The minister of the environment has expressed his regret over the high numbers of households living in poverty, committing himself to ensuring the economic growth that is needed to lift these 8,000 households out of poverty is balanced with sustainability.
Addressing a United Nations (UN)-funded workshop for stakeholders during the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held yesterday at SuperClubs Breezes, Kenred Dorsett said the number of people living on a household income of $5,000 or less in The Bahamas is "simply unacceptable".
"Here in The Bahamas there is a need for economic growth which means interaction with the environment. The UN reports that the per capita income has declined every single year since 2007. In fact the overall decline has been 13.8 percent in just four years.
"Our own Department of Statistics reports that the number of households earning less than $5,000 per annum has increased by 83 percent since 2007 and 2011. The course of this must change and this government is committed to the change process."
Dorsett said the government has embarked on a multi-faceted approach to addressing these poverty levels.
"As minister responsible for the environment and housing, it is a challenge to ensure that economic growth is compatible with sustainable development and that our ecosystems are not sacrificed for immediate economic gains," he added.
Part of the aim of the workshop is to identify priority focuses as The Bahamas determines what needs to be done to achieve the Millenium Development Goals set by the UN, which include goals relating to poverty and the environment.
Dorsett said: "We are here to illuminate new solutions to very old problems. We are here to identify our country's priorities. Then and only then will we have a concise, focused and action-oriented plan for progress.
"The Millenium Development Goals will not be met unless we improve on past efforts. We must do more, we must do better and we must do it faster than every before."
The minister noted that although funding to assist developing countries in meeting their goals has dried up since the economic downturn, flows of funding still exist from NGOs and civic agencies.
"This government is poised to take advantage of any available opportunity," he told attendees.
The workshop was attended by representatives from government ministries, non-governmental organizations and private sector stakeholders.
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