Antigua Breaking News

Top Trusted News Source in Antigua

Search
Previous slide
Next slide

  • Home
  • Local News
  • AOSIS Chair welcomes newly launched principles to accelerate Sustainable Development efforts in SIDS

AOSIS Chair welcomes newly launched principles to accelerate Sustainable Development efforts in SIDS

Share this article:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Ambassador Dr. Walton Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, participated in the 2022 Effective Development Cooperation (EDC) Summit, in his capacity as Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). The three-day summit was held at the Hilton Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 12 to 14.

The EDC Summit included thirteen (13) spotlight events that sought to engage participants on a wide range of development cooperation themes. Spotlight eleven (11) entitled, “Principles for Improved Impact in Small Island Developing States”, was attended by several Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and friends of SIDS, including Ministerial and High-level representatives from SIDS, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UN agencies and civil society.

Ambassador Webson delivered a targeted and resonating opening statement on behalf of AOSIS to kick off the event. He iterated that increasing global risks are acutely felt by SIDS, which necessitate swift and decisive action to protect small and vulnerable countries. Therefore, “…multilateralism and securing the support of the international community are more critical now than ever, lest SIDS are swept into oblivion because of the many crises we are facing,” Webson said.

Spotlight 11 officially launched the Principles for Improved Impact in SIDS document, which provides guidance for development assistance in SIDS. The objectives of the Principles are to improve development cooperation, ensure effective aid impact, improve the quality of finance for SIDS, and strengthen partnerships for sustainable development. These objectives are envisioned to wholistically build SIDS resilience across social, economic, and environmental spheres.

SIDS require assistance to address specific development challenges. The Principles will bolster efforts by identifying priority areas for engagement and provide high-level advice by offering concrete policy solutions. These solutions are based on evidence and analysis produced by development partners, multilateral institutions, and SIDS themselves.

Many participants agreed that this initiative was long overdue. The High-level representative from Norway explicitly expressed that the special circumstances of SIDS need to be high on the agenda of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and International Financial Institutions (IFIs). Others such as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of Cabo Verde, the Minister of Finance of Tonga, Ireland, and Australia voiced similar sentiments and look forward to identifying new ways of supporting SIDS.

Be part of the conversation.

Let us know what you think by adding a comment below. Click here to start now!

Leading up to the launch, Ambassador Webson met with key strategic SIDS partners from the Canadian delegation and the British delegation. In these meetings, he urged for the scaling up of partnerships to promote sustainable development in SIDS, and further advocated for support of the imminent United Nations Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (4th SIDS Conference). The 4th SIDS Conference will be held in 2024 in Antigua and Barbuda, and the next ten-year blueprint for sustainable development in SIDS will be adopted upon its conclusion.

Rebecca Fabrizi, the UK’s Special Envoy for SIDS, and Andrew Smith, Director-General of the International Assistance Policy of Canada showed fervent interest in and support of the 4th SIDS Conference and its pre-conference activities. Other development partners, such as Ireland, also voiced support for the 4th SIDS Conference.

The 2022 EDC Summit signaled the sunset of Antigua and Barbuda’s two-year Chairmanship of AOSIS. Over the past two years, considerable momentum has been gained on critical issues for SIDS. Some include the agreement to establish the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27; the work on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI); the negotiation of a Plastics Treaty, among others. In January 2023, Antigua and Barbuda will pass the AOSIS Chairmanship to the Independent State of Samoa.

Ambassador Webson was accompanied to the summit by Tumasie Blair, Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations and Lead Negotiator on Sustainable Development, AOSIS; Marguerite St. John-Sebastien, Deputy Lead Negotiator on Sustainable Development, AOSIS; and Javier Spencer, Foreign Service Officer and Adviser to the Chair of AOSIS.

Make a donation to help support ABN, via PayPal: [email protected]. Follow Antigua Breaking News on Twitter @ABNAntigua and Instgram @AntiguaBreakingNews and on Facebook. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-868-704-9864 or email us at [email protected] 

Share this article:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Join the Conversation!

Comments are closed.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]