PM Mottley calls for Global Leadership Initiative

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, who also serves as Chair of CARICOM, says one thing she would like to see coming out of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic is a Global Leadership Initiative that protects not just the strongest of countries, but the most vulnerable as well.

Mottley’s comments came yesterday during a live interview with CNN’s chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour. As Chair of CARICOM, Mottley pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most destabilising events Barbados and other Caribbean countries have seen, since perhaps World War II.

“Each of our countries regrettably has cases. In our own case, we have just about eighty and we have just about seven deaths. Just under half have recovered, but alongside the pandemic is the very real result of people being able to live and to eat,” Barbados’ Prime Minister remarked.

“I know this is just not the Caribbean. I’ve seen stories coming out of Africa and Asia and elsewhere and this is a real balance…it is clearly a problem across the world. Our situation is perhaps a little more unique, because we suffer a number of risks. One, we are a highly indebted region, largely because we are perhaps the most travel dependent and trade dependent region in the world, with almost half of our GDP and our jobs coming directly and indirectly from tourism. Secondly, we are also on the cusp of the climate crisis. In fact, we are four weeks away from the beginning of the hurricane season, but what is little spoken about, is that the climate crisis has also resulted in droughts and Sargassum (sea)weed, which has meant a number of our hotel establishments and restaurants were already suffering before this pandemic and now we add this global pandemic,” she continued.

“So that this a peculiar moment for Caribbean states, not just Barbados, and it is one in which we hope we can summon the rest of the global community to recognise, that it is now more than ever that we need to recognise that global leadership is needed and that we need to accept that these islands, as well as those in the South Pacific, are vulnerable,” Mottley told Amanpour.

Responding to a question about the need for global leadership, which is seemingly absent from the United States at present and whether it makes any difference to those in the Caribbean and Barbados, Mottley had the following to say:

“Beyond the US, it is generally a time for all countries to step up and for all global leaders. If there is one thing that I would like to see coming out of this, is a Global Leadership Initiative. Seventy-five years ago the United Nations was formed on the 24th of October. We used the opportunity of post-World War II to create a number of vital institutions, to be able to bring countries together to protect the most vulnerable, the weakest amongst us…but we need to repurpose these organisations and in having a Global Leadership Initiative, make sure that we are really reacting to what is real,” Mottley said.

“We need global leadership similar to what we had post World War II, to be able to recognise that we need a plan that protects not just the strongest amongst us, but also the most vulnerable,” Barbados’ PM stressed.
(RSM)