UNCTAD confab ‘to cost Govt half as much

The hosting of the first major United Nations conference here in 27 years is now expected to cost half as much as anticipated now that it is being held virtually.

The development has prompted organisers to promote the meeting as bringing Barbados to the world rather than the world’s diplomats and leaders coming here.

In the 2020-2021 Estimates, Government had projected a cost of some $16.533 million to pull off the four-day event, which was expected to attract over 3,000 people to the island in October 2020.

But following two postponements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions, the decision-making conference has been shifted to October 4 to 7 and is to be held online.

During a media update on Thursday, UNCTAD-15 National Coordinator Teresa Marshall told reporters that organisers were expecting the overall cost to host the conference to be slashed by about half.

Of the initial projected cost of $16.533 million, an estimated amount of $9.4 million was earmarked for operating expenses, $ 404,502 for supplies and materials, and $906,084 for professional services. The remaining $5.8 million was estimated for several other expenses.

“Obviously, if you have to prepare conferencing facilities for 3,000 plus delegates, and you have to meet the costs of the fairly large contingent of secretariat staff to come into service the conference it is going to be far more expensive than if you are doing it virtually,” said Marshall, a retired diplomat who rose to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“There is a presumption that virtual means free and that is not so. There will be costs – the cost to mount the platform that is going to bring all the events to you, there will be additional costs for some of the participants/panellists that will come in – but I would say at this stage that we would anticipate saving at least 50 per cent of the cost that we would have budgeted for the physical conference.”

The UNCTAD seminar, which is described as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly and consists of both formal and informal sessions, is held every four years.

It provides a platform for dialogue between nations about economic, trade and developmental challenges and global policy options, among other discussions.

Marshall said the main programme of the conference will remain “largely unchanged”. She said there will be a virtual marketplace and an exhibition zone where local art and crafts, education, cultural, entertainment, business and tourism promotional content will be presented.

“There will also be a Political Declaration, which the host country chair will have a major role in drafting and in guiding through to adaptation,” she added.

Barbados is expected to assume chairmanship of UNCTAD upon its hosting until 2024.

Marshall said the October conference was expected to produce negotiated Outcome Document, the Bridgetown Covenant, agreed to by the 195 members”.

“This will speak to the challenges and priorities of developing countries, now significantly contextualised by the advent of COVID-19 and the impact this has had on trade and on the economic development prospects of developing countries,” said Marshall

Apart from the main conference, the series of forums that were to be held at various locations throughout the island will still be held, but virtually.

Those forums include a global commodities forum, which will be held September 13 to 15; a youth seminar from September 16 to 18; a civil society forum from September 22 to 24; a gender and development forum from September 26 to 28 and a combined creative industries trade digitisation forum from September 29 to
October 1.

Marshall pointed out that there was a value proposition for Barbados hosting the conference virtually, explaining that it had the opportunity to reap future benefits.

“While we can no longer reap the immediate returns from the physical presence of an estimated 3,000 delegates, there is considerable scope to generate future returns for Barbados and the Caribbean through the virtual conference platform,” said Marshall.

“Our new motto is, therefore, if you can’t come to Barbados, we will bring Barbados to you. And that is certainly what we aim to do.”   (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)