‘Bridgetown Covenant’ ready for signing at UNCTAD-15

A new accord on global trade and development, dubbed the Bridgetown Covenant, has been completed in record time at the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD15), according to Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Sandra Husbands.

Less than 24 hours after reporting that draughting was underway on the international agreement, she told a press conference on Wednesday it had been completed.

The Bridgetown Covenant will guide the development and execution of UNCTAD’s programmes in developing countries over the next few years.

Speaking during the virtual briefing, Husbands who is representing Barbados at UNCTAD’s Geneva headquarters praised the tireless work of those involved in finishing the document.

She said: “Today we worked on completing the Bridgetown Covenant… All of the representatives worked hard, they worked together and they were able eventually to produce a document that everyone felt they could get behind and so I sincerely want to thank them.

“It is my understanding that this is the first time that the Covenant or that the Outcomes Document which forms the Working Programme has finished so early, so we really appreciate the extra effort.”

But the trade minister indicated that work on the conference’s Political Declaration is still ongoing but expected that work would be concluded by the final day on Thursday.

“We are still working on the Political Declaration and our member states will get back to us and we will be able tomorrow then to proceed with all of the things that we want to do in the closing session of the conference,” Husbands said. (RB)