud of my country for rising to the occasion to host this important event. While the more sensitive negotiating sessions will be closed, I look forward to following the open sessions throughout the week and seeing the final outcome document Members agree to.

    You can find the pre-conference negotiating text here. You can follow the UNCTAD activities here and access the programme here.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B. is a trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. All views herein expressed are her personal views and should not be attributed to any institution with which she may from time to time be affiliated. You can read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.

  • Barbados announces Post-COVID-19 Foreign Policy and Trade Strategy

    Barbados announces Post-COVID-19 Foreign Policy and Trade Strategy

    Alicia Nicholls

    Barbados will make expanding trade levels and deepening cooperation with both traditional and non-traditional partners central planks of its post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy. These goals were announced as part of a suite of foreign policy and foreign trade initiatives elaborated by Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senator Dr. The Hon. Jerome Walcott in a COVID-19 press briefing held on Saturday, March 13, 2021.

    Among these new initiatives is the opening of new diplomatic missions, including in Ghana, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. The Kenya mission, which will be a joint Caricom mission, will be accredited to the United Nations office in Kenya and to other East African countries.

    Commercial diplomacy will be an important tool in the Government’s tool kit with the announcement of the appointment of a Commercial and Cultural Officer for the new High Commission in Ghana and a Diaspora Officer for the UK mission. The Minister also noted that commercial attaches will be deployed in other missions over time.

    The new strategy will see greater use of digital technologies in Barbados’ diplomatic engagement efforts and greater focus on leveraging the Barbados diaspora, particularly for harnessing investment, entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

    Barbados will be deepening its relationships with traditional partners such as other CARICOM Member States, the US and Europe. There will be a focus as well on developing closer relationships with non-traditional partners in the EU.

    South-South cooperation will continue to be a priority for Barbados as it cultivates relationships with newer partners such as China and countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Barbados will also deploy a Latin America strategy and will leverage its Panama Embassy.

    Additionally, Barbados will continue to promote the principles of multilateralism, diplomacy and cooperation. It will work with all interested partners, particularly on issues of deep development significance to the island and region such as climate change, debt and the development of a multidimensional vulnerability index for determining eligibility for concessional aid and other development assistance.

    Barbados’ focus on trade as part of its recovery efforts is a welcomed and not surprising step. Barbados is a small open economy highly dependent on the import of products and running continuous trade deficits.

    The Covid-19 shock was a body blow to an economy that is already undergoing a homegrown IMF-sanctioned economic recovery and transformation programme but has so far been performing well according to the programme targets. The Covid-19 induced sudden drop in tourist arrivals was a significant factor in the economy’s near 18% contraction in 2020, according to the Central Bank of Barbados Review of the Barbados Economy for 2020. While tourism is unlikely to be replaced as the country’s main foreign exchange earner anytime soon, what is indeed needed is the expansion of exports in other sectors, particularly high-value added sectors.

    The focus on trade expansion however must be moored to a coherent and well-articulated development strategy if it is to achieve the objective of contributing to a resilient, inclusive and sustainable post-Covid-19 recovery. It must be supported by and linked to equally coherent industrial and investment policies. After all, we do not seek to increase trade just for its sake but with the aim of promoting development through greater job creation, foreign exchange inflows, promotion of economic activity and poverty alleviation.

    I personally eagerly look forward to the implementation of these initiatives. I also hope there will be data available so evidence-based monitoring and evaluation of the policies can be done to ascertain their efficacy.

    For further information, please see this press release and a link to the recorded statement by Minister Walcott on the Barbados Government Information Service website here.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B is an international trade and development specialist. Read more of her commentaries here or follow her on Twitter @licylaw. All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may from time to time be affiliated.

  • Owen Arthur: Champion of Small States

    Owen Arthur: Champion of Small States

    Alicia Nicholls

    The late Prof. The Rt. Hon. Owen S. Arthur (1949-2020) wore many professional hats – distinguished economist, politician, statesman, member of the British Privy Council. Prof. Arthur may best be remembered by Barbadians as our longest serving Prime Minister (1994-2008) and the architect of one of the greatest sustained periods of economic boom in the country’s economic history surpassed only by the period under Prime Minister the Rt. Ex. Errol Walton Barrow.

    Caribbean people recall Prof. Arthur fondly as an ardent regionalist and an architect of the Caribbean Single Market & Economy (CSME). But globally, Prof. Arthur has earned his place on history’s page as an indefatigable champion of Small States issues.

    In this brief tribute, I discuss Prof. Arthur’s contributions through his practice and leadership to the advancement of global discourse on the issues affecting Small States, such as those in the Caribbean.

    Read the full tribute in this month’s Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) Newsletter here.

  • Tribute to former Barbados Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Prof. Owen S. Arthur

    Tribute to former Barbados Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Prof. Owen S. Arthur

    Alicia Nicholls

    It is rare for me to use this blog to share intimate reflections, but permit me to make a worthy exception on this occasion. Like many other Barbadians, I awoke this morning to the sad news of the passing of our fifth and longest serving Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Prof. Owen Seymour Arthur (1949-2020) at the age of seventy. I will always treasure the short time I knew Prof. Arthur in person, and the longer time I admired him as a Prime Minister.

    Prof. Arthur led Barbados under the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for fourteen years from 1994-2008. My formative years were spent growing up in the ‘Arthur Era’. Those were days when Barbados was not only ranked as the number one developing country on the Human Development Index (HDI), but then Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), the late Kofi Annan, stated that our country “punches above its weight”.

    A visionary, Mr. Arthur was easily in the league of great statesmen and nation builders of small States like our first Prime Minister, National Hero and Father of Independence, the late Rt. Ex. Errol Walton Barrow and Singapore’s great Lee Kuan Yew. Mr. Arthur subscribed firmly to those famous words uttered by Mr. Barrow that Barbados would be “friends of all, satellites of none”. He had a deep love not just for Barbados, but was a staunch supporter of Caribbean integration, in particular the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

    Internationally, many would remember that Mr. Arthur served as Chairman of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States and Chairman of the Global Conference on Small States. He was also Co-chairman of the Global Forum to deal with the OECD Harmful Tax Competition Initiative.

    There were many facets to Mr. Arthur. He was not just a renowned development economist and politician, but a respected academic. Even after formally retiring from the political arena, Mr. Arthur remained highly sought after by governments and organizations around the world as a consultant for his sharp intellect and deep experience as an economist and statesman. He was made a Professor of Practice: Economics of Development by The University of the West Indies in 2018. His latest role was as Board Chairman of the now embattled regional airline, LIAT. He also headed the Commonwealth Observer Mission to Guyana’s General and Regional Elections this year.

    But my aim in this short piece is not to give a litany of his plethora of achievements, but to share my personal reflections on the passing of a man I knew personally only for a short time, but deeply admired and respected both as a Prime Minister and as a human being for a long time.

    Meeting Mr. Arthur in person in a professional capacity a few years ago, I was immediately struck not just by his quick wit, intellectual brilliance and sense of humour but his down to earth nature. He was a ‘people person’ but not a ‘people pleaser’. He was very opinionated but his views were always a product of extensive research. He was never selfish with his time or knowledge, particularly when it came to young people with whom he enjoyed interacting. He was a mentor to many!

    I quickly learnt that he and I shared a love of cooking and reading. One of my fondest memories is when he showed me and a work colleague of mine his vast library of books and his papers which he generously donated to The University of the West Indies. I was also impressed that he kept all his speeches in digital form. I do hope that these speeches, in which he shared his well-informed thinking and reflections on many of the economic and development issues confronting small States, will be published in a book. He had an indefatigable work ethic and a mind that seemed constantly burdened by development matters and his desire to see the Caribbean prosper.

    I was particularly humbled when Mr. Arthur told me he was a frequent reader of this blog, Caribbean Trade Law & Development. I will sorely miss our conversations and debates on trade, international affairs, and the global economy. I will miss being regaled with stories of his life and hearing him speak with glowing paternal pride of his two daughters and granddaughter.

    Mr. Arthur’s passing is not just a profound loss for Barbados and the Caribbean at this precarious time in our regional development and integration movement, but the world. In our conversations, Mr. Arthur often spoke enthusiastically of the memoirs he was writing about his life growing up and his time as Prime Minister. I sincerely hope that someone in his family will not only finish but publish these memoirs posthumously so at least some of the knowledge he so readily shared with young persons like myself would remain for posterity.

    Barbados, the Caribbean and the world have lost a visionary, a giant, a champion of issues facing Small Island Developing States and a true believer in Caribbean integration. I take this opportunity to extend heartfelt condolences to Prof. Arthur’s family. May he rest in peace and rise in glory!

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B is an international trade and development specialist. Read more of her commentaries here or follow her on Twitter @licylaw. All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may from time to time be affiliated.