Antigua and Barbuda’s recent joint chairmanship of the Association of Small
Islands States (AOSIS) within the United Nations framework helped the
organization ‘lift the profile,’ thereby giving it a bigger voice in international fora.
That is the view of Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the UN,
Ambassador Dr. Aubrey Webson, whose comments came during an interview with
the Morning Point radio programme.
Asked to identify the country’s greatest achievement during its co-chairmanship of
AOSIS, Dr. Webson said, the level of advocacy brought to bear on the work of the
organization, took a big leap forward during that period.
“I think Antigua and Barbuda in many ways has lifted the profile significantly of
AOSIS, making it much stronger and powerful within the UN system. This was
most noticeable with our advocacy, working along with our Cabinet ministers in
St. John’s, in particular the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, on the issue
of climate change to address the issue of Loss and Damage and to get that onto the
agenda when no one thought we could,” he observed.
He explained that when Antigua and Barbuda assumed the organization co-
chairman, no one thought it would happen. “In COP 26 in Scotland, we got some
room and some movements, and by last year in Egypt, it got onto the agenda and
was formalized with a working committee where Chief Environment Officer,
Ambassador Diane Black-Layne is a member, has been a strong step forward,” he
suggested.
Antigua and Barbuda continues to be seen as a leading voice on environmental
issues especially in the area of plastic pollution and the oceans. “We have become
very prominent in the area of the ocean. Here, we are again working with the
ministry back home, with my office here at the UN, as well as the AOSIS office.
Working together, we have become quite strong in the discussion on plastics and
the removal of plastics from the ocean floor that are infesting our waters and
becoming a danger to us human beings,” he declared.
Ambassador Webson noted that Antigua and Barbuda’s advocacy extended beyond
matters having to do with the environment and climate change, but also the system
by which SIDS are assessed for aid.
“In the area of finance and development, we started a push during the COVID
years 2020-21, when we began to knock on the doors very loudly for opportunities
for SIDS and in particular, middle-income SIDS who were being further pushed
out, due to no fault of their own, and moving the multi-vulnerability discussion
with the prime minister as the co-chair alongside the former prime minister of
Norway. We have moved that to where we will now have an MVI that will be
included in the Secretary General’s report and sent to the finance committee for
finalization. We will now have an MVI that will be part of the economic
assessment landscape,” he reported.
The General Assembly of the UN starts on September 19. Antigua and Barbuda is
expected to send a high-level delegation to attend.
