Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaks in a pre-recorded message which was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday at U.N. headquarters. (UNTV via AP)
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has questioned why nations prone to disaster are still being assessed by international financial institutions using “outdated” methodologies.
Such countries, Dr Minnis said, are under constant assault from external shocks beyond their control.
In recent months, The Bahamas has had to deal with fallout from Hurricane Dorian and is now combating implications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He made the remarks to world leaders in a pre-recorded address at the 75th United Nations General Assembly on Saturday.
“Tourism serves as the main economic earner for The Bahamas,” Dr Minnis said. “Like other countries, we had to temporarily close our borders and regulate the movement of people to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“Our priority was, and will always be, to protect lives and ensure the safety of those within our borders. The temporary closure of our borders caused one of the largest declines in visitor numbers since the advent of modern tourism in The Bahamas. The slowdown in economic activity in some areas of the private sector caused an unprecedented increase in unemployment prompting the activation of an Unemployment Benefits Programme and Self-Employed Assistance Programme, as well as other social safety programmes, including the National Food Distribution Programme, the largest feeding programme in our history.
“Mr President, small island developing countries like The Bahamas always appear to be operating in a vicious recovery mode cycle, having to deal with successive exogenous shocks and climatic events. The Bahamas experienced major hurricanes in 2015, 2016, 2017, and in September 2019, Hurricane Dorian, the largest Atlantic storm in recorded history.
“UN initial assessments valued the loss and damage incurred at $3.4 billion. Infrastructure and housing projects are ongoing, while we grapple with the impact of COVID-19, we continue to reach out to international partners for the much-needed assistance to restore and rebuild those islands.
Dr Minnis also said: “The economies of small island developing states, including those of the Caribbean community, are under constant assault from various external shocks beyond their control.
“This group of countries is among the most disaster-prone areas in the world. Pandemics, hurricanes, or climatic events, do not discriminate between low-income countries, middle-income countries, and developed economies.
“Hence the compelling question remains, as to why middle-income countries are still being assessed by international financial institutions using outdated methodologies that give no consideration to a country’s level of exposure, vulnerability and ability to recover from exogenous shocks.”
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s review of the COVID-19 impact estimates that developmental achievements in the Caribbean and Latin America have been reversed by at least a decade.
World Bank projections point to at least 100 million people falling into extreme poverty.
As a result, Dr Minnis reiterated a call for a vulnerability index.
“I therefore reiterate the call for the institutionalisation of a vulnerability index in the decision-making processes of the international financial institutions and international donor community,” he said.
“I also echo the call of the region for the capitalisation of a Caribbean Resilience Fund.
“The decision of the G20 group to suspend debt service payments for the least developed countries is commendable, and I offer that this concession should be extended to other economic groupings as well.”
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Minnis said The Bahamas is cautiously optimistic about a viable vaccine.
“Given the immeasurable stress and strain placed on global health care systems and supply chains, I commend the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his continuous efforts to combat the pandemic.
“While we remain cautiously optimistic for a viable COVID-19 vaccine in the not too distant future, we note the collaborative efforts of the COVAX facility to secure arrangements for developing countries.
“Developing countries should be able to access vaccines via a transparent procurement process at affordable market rates. We salute the doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers and all on the frontline, who have sacrificed their own health in order to assist tens of millions of people around the world.
“They are the real heroes, to whom the global community owes immense gratitude,” Dr Minnis said.
On the issue of climate change, the nation’s leader said The Bahamas “continues to play its role in the preservation of a healthy marine and land environment which includes the expansion of marine protected areas and heritage sites”.
During his speech Dr Minnis also reiterated the country’s support “for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.”
Comments
The_Oracle 4 years, 1 month ago
I'm all for asking for help from the international community in the wake of disasters and pandemics but, at what point do we look within and realize it is our own lack of planning and decent funding for medical care and disaster response that has us hat in hand to begin with? We have a NEMA act already amended to over come repeated ineptitude, and still don't have an operational manual. Each new storm finds a new cadre of Government and political Appointees with no clue of how to get things done on the ground. No experience. And no manual which is critical if there is no first hand experience.
bogart 4 years, 1 month ago
Good points. There are a number of very experienced and highly qualified personnel but the system is having to work with as you pointed out "new cadre of Government and political Appointees" The Unit must have powers to effect fast effective checks, controls mechanism to stop fraud, tieffing, inept inexperienced workers who waste time, money, materials, materials control incl shingles, inevitable line jumpers, cohorts, cheats, crooks, political influences derailing flow etc., On the operational manual absent, there is always one to fit the situation but question is, who would you want to deal with without checks and controls etc in a system....another political appointee. Lol. Fully independent professionals with full powers needed.
DWW 4 years, 1 month ago
no one is ever independent. i do appreciate your idealism tremendously though
Chucky 4 years, 1 month ago
Quit talking fool! Where is this “number of very experienced and highly qualified personnel “????
You’re full of BS!
Myself and all the other businessmen I know can’t seem to find even one.
And where do you suggest these “highly qualified personnel “ for their experience?
Foolish talk.
We have to admit the problem if we’re ever to address and possibly resolve it.
We have a huge shortage of qualified and experienced people.
Facts are facts.
We have never done these things before, it’s just not possible that we have experienced people.
We are a D average nation. At best, most who make it to secondary education fake their way through.
bogart 4 years, 1 month ago
@ DWW. The nation has the qualified professionals but there are many who have polite reasons to decline ....to have affiliations with these projects. These projects, businesses, consultantancies will have vacancies for professionals but given toxic environment, it is better to go in the opposite direction. Professionals have a say with whom they work for and affiliated with and go in opposite direction from toxic situations and this is a part of the challenges nation aspirations to build face.
The_Oracle 4 years, 1 month ago
Even incoming NGO's have to be taught the ropes, and cannot believe half of what they meet. On checks and controls, one very defined and repeated phenomenon is the total walk back by most if not all Government departments initially, Customs, Immigration, RBPF and RBDF, which lasts from 4-6 weeks. 6 Weeks in Dorian. They simply don't know what to do. So they stand back, literally. They facilitate. They want direction which doesn't come fast enough. One day beyond that period the over control comes back, and hard. You can literally sense it, accompanied by conflicting rules, policies, and confiscations of relief goods. And generators start disappearing.
the worst part of all are the political edicts that come with no operational guidance. Individual officers can be great, or can be horrible. An operational manual is required.
DWW 4 years, 1 month ago
truly, very well stated.
Honestman 4 years, 1 month ago
“Hence the compelling question remains, as to why middle-income countries are still being assessed by international financial institutions using outdated methodologies that give no consideration to a country’s level of exposure, vulnerability and ability to recover from exogenous shocks.”
The current methodologies CORRECTLY rate The Bahamas in accordance with our exposure, vulnerability and ability to recover from weather and economic shocks. We are highly exposed, highly vulnerable and have limited ability to recover. That is all taken into account in our current sovereign credit rating. I am not sure what point the PM is trying to make.
John 4 years, 1 month ago
When you see how some of the richest, most powerful nations in the world are fumbling trying to fight the Corona pandemic. Despite all their resources they are faring worse than the smaller, third world nations. And the US seems to have its hands extra, extra full, having 1/3 of the corona cases in the world, an extremely high incidence of corona deaths and no seemingly United Force on how to battle this pandemic and win. And the US is not use to fighting battles on the home soil. And, in addition to the Corona pandemic, this country has been hit by several hurricanes and is battling a raging fire on its west cost, that seems to be getting more fierce and more deadly every year. So how can countries, lathe Bahamas, put itself in better position to do for and defend itself as countries, like an America May have to use most of its resources and manpower to fight its own battles?
happyfly 4 years, 1 month ago
These Bahamian Politicians are like children and too many people around here think they are entitled to get free handouts for life-based on some BS. Gov. fantasy that 'foreigners' don't have any other option in life but to subsidize our lazy as.. for suck teeth. 50 (+) years of independence and successive populist politicians have helped themselves to the cookie jar without a thought for anyone else or the future of this country. Our infrastructure is in tatters, there is virtually no primary or secondary industry. The banking sector has fallen off a cliff and the only reason we get any tourists coming to our overpriced, underperforming sector of the Caribbean is because we are only 30 minutes away from Miami. Successive governments have printed and borrowed money like there is no tomorrow and the vast majority of it has gone unaccounted for.....but booooohooooo..... the united nations don't understand that its all the hurricanes fault. In the meantime. Some grown-up politicians in the region looked at all of this communist covid hysteria and admitted to their people that it was not financially viable to lock down and educated their population on how to keep the economy functioning safely. Not our bone heads. In spite of countless warnings and downgrades in recent years, the entire cadre of Bahamian Politicians believed we could somehow just play with the big kids and then what....go crying to mummy afterwards..... Wow!
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