PM pleased with responses to MVI at recent meetings

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he is pleased with the responses to the case
made, to include the Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) when assessing
assistance from the international community or financing through institutions such
as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Speaking with Point Express newspaper, following his return to the country on
Thursday, PM Browne said he feels positive that the case was made at the margins
of the World Bank and IMF meetings in Morocco by the team that has been
working and crafting the MVI over the past eighteen months. Prime Minister
Browne serves as co-chair of the panel along with the former Prime Minister of
Norway, Erna Solberg,
“I think we were able to make the case and to allay their fears over its use and to
justify the methodologies that were utilized. Even the indicators that were used, we
had to exclude, because we didn’t have good quality data,” the prime minister
explained.
When fully adopted, the Antigua and Barbuda leader said he is confident that it
will be a good tool to use to assess a country’s true standings; its vulnerabilities,
etc. which are supported by data that is reliable, transparent, and available.
“The MVI is going to be a good tool. I have said to them that it’s a ‘living
document’ subject to future iterations. There will be a secretariat that will work
with a panel to review the MVI, perhaps every two years so whatever gaps may
exist in the current MVI we can always fill those gaps as new and more reliable
data becomes available,” he stated.
In terms of a first draft, a first submission of the document, the prime minister
described it as ‘an excellent’ document. “It’s a great planning tool, to make the
case for Official Development Assistance (ODA) and also a great tool, to manage
the risks that are associated with the vulnerabilities of these states,” he noted.
According to the prime minister, the financial institutions are now more open to
utilizing the MVI, which he explained must be seen as a companion tool to Gross
National Income.
The overall aim of the MVI is to create a space where countries like Antigua and
Barbuda can access development aid and better terms when borrowing although
they have high GNIs.