Co-Chairs,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Barbados and The Bahamas. We associate
ourselves with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Fiji on
behalf of the G77 and China, as well with the Permanent Representative of Guyana
on behalf of CARICOM.
We also wish to join with others in extending hearty congratulations to the Co-
Chairs on your election.
Co-Chairs,
Barbados and The Bahamas indeed welcome this first meeting of the Open
Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. We view the substantive
discussions that we have had thus far, including those during the Panel discussion
yesterday, as a clear indication of the strong emphasis we have placed on creating
Sustainable Development Goals. This will
longstanding and emerging global challenges,
local, national and regional priorities.
allow us, at once, to address
while being directly relevant to
We have also acknowledged the critical
importance of addressing sustainable development in all its three
while ensuring a single integrated post-2015 development framework.
dimensions,
As we heard yesterday, the CARICOM region is in the process of refining some
key areas that could be considered as we move forward on this most important
albeit complex task. Accordingly, Barbados and The Bahamas wish to highlight a
few additional areas as follows:
While the Sustainable Development Goals must promote sustained, inclusive and
equitable growth, any framework that we adopt must not depend on GDP as the
sole indicator of development. For Caribbean SIDS, there must be a broader
discussion on how we measure economic growth and development to ensure true
universality in approach.
We also consider that the issues surrounding youth, including employment,
employability and entrepreneurship, should feature prominently in our discussions.
Lastly, since we are largely dependent on marine resources for our food,
livelihood, maritime transport, and energy, we would seek to have the
consideration of Oceans and related issues included in the elaboration of the
Sustainable Development Goals.
Co-Chairs,
We will continue to participate constructively in this process and we look forward
to the advancement of our work.
I thank you.
