Premier Fahie chaired a March 15, 2021, virtual meeting in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), where he was also championed for spearheading the first-ever meeting of the Associate Member Countries of ECLAC on sustainable development.

Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Ms Alicia Barcena, in her opening statement commended Premier Andrew A. Fahie for spearheading the high-level meeting while highlighting that the Virgin Islands’ consistent participation in ECLAC was a result of strong leadership as a Vice-Chair of CDCC.

Support needed for regional sustainable development - Premier Fahie

Speaking at the high-level meeting, the Premier said Associate Members of ECLAC as a special group of primarily Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean are making genuine efforts to achieve sustainable development; however, they share common challenges that require attention and support in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

"Critical factors in the sustainable development process such as administrative capacity, policy expertise, technology transfer and financial resources are all areas in which Associate Members would benefit from more support. These challenges are now compounded by the pressure on Governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate emergency.”

The Premier illustrated that COVID-19 has been a setback to the 2030 Agenda, hence, he called on countries to strengthen their resolve and work even harder to defeat the pandemic and promote sustainable development and green growth.

VI recognised for role in pushing sustainable development

The Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Ms Alicia I. Barcena, in her opening statement, commended Premier Fahie for spearheading the high-level meeting while highlighting that the Virgin Islands’ consistent participation in ECLAC was a result of strong leadership as a Vice-Chair of CDCC.

The Chair of ECLAC, represented by Mr Christian Guillermet-Fernández who is the Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica, lauded VI and the Premier for its advocacy on behalf of the Associate Members as a group within ECLAC who require more overall support as a part of Latin America and the Caribbean.