SANTIAGO, May 30 2017 – The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Keith Rowley on Monday visited the central headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.
The prime minister was received by ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena. During the meeting, both officials agreed to increase bilateral cooperation and technical assistance, especially withregard to the economy and energy.
Prime Minister Rowley, who is in Chile on an official visit, was accompanied by a delegation made up of the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, Energy and Energy Industries, and the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
“We are totally committed to the Caribbean and we advocate so that their nations are not unjustly qualified as middle-income countries, a situation that complicates their access to financing,” Alicia Bárcena stated.
The senior United Nations official indicated that special attention should be paid to the triple vulnerability that Caribbean territories suffer, which is manifested in the fact that they are deeply affected by climate change, they have difficulties financing their economies, and they are burdened with a high public debt, which totals 70 percent of the subregional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on average.
For that reason, she highlighted ECLAC’s proposal to reduce the debt of English-speaking Caribbean island states, which consists of pardoning part of their debt to create a resilience fund that allows for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
“We are ready to help you. We want to know what your needs are to provide assistance for overcoming the problems that affect the Caribbean today,” Alicia Bárcena stressed.
Along with thanking ECLAC for the work it has done and will continue doing to foster the well-being of Caribbean inhabitants, Prime Minister Rowley said that it is important to ensure that political decisions are based on reliable data and information.
Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CaribbeanNewsService/
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/CNewsService
Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/caribbeannewsservice/
