Mia Mottley Says Coordinated Approach to COVID-19 Response Needed

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has suggested that a collaborated and coordinated approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic would give the region a better chance of beating the deadly virus.

Addressing the virtual 22nd Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean on Monday, she said: “If we had had a coordinated approach even to the shutdowns that individual countries across the Americas and across the world are undertaking in defense of their own people, then we would have had and could still have a realistic chance of fighting COVID in a way that eliminates it from the global landscape.

“But our ability to do so has been compromised by the fact that each of us has taken individual action rather than globally coordinated action. This is the perfect example of why multilateralism must work for our benefit if we are to make a difference for our people across the region,” she added.

The two-day meeting was organized by the Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification with theme, ‘The Environmental Dimension of the COVID-19 Sustainable Recovery Response for Latin America and the Caribbean.’

Mia Mottley noted Cuba had assisted many nations, including Barbados, to fight the pandemic. More than 110 medical, nursing and lab technicians are in Barbados giving support to the health officials.

“It is for this reason we support Cuba as being a country that should be globally recognized for its continued support to assist in the medical area, reinforcing our ability to protect our environment by allowing us to protect our people,” she said.

CMC