From the Barbados Government Information Service (GIS):

The 15th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15), to be hosted by Barbados from October 3 to 8, will now be a virtual event.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and acting UNCTAD Secretary-General, Isabelle Durant, made the announcement today. She said they had recent discussions and the decision was taken.

“The intensifying global spread of COVID-19; the appallingly inequitable distribution of vaccines globally; the uncertainties of international travel and likely participation numbers and the reality of protecting our own population here, all make it impractical for us….

“The Secretary General and I, therefore, consulted…and we agreed that it can no longer be convened physically.  But, like with all things in life, let us see what we can do to break new ground in this virtual staging of the first UNCTAD conference,” she stated.

The Prime Minister noted that the virtual space would give unlimited scope to make the October conference an exceptional experience.

Read the full release here.