ISSUE NO.92 September 2004

• New High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda takes up his appointment
• Mount St John Medical Centre to resume construction work
• Minister of Health outlines negotiating position of Antigua and Barbuda at PAHO
• Lovell reveals plans for airport
• Antigua and Barbuda to benefit from recent European negotiations
• Foreign Ministry hails UN Assembly participation successful
• Antigua and Barbuda to issue machine readable passports
• Cabinet rescinds Cable TV 50 year monopoly
  
  BARBUDA
• Commonwealth team holds positive talks with Council
• Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer challenges Stanford Group to holistic involvement in national development
• Antigua and Barbuda presents Initial Report on Implementation of the Convention of Rights of the Child to UN Committee
• Concluding Observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Report of Antigua and Barbuda
  
  FINANCE AND THE ECONOMY
• Government seeks funding from the Kuwait Fund for airport development
• Minister of Finance and the Economy meets with senior officials at the IMF, the World Bank and the OAS
• Antigua and Barbuda celebrates 23 years of Independence

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Jolly Harbour, Antigua

New High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda takes up his appointment

His Excellency Dr Carl B Roberts, High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s

Antigua and Barbuda’s new High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s, Dr Carl B Roberts, has taken up his appointment at the High Commission.

Dr Roberts has over thirty-six years experience working in the telecommunications industry in the Caribbean, USA and Hong Kong. He has a wide range of managerial, commercial, technical and IT experience gained in those places. He also worked in the Retail and Construction industries in Antigua and Tortola.

High Commissioner Roberts’ professional experience includes the following:

Cable & Wireless (West Indies) Ltd., 1967 - 2004

He was formally educated at the following Institutes and Universities:

As High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda in London, Dr Roberts intends to:

• focus on re-establishing relations with our institutional partners
• enhance and promote opportunities for investment
• create the awareness of tourism promotion thereby encouraging the European tourist to choose Antigua and Barbuda as their holiday destination, and
• serve all constitutional members.

Dr Roberts is married with three children - two independent - the last one in university. He is committed, persuasive but gently persistent.

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Excerpted from the Antigua Sun

Mount St John Hospital

The government has consulted with third parties concerning the management of the new Mount St. John Medical Centre.

Minister of Health John Maginley said that as preparations were being made for the resumption of construction work on Mount St. John Medical Centre, government was “in consultation with third parties to do a joint venture or, if somebody takes it over all together, for the running of Mount St. John."

Minister Maginley said once the loan agreement for US$7.8 million was signed, the contractors had assured him that construction would be complete within eight to ten months. “What we have done is, through the Export Import Bank of China, negotiated a loan on very concessionary terms, which will allow us to complete the construction phase of Mount St. John. The Minister of Finance is scheduled to see principals of the bank in October to have the official signing of the agreement.

“Once that is completed, Complan, the contractors will have access to the funding to remobilise their team to start work,” Maginley said.

The Health Minister explained that government had decided to continue with the Mount St. John's Medical Centre owing to the millions that had been invested in the hospital.

"We have an asset that we have spent $20 to $30 million on. We are re-paying nearly $730,000 each month. We also have a loan payment for the equipment that was ordered. We cannot just abandon the building. We are committed to a 30 year repayment plan," he said.

Maginley, however, noted that the government was still continuing its rehabilitation of Holberton Hospital.

So far, windows have been replaced in two wards, the chemotherapy unit reopened, installation of new bathrooms in Edward Ward as well as general work on the surroundings of the Holberton Hospital. Work is also being done on other key areas of the hospital such as the kitchen and the laundry.

He added that Chief Medical Officer Dr. Linda Lovell was looking at new approaches such as establishing social workers on the casualty ward to help patients.

The Minister said David Taylor of PAHO and the government have started putting together the details of the redevelopment plan of Holberton for the next few years.

In addition to the hospitals, Maginley said all the clinics had been assessed and a plan was being developed to increase their effectiveness.

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Minister of Health outlines negotiating position of Antigua and Barbuda at PAHO

“Maximizing the budgetary allocation for Antigua and Barbuda and the region through CARICOM unity is the negotiating position of Antigua and Barbuda.” This statement was made by the Minister of Health, Sports and Youth Affairs, John Maginley, who was Antigua and Barbuda’s chief delegate at the Forty-Fifth Meeting of the Directing Council of Ministers of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held in Washington D.C. From 27th September to 1st October, 2004.

In addressing the agenda item on the allocation of funds in the Programme Budget during discussions on Wednesday, 29 September 2004, Minister Maginley was emphatic in underscoring the importance of allocating funds to member states in an equitable manner and joined his CARICOM colleagues in introducing a formula for this purpose.

In commenting on his expectation of the outcome of the Working Group, Minister Maginley was optimistic that the solidarity of CARICOM, in evidence at the meeting, would prevail and that the region’s delegations would emerge with a favourable formula. The formula devised at this meeting will constitute the hemisphere’s budget allocation from the World Health Organization (WHO), the international body, of which PAHO is the representative institution in this hemisphere.

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Lovell reveals plans for airport

Plans are underway for the expansion of the departure lounge at the V. C. Bird International Airport. The government, however, is looking at the possibility of constructing a new terminal building within the next 24 months.

Tourism Minister Harold Lovell explained, “We already have the plans in place for expanding the departure lounge.

“As you know, the departure lounge holds just over 200 people and some of these wide bodied airlines have 400 (passengers), so you can see the problem when you have two and three aircrafts on the ground. That's a problem we inherited but I am happy to say that for the winter season we have put in place a short term plan, which includes the immediate expansion of the departure lounge," he said.

"They have already started the work. They are going to be building upstairs where you have the waving gallery.

"That is going to be enclosed and then there will be a staircase, (we are hoping that we can get an elevator or escalator so we can accommodate the disabled).

"But there will be a second floor for the departure lounge; the work for that has already started and the period when we hope that the work will be completed will be in time for the winter season, which is mid-November of this year."

Lovell hinted that government would be erecting a new terminal building.

"We need a new terminal building and the plan is for us to build a new terminal building within the next 24 months.

"As it stands we are using the plans, which will allow us to build on the eastern side of the present terminal building and that we hope will serve as a new arrival hall.

"So we will have a new arrivals hall. The current terminal building will be mainly for departures, which means we will have two buildings, one for arrivals and one for departures."

Other plans call for a shuttle bus to transport arriving passengers to the terminal building.

"We are tackling it and in the short term I believe we will overcome some of the major difficulties and in the long term we are going to have a spanking new terminal building and the facilities will be world class," the Minister concluded.

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Antigua and Barbuda to benefit from recent European negotiations

Antigua stands to profit tremendously from recent negotiations held during a trip made to the UK by Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell.

These benefits are to be derived mainly from additional airlift to the country. An extra flight will be operated to Antigua by the Virgin Atlantic Group and British Airways respectively. British Midland International (BMI) will make its inaugural flight to Antigua on November 27th.

The Minister’s trip brought to the fore a significant first in the relations between Antigua and its tourist office in Paris. It is the first time that such a visit has been made to the Paris office by a Minister of Government or Minister of Tourism. The trip to Paris afforded the Minister the opportunity of meeting with key players in the tourist trade there.

In Paris, negotiations were centred on boosting airlift direct from Paris into Antigua. Two companies with which these discussions were held are the Air Horizon Charter Company and Air France.

Air France Officials expressed the view that in past negotiations, promises were made which were not kept and they are concerned about a recurrence of such behaviour, as new agreements are being embarked upon.

The Minister assured the officials that under the new UPP administration, a renewed sense of trust will be instilled, as his government has every intention of making good on its promises.

Hotel Development is another component that was addressed in Paris when the Minister met a senior officer of the French Senate with the hope of establishing relations with the Chairman of the Club Med chain of resorts. The potential of attracting a Club Med Resort would mean added capacity to Antigua’s Tourism Product.

The main area of concern with tour operators in London is the lack of renovations being done to the V.C. Bird International Airport. Once again promises were made in the past and Minister Lovell had the opportunity of reviewing minutes from previous meetings.

Minister Lovell who is also responsible for the airport assured the tour operators that he will work with the other ministries such as the Ministry of Public Works Department and other contractors, with the hope of fulfilling the promises made with regard to renovations.

Overall, the UK visit afforded Minister Lovell the opportunity “to meet major players in London, influential players in Paris, and to establish and re-enforce the arrangements for the 2004 winter tourist season. New arrangements have been established for the 2005 winter tourist season as well.

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Foreign Ministry hails UN Assembly participation successful

Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministerial delegation to the UN: Prime Minister Spencer, Foreign Minister Lovell and Health Minister Maginley. Also included in the delegation were Sr. Ambassador Sir Ramez Hadeed (far left) – back row – Ambassador John Ashe, Ambassador Colin Murdoch and Ambassador Deborah-Mae Lovell

Antigua and Barbuda stands to benefit tremendously from its participation in the 59th session of the United Nations U.N. General Assembly in New York City.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harold Lovell, along with Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Colin Murdoch, attended a number of meetings with other dignitaries representing their countries at the meeting of the Assembly.

Although the schedule proved hectic, Antigua and Barbuda’s diplomatic team has hailed a number of successes.

Bilateral meetings were held with the Foreign Ministers of Germany, Greece, Singapore and Italy.

During deliberations with Singapore, diplomatic ties were established and technical assistance in the field of higher education served as the basis for these discussions.

Antigua and Barbuda’s team took advantage of knowledge garnered that Singapore has established a technical cooperation program that offers a number of scholarships.

It has been agreed that correspondence will be sent to Antigua and Barbuda so that the country will benefit from the opportunities to be derived from involvement in this scholarship program. The scholarships offered are in a number of varying fields.

In a further step towards the establishment of good relations between Antigua and Barbuda and Singapore, Antigua has agreed to support Singapore’s candidate for a position in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Diplomatic relations have been established with Lithuania, a new member of the U.N. Minister Lovell expressed his pleasure at entering into such relations with the Government of Lithuania and sees this as a new era with new opportunities to be explored by both sides.

Areas of interest in capacity building that were mentioned related to education, tourism, and information technology to achieve greater economic development. Plans are also in the pipeline for Lithuania to give future assistance in the Agriculture and Fisheries sector.

Meetings were also held between Antigua and Barbuda’s diplomatic contingent headed by The Minister Harold Lovell, and Mr. Marc Grosman, the U.S Under-Secretary of State, Mexico’s Foreign Minister, the President of Cyprus and the President of Papua New Guinea.

Talks with the US focused on assistance to Haiti, Grenada, and other Caribbean countries hit by hurricanes and the possibility of convening an international donors’ conference.

Mexico expressed that it wants to strengthen ties with Antigua and Barbuda. In this regard, it was asked what Antigua and Barbuda would like to see done in order for both countries to be more co-operative.

Areas of cooperation that were mentioned are in training; and the development of refined crafts that can be used to lure and entice tourists. Study in further education was another area of cooperation discussed, the possibility of teachers traveling to Mexico to become versatile bi-linguists.

The Marine Sector will reap the benefits of the engagement between Antigua and Barbuda and Cyprus. Matters discussed for areas of cooperation were related to training courses for members of the Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. Cooperation between Cyprus’ Maritime Administrations with the objective of expanding Antigua and Barbuda’s Shipping Registry was also discussed.

Minister Lovell attended the COFCOR, the CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Council, where issues before the UN were discussed. The Council was urged to support the candidacy of Antigua and Barbuda’s representative, John Ashe, for a seat on the important UN Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. Other Caribbean candidacies were also endorsed by the group.

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Antigua and Barbuda to issue machine readable passports

On 21st September Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced that Cabinet had approved the issuance of new machine-readable Antigua and Barbuda passports that will meet the highest international security standards.

The Prime Minister made the disclosure at a Regional Immigration Seminar at the Jolly Beach Resort conducted by the United Kingdom Immigration Department.

PM Spencer, who has responsibility for Passports, outlined that all existing Antigua and Barbuda passports will shortly be cancelled paving the way for the new machine-readable passports to be introduced during the course of 2005.

“The suppliers of the new Antigua and Barbuda passports are confident that security devices encrypted in the new document will make it virtually impossible to forge them,” noted Prime Minister Spencer.

He stated that regionally and internationally, we are experiencing a marked rise in crime, terrorist activities, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and fraudulent documents are being used to accomplish some of these illegal activities.

Machine-readable passports, which consist of two lines of letters, numbers and chevrons printed at the bottom of the personal information page, allow data in the passport to be scanned automatically by a machine.

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Cabinet rescinds Cable TV 50 year monopoly

On the 7th September it was brought to the attention of Cabinet that CTV, the local cable television system has been operating under a fifty-year monopoly.

The Cabinet’s position is that such a monopoly is objectionable, unacceptable and unconstitutional.

Cabinet therefore decided to immediately rescind the Cabinet decision of July 14, 1983 which granted CTV Entertainment Systems a 50-year exclusivity for Cable television operations in Antigua and Barbuda.

That Cabinet decision confirmed a monopoly to the year 2033.

The Cable TV monopoly was granted at the time when the late V.C. Bird was head of the government and continued while Lester Bird was Prime Minister, with Vere Bird a member of Cabinet.

The Cabinet decision to grant CTV a 50 year monopoly was implemented by the Telecommunications Officer with effect from November 1, 1983.

The Cabinet’s granting of the CTV monopoly gave the company the right to use Public Utilities Authority poles and rights of way in its operations.

The Cabinet decision to end the CTV monopoly confirms the liberalisation of the Cable TV sector. Other companies are now free to seek and obtain licences to operate competing cable television systems using technologies that are now available.

In deciding to end the CTV monopoly, Cabinet reiterated the government’s commitment to the democratic standards which mandate equal opportunity for all.

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Commonwealth team holds positive talks with Council

Both sides of Barbuda's political divide have expressed satisfaction with the round of meetings conducted by the two-member Commonwealth team.

The team comprising Dr. Denis Benn and Pierre Bienvenu spent two days listening to Barbudans and the Barbuda Council regarding improving relations between central government and Barbuda.

This was the Commonwealth Team’s second visit to Antigua and Barbuda. They first visited in 2000 and submitted recommendations to improve relations between the Antigua Government and the Barbuda Council.

Parliamentary Representative for Barbuda Trevor Walker said he was “very pleased” with the submissions made by Barbudans during the town hall meeting. He said, “all in all I thought it was very good, much better from the first time they came.

“People were more relaxed and more open to suggestions. Most, if not everyone, said they would give the new government a chance to let the relationship evolve,” he said.

Both Walker and Political Leader of the Barbuda People's Movement for Change, Arthur Nibbs, said the main issue discussed in the town hall meeting was the impasse within the Council.

Another issue was the lack of infrastructure on the island.

Senior Programme Officer in the Political Affairs Division and Supporting Member of the Commonwealth Team, Linford Andrews said that the team felt the round of meetings were “very positive.”

He said, “there was a range of diverse issues discussed and that was quite positive. People were expressing their feelings openly and honestly about the way things were going. We found in general that people had read the 2000 report, which was contrary to what we found in Antigua,” he said.

In July, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer made a formal request to the Commonwealth Secretary-General for the Commonwealth team to conduct another review in Barbuda since most of the 2000 recommendations were not implemented.

“They are just basically revisiting their original terms of reference in the 2000 review and just trying to come up with new recommendations,” Andrew said.

He continued, “the people are just hoping that relations between the central government can be improved and the court cases that are pending can be finalised.

“Quite a few people and groups have come up with practical inputs as to how the situation can be addressed,” he added.

Walker also reported that the team “sensed” that relations between Barbudans and the Council were much more harmonious.

Nibbs, however, said it was truly up to the central government and the Barbuda Council to sort out their problems.

The Commonwealth team also met and held discussions with Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. The team will submit summary findings to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Don Mckinnon.
On the 9th September, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer challenged financier R. Allen Stanford to invest in holistic human development; and in national infrastructure in Antigua and Barbuda.

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Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer challenges Stanford Group to holistic involvement in national development

Prime Minister Spencer, Minister of Finance Dr Errol Cort and Mr Stanford following the discussions

The Prime Minister’s challenge to Mr. Stanford came when the two met at discussions that lasted over two hours at the Office of the Prime Minister.

A number of Government Ministers were involved in the discussions during which Prime Minister Spencer called on the head of the Stanford Group to take an holistic attitude to contributing to developing Antigua and Barbuda by assisting, empowering and uplifting young Antiguan and Barbudan entrepreneurs beyond persons employed in his organization.

The Stanford bid for Guiana Island was also on the agenda for the meeting.
Prime Minister Spencer was categorical in his rejection of the one-sided entitlements in the Dato Tan Kay Hock Asian Village agreement as a basis for discussions.

Mr. Stanford is therefore to submit a new proposal that will be acceptable to the Government and the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

It was agreed that any development plan for Guiana and nearby islands would be sensitive to pertinent environmental issues.

The meeting between the Government and the country’s top investor and his finance chief, Jim Davis, considered a number of other matters.

Among those matters were restructuring the debt due from the Government to the Stanford Group; the Mount St. John’s Medical Centre; the national library; the education plant; technical training; the capacity of the Police Force; Caribbean Star and Sun airlines; and V.C. Bird International Airport.

There was agreement between the government team and Mr. Stanford for an early initiative for the promotion and growth of the international financial and tourism sectors.

Commenting on the meeting with Mr. Stanford, Prime Minister Spencer said, “The meeting was constructive. It was also instructive. I am convinced that Mr. Stanford is quite comfortable with an administration that will bargain hard in the interest of its stakeholders and he fully understands that our negotiations with him will be on a win-win basis.”

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Antigua and Barbuda presents Initial Report on Implementation of the Convention of Rights of the Child to UN Committee

Minister of Social Transformation, Colin Derrick (centre) flanked by Ms. Sheila Roseau, Director of Gender Affairs (right) and Dr. Ermina Osoba, Consultant to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (left). Mrs Faustina Jarvis, Chief Welfare Officer (back)

On the 28th September Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to the 37th Session of the United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child, headed by the Minister of Social Transformation, Colin Derrick appeared before the Committee from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. During that time, Minister Derrick presented the report and thereafter the delegation was subjected to some four hours of intensive questioning from an 18-member Committee of Experts drawn from many countries of the world.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr. J. E. Doek of the Netherlands was particularly pleased by the opening remarks of the Head of the Delegation, in which he stated that his Government was committed “to engage in open dialogue concerning the various measures taken (or to be taken) in order to comply with the provisions of the Convention” and that, “the forum will act as a catalyst in ensuring that the Rights of the Child enshrined in the Convention are kept in the forefront of his Government’s developmental plans and policies”.

The issues that were of particular concern to the Committee included the practice of corporal punishment both in the school and the home; the education of teenage mothers; institutional care of children and the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the foster care service; the juvenile justice system with particular reference to the detention of juveniles both male and female; the registration of fathers on the birth certificate of children; child maintenance provisions; the function of the Ombudsman in relation to children; budgetary allocation for social services delivery to children; children with disabilities; the sexual exploitation of both girls and boys and the Child Care and Protection Act, 2003.

All of the members of delegation were subjected to gruelling questioning by the Committee and they responded appropriately in relation to their areas of expertise. Several members of the Committee stated that they were impressed by the great commitment and enthusiasm shown by Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation.

Indeed, the Committee Expert, allocated as the rapporteur for Antigua and Barbuda’s presentation, Ms. Yanghee Lee of the Republic of Korea commented that the discussion between the Committee and the delegation was ‘an enjoyable dialogue; one of the most pleasant ones they have had’. The Initial Report was also commended for its language: ‘It was well written, elegant and pleasant to read’.

A very useful suggestion was put forward by Committee Member Ms. Ghalia Mohd Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar that Antigua and Barbuda should put in place the “Baby-Friendly Initiative” in the maternity services. The Committee has also offered technical assistance to help Antigua and Barbuda with the implementation of the various provisions of the Convention.

In his reply Minister Derrick said that every effort will be made to ensure that the offer is transmitted to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda since such assistance will support the Government’s effort to comply fully with the provisions of the Convention.

The delegation engaged in further discussions with the Social Transformation Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat in Pall Mall, London.

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Concluding Observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Report of Antigua and Barbuda

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, having considered the report of Antigua and Barbuda at its 37th session held in Geneva, Switzerland on September 28, 2004, made a number of concluding observations and recommendations that will assist the nation with the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention.

In view of the comprehensive nature of the “Concluding Observations”, only a few of the salient issues raised by the Committee will be highlighted.
Antigua and Barbuda is due to present its next report in May, 2009.

The Committee noted with appreciation, “the open and constructive dialogue it had with the high level delegation and the positive reactions to the suggestions and recommendations made during the discussions.” The high level delegation comprised the Minister of Social Transformation, Colin Derrick; Ms. Sheila Roseau, Director of Gender Affairs; Mrs. Faustina Jarvis, Chief Welfare Officer and Dr. Ermina Osoba, Consultant to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

One of the positive aspects of the current state of the Rights of the Child in Antigua and Barbuda that the Committee commented on is the recent amendment to the Magistrate’s Code of Procedures Act that increased the age of majority from 16 to 18 years. The Committee also welcomed the proposal put forward by the Minister of Social Transformation for the development of a Plan of Action for Children and advised that technical assistance for this project can be sought through UNICEF.

The Committee acknowledged the economic challenges faced by Antigua and Barbuda in implementing the Convention. These include “the increasing debt burden” and “the vulnerability to natural disasters such as hurricanes and drought”. However, they thought that the nation should “prioritise their budgetary allocations to ensure the implementation of the Rights of Children to the maximum extent of available resources”.

Of great concern to the Committee was the issue of corporal punishment which is still on our law books and is still practiced widely in schools, the home and some institutions. The Committee pointed out that this practice clearly contravenes Article 19 of the Convention and recommended that Antigua and Barbuda consider the immediate repeal or amendment of such laws. It also expressed concerns that girls and young women are often forced to leave school due to pregnancy and recommended that Antigua and Barbuda provide educational opportunities for pregnant teenagers.

The Ministry of Social Transformation seized this opportunity to thank UNICEF for its continuing support of national initiatives to implement the Convention.
November 19th, 2004 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The full text is available on the United Nations website at http://www.unog.ch

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Government seeks funding from the Kuwait Fund for airport development

Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr Errol Cort

Securing funding for upgrading the airport infrastructure was one of the objectives of the Minister of Finance and the Economy during his visit to Washington D.C. to attend the annual IMF and World Bank meetings.

On Saturday, 2 October, 2004 Minister Cort led a delegation that included Senior Ambassador, Sir Ramez Hadeed and Financial Secretary, Whitfield Harris Jr., to the offices of the Kuwait Fund.

During the discussions, Minister Cort and Ambassador Hadeed laid out the plans for Antigua and Barbuda to enhance its Tourism product by completing the parallel taxi-strip, as well as resurfacing the runway at the V.C. Bird International Airport.

In explaining the significance of this project, Dr. Cort said that this is a continuation of a project started by the former Administration but which was halted owing to chronic late payments.

The Minister further stated that this Government is working towards repairing the default to the Fund by clearing the outstanding arrears thereby allowing this country to be placed in the good graces of the Fund.

With respect to the resurfacing of the runway, Minister Cort and Ambassador Hadeed have received an invitation from Officials of the Fund to submit a proposal for this project that is so vital to the economic recovery of Antigua and Barbuda. Minister Cort emphasized that the upgrading of the Airport is imperative if the country is to recapture its competitive edge in the tourism sector.

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Minister of Finance and the Economy meets with senior officials at the IMF, the World Bank and the OAS

Financial Secretary, Whitfield Harris Jr

Against the background of promoting sound fiscal management and good governance within the financial sector of Antigua and Barbuda, Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr Errol Cort and Financial Secretary, Whitfield Harris Jr. engaged in an intensive round of discussions with high-ranking personnel within the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank (IBRD) and the Organization of American States (OAS).

The meetings were held on Tuesday, 4 October 2004, in Washington D.C., while attending the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank.

Among the high-ranking officials with whom the Antigua and Barbuda delegation held discussions was Dr. Agustín Carstens, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
Dr. Carstens, in his remarks, congratulated the Minister for the positive steps taken by the new administration to redress the fiscal imbalance in Antigua and Barbuda.

Dr. Cort, for his part, spoke of the UPP Government’s plans for addressing the fiscal imbalance and added that it was imperative to also address the issue of the EC$3 billion debt inherited from the pervious administration. He stated that the measures the government planned to institute were geared towards inspiring investor confidence and raising the profile of Antigua and Barbuda in the international financial arena.

Emphasizing that the economy of Antigua and Barbuda will be private sector led, Dr. Cort added that investor confidence would be further enhanced when this country finalizes its membership in the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a unit of the World Bank, dedicated to providing insurance coverage to investors. Investor confidence will also be encouraged, Dr. Cort noted, by introducing transparency mechanisms in all operations of the financial sector. As an example of this, he cited the planned legislation to create a “one-stop agency” in order to minimize the bureaucratization of the present delivery system of incentives offered to investors. Dr. Cort underscored this point during his meeting with senior officials of the Trade Unit of the OAS who are currently working with the Industrial Development Board to establish such an agency.

In his meetings at the World Bank, the Minister also sought support for creating modalities for good governance and sound administrative systems, a manifesto pledge of the UPP Government. In this regard, he will join officials from the World Bank in further discussions on ways to improve productivity in the public sector.

At the end of the round of meetings, Dr. Cort expressed satisfaction with the warm reception he had received and the willingness of the officials whom he had met to render assistance to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in its quest to attain fiscal responsibility and good governance. He said that the meetings were a giant step towards repairing the credibility of Antigua and Barbuda in the international financial sector and added that the restoration of this credibility constituted a necessary ingredient in the process of development of our country.

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Antigua and Barbuda celebrates 23 years of Independence

On the 1st October the Antiguans and Barbudans began decorating the city of St. John's as part of a month-long celebration to mark our 23rd anniversary of political Independence from Britain on November 1st, 1981.
This year's celebration will be a special one as the recently elected government of Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and his United Progressive Party (UPP) took office on March 24th.
A number of new features have been added to this year's festivities as officials would like the celebration to be one with a difference that will be remembered for many years.
Meanwhile, government has issued a call to nationals the world over to return home for the celebration.

Independence Homecoming Events:

BARBUDA Homecoming Activities

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