Established October 1895 Vigilance, enforcement and training key to ensuring seafarers’ safety at sea Page 6 Friday June 25, 2021 $2 VAT Inclusive EASE IN EXPENSE THE budget for this island’s hosting Government’s bill for UNCTAD-15 should be halved of the Fifteenth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD-15) has means free, and that is not so. There and tourism promotional content will been shaved by approximately half. will be costs, the cost to mount the plat- be presented,” she continued. According to the 2021-2022 form is going to bring all of the events to She further outlined that apart from Estimates, putting on UNCTAD-15 was you. There will be additional costs for the main conference, there will be the expected to carry a price tag of some of the participants who have to staging of a series of forums planned in $11,898,874, but National Coordinator come and some of the panelists, but I partnership with the UNCTAD for the event Teresa Marshall, said the would say at this stage that we would Secretariat. new format, which was scaled down to a anticipate saving at least 50 per cent of “While we can no longer reap the im- virtual event due to the ongoing COVID- the costs that we would have budgeted mediate returns from the physical pres- 19 pandemic, means the country will for the physical conference,” she stated. ence of an estimated 3000 delegates, not be spending as much as it would Marshall outlined that UNCTAD-15 there is considerable scope to generate have in holding a physical meeting. will be streamed from two main produc- future returns for Barbados and the “If you have to prepare conference fa- tion centres in Bridgetown and Geneva, Caribbean through the virtual confer- cilities for 3 000 plus delegates, and you with the various feeds coordinated ence platform. If this is used innova- have to meet the costs of a fairly large through a purpose-built Virtual Events tively, it can in fact give us far greater contingent of secretariat staff to come in Platform with a Conference Centre de- global reach than the original physical to service the conference [it] is going to signed to replicate the look and feel of an event… Another important fact is that be far more expensive than if you’re authentic Barbados location. Barbados will assume the doing it virtually,” she stated during “Within that centre there will be a Chairmanship of UNCTAD at the press briefing yesterday. space considered UN premises, where Conference and will hold that post until However, she pointed out that unlike the formal sessions of UNCTAD 15 will 2024. This gives Barbados, the what some persons believed, just be- take place virtually, and a host country Caribbean and the constituency of cause the October 4 to 7 function is now space with a Virtual Market Place and Small Island Developing States, a global online, did not mean it will not have any Exhibition zone where Barbadian arts platform to advocate for trade and devel- cost attached. and crafts will be displayed and educa- opment issues of major concern to us,” National Coordinator for UNCTAD 15 “There is a presumption that virtual tional, cultural, entertainment, business she added. (JMB) Teresa Marshall. Sagicor donates Mobile Medical Unit to the cause SAGICOR has continued its support of Barbados and the fight against COVID-19 by officially donating a mobile medical care unit to the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign. Yesterday at the Barbados Defense Force Headquarters,Paul Inniss, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sagicor Life Inc., presented a mobile unit to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, which was accepted by Health Minister Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic and Co-ordinators of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign, Major David Clarke and Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand. Major Clarke thanked the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Colonel Glyne Grannum, Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defense Force, along with the Force for Yesterday at the Barbados Defense Force Headquarters, Paul Inniss, Executive Vice President and General Manager, the good work they have been doing in Sagicor Life Inc., presented a mobile unit to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic. Here the two supporting the National Vaccination cut the ribbon, officially signifying the temporary handing over of the unit, flanked by Co-ordinators of the National Programme. He acknowledged that the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign, Major David Clarke (left) and Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand (right) and Col Glyne Grannum, DONATION on Page 3 Chief of Staff of the BDF. 2• Friday June 25, 2021 The Barbados Advocate Call for temporary automatic standstill in debt payments SMALL island devel- tute temporary auto- compensation will also economies, which are pre- oping states (SIDS) matic standstill in debt need to be on the dominantly comprised of can recover from this payments,” he said. development of the multi- micro, small and medium current crisis if inter- He noted these states dimensional vulnerabil- sized enterprises, national institutions have committed to work- ity indices, which takes Blackman said the eco- grant an automatic ing with international in- into account a more ho- nomic crisis has had a halt to debt payments stitutions to advocate for listic approach to looking greater impact on this temporarily. the incorporation of a at development,” he group than many other Addressing a press “natural disaster/ major added. types of businesses, par- briefing yesterday on the crisis clause”, for SIDS in Blackman said that in ticularly in the absence Barbados’ Permanent Representative to the upcoming United new debt instruments - seeking to increase the of the ability to give bail United Nations and other international organisa- Nations Conference on both in domestic and ex- resilience and building outs and financial pack- tions in Geneva Ambassador Chad Blackman. Trade and Development, ternal debt restructur- capacities, the group also ages. Barbados’ Permanent ing- so as to allow for cap- has to focus on structural The impact, he re- Representative to the italisation of interest and transformation and eco- marked, has been hugely Community profiling United Nations and other deferral of scheduled nomic diversification, felt by female owned international organisa- amortisation falling due and that these must be businesses, which has tions in Geneva to the occurrence of a resilient to economic “significant spill over ef- exercise in St. George Ambassador, Chad major natural disaster or shocks, such as health fects into the social real- THE St. George North ing the exercise will be Blackman insisted this crisis. crises. ities of our countries”. District Emergency wearing jade-coloured polo stance be taken to give “At the same time, a “Diversifying to new “There is a continued Organisation (DEO) will shirts with the SIDS breathing space to core part of this discus- and higher value added need to seek solutions be continuing its Department of Emergency turn their economies sion must be revisiting productive sectors has that address the systemic Vulnerable Persons Management’s logo on the around. the graduation criteria therefore been included constraints to growth and Assessments on Saturday, front and the text “District “If crisis stricken small for concessional loans in terms of the ocean development of this June 26, from 3 p.m. until Emergency Organisation island developing states and financing, which will economy, sustainable businesses, as well as to 5 p.m. Volunteer” in white across are to be in a position to merit a shift away from green recovery, inclusive enable these enter- The exercise will take the back. free up resources to cope the utilisation of per of sustainable tourism, prises to raise their com- place mainly in the Data collected will be with and recover from the capita income alone as digital trade, and also the petitiveness and produc- Jericho, Paradise and used for the development crisis, it is therefore very the sole determinant of creative economy,” he tivity and to connect to Roach Village communi- of a community disaster crucial that the interna- accessing these types of stated. international trade,” he ties. plan for the St. George tional institutions insti- finance. A core aspect of Pointing to SIDS said. DEO members conduct- North DEO. The Barbados Advocate Friday June 25, 2021 • 3 Sagicor, vaccination campaign co-ordinators praised for their commitment DONATION from Page 1 tinually exploring ways to pro- also thanked Sagicor for aiding mobile unit had already vide support to our clients and the government and the people helped in the program and the public, especially the most of Barbados. was doing good work, hav- vulnerable and disadvantaged "This donation from Sagicor ing vaccinated over 600 peo- among us," said Inniss. is a continuous effort on their ple who were unable to He contended that the vacci- part, and I want to thank them reach the vaccination cen- nation campaign is very impor- for exercising their corporate re- tres. tant, because a higher vaccina- sponsibility in the interest of the Inniss, on behalf of Sagicor, tion rate will lead towards the people of this country," said expressed pride at the opportu- reduction of health risks, which Bostic. "When we started, we nity to help Barbados fight the in turn leads to reduced restric- used polyclinics to roll out the battle against the virus through tions on movement and in- programme, then we moved to the handing over of the Mobile creased economic activity,which satellite sites and other facili- Medical Unit. He said it is to be are all critical to helping vulner- ties and then we added a drive used in the National COVID-19 able groups get back on their through dimension to it and fi- Vaccination Campaign, assist- feet.