Prime Minister Minnis thanks students of Barbados for Hurricane Dorian support

Fri, Feb 21st 2020, 04:49 PM

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis got the chance to personally thank Barbadian high school students for raising funds to assist Bahamian students displaced by Hurricane Dorian.

Prime Minister Minnis thanked the entire Caribbean Community for coming to the assistance of The Bahamas following the passage of Hurricane Dorian but had a special thank you for the students of Barbados.

“I want to especially thank the students of Barbados who regularly got together and raised money to send back to The Bahamas that helped to assist Bahamian students,” said the Prime Minister. “Many students were displaced, schools were destroyed and students had to be relocated to other islands of The Bahamas to continue their education.”

“These students have demonstrated true leadership and support for our students in The Bahamas. The students of Barbados came together as one to demonstrate true camaraderie. We appreciate your support.”

The students represented a variety of schools in Barbados and were attending Tuesday’s opening session of the 31st Inter-Sessional CARICOM Heads of Government meeting held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).

During the meeting, Hurricane Dorian, and the devastation it wreaked on Abaco and Grand Bahama, was referred to numerous times as an example of the impact of climate change and the need to build resilient communities in the Caribbean.

Prime Minster of Barbados and CARICOM chair, the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, cited Hurricane Dorian when she called on Caribbean leaders to focus on the challenges faced by the region and the responses, including the existential threat of climate change.

CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque highlighted the threat of climate change when he noted that the meeting was being held against the background of global uncertainty, “including the increasing threats to multilateralism, the spread of tensions and volatility arising from unresolved conflicts and the acceleration of the devastating effects of climate change.”

During the first session of the two-day meeting, Caribbean leaders discussed the regional approach to COVID-19, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and a report of the Commission on the Economy. Leaders also heard from special guest, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Francois-Philippe Champagne.

Day-two of the sessions is expected to cover advocacy against blacklisting, de-risking and withdrawal of correspondent banking services, and resilience and digital transformation, among other topics.

 Sponsored Ads