Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, today officially accepted an appointment by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, to serve as the one of two co-chairs for the high-level panel of experts on the work of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI).
An MVI in essence to show a country’s true vulnerability economically to external shocks beyond its control; be it ‘pandemics’, ‘supply chain issues’, or ‘climate-related natural disasters’. For islands, it is a much fairer indicator of who should qualify for concessional relief in times of economic distress.
PM Browne, who also serves as the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), felt ‘humbled’ to be charged with such an important responsibility.
“For decades, small island States have fought for the adoption and implementation of a universal MVI across all international financial institutions. Now we stand on the cusp of actually achieving it. As we edge cautiously into a post-pandemic future, this is an important first step on a long road back to economic solvency for many islands, and I will do everything in my power to get us over the line.”
President of the UN General Assembly, His Excellency Abdullah Shahid of Maldives, noted that “… work on the MVI is an important exercise with significant and lasting implications” and requested that the panel complete its mandate before the end of his Presidency this year.
PM Browne will share his responsibilities chairing the panel with the former Prime Minister of Norway, the Hon. Erna Solberg.
Ms. Solberg noted that whilst the panel is made up of experts from all over the world, it is imperative that the finalised outputs prioritise the needs of SIDS. She warned of ‘resistance’ from those who may view the MVI as competition for limited concessional resources and “… it is our challenge to prove the necessity of this change (from income to vulnerability).”
“I am an eternal optimist. This work is too important, our cause is too righteous and we will succeed,” said PM Browne in response.
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Kudos PM, as usual you show true leadership. You have always argued the existing measure does an injustice to especially small countries. We are simply too small to be judged on only averages, outliers end up distorting the data. Larger countries hence larger sample sizes don’t have the benefit of having this distortion (outliers) naturally corrected. Getting this corrected means smaller nations can be more properly categized and their needs catered to
Tenman, it certainly appears as though you are behind gaston 24/7 with toilet paper in hand, readily available to wipe.
Please to a break nahhh!
You should start with your “distorted “ comments coming out of your cabinet decisions!!!
Surely there’s another minister in the cabinet who can take the lead in this particular position, rather than Gassy taking on more work when Antigua is still fiscally defunct, and still trying to recover from the economic downturn of the last few years.
Something doesn’t feel right about him taking up another post – ISN’T BEING PRIME MINISTER OF ANTIGUA ENOUGH WORK FOR HIM?
Gassy, be sure to properly complete the current task at hand. Remember, you cyaa bury a man an lef out he foot … 🦶
Brave Truth Warrior NYU Professor Mark Crispin Miller On The Propaganda Agenda
Mark Crispin Miller is an award winning professor of media, culture and communication at New York University. He is an accomplished author, editor, producer and recipient of fellowships from the Rockefeller, Ingram Merrill and Guggenheim Foundations. Miller is best known as a media critic. Before joining New York University, Miller served as director of film studies at Johns Hopkins University. Thank you Mark for your tireless work and commitment to the truth.
https://rumble.com/vxqadt-mcm-33.html?mref=5epkv&mc=a8s5n
Tell then about how you are destroying the mangroves
Economic growth has raised living standards around the world. However, modern economies have lost sight of the fact that the standard metric of economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), merely measures the size of a nation’s economy and doesn’t reflect a nation’s welfare. Yet policymakers and economists often treat GDP, or GDP per capita in some cases, as an all-encompassing unit to signify a nation’s development, combining its economic prosperity and societal well-being. As a result, policies that result in economic growth are seen to be beneficial for society.
We know now that the story is not so simple – that focusing exclusively on GDP and economic gain to measure development ignores the negative effects of economic growth on society, such as climate change and income inequality. It’s time to acknowledge the limitations of GDP and expand our measure development so that it takes into account a society’s quality of life.
TENMAN please note the foregoing. Caribbean economists for a very long time have argued that GDP is not a fair index to use to determine assistance to small states such as those in the region. So you can do some reading I will leave you with the names of some noted Caribbean economists such as Havelock Brewster, Clive Thomas, Norman Girvan, William Demas and Allister McIntyre. You will now understand that the argument against GDP is not a theoretical construct of Gaston Browne.
When I saw the caption of the article I said to myself I wonder which one of the ALP propagandists will be the first to congratulate Gaston. I see you beat JUST SAYING, FROM THE SIDELINE, ERIC (THE RED) and SMH to it. However, there is no basis for any big congratulation. Gaston Browne is the Chairman of AOSIS hence is appointment as co-chair of the UN committee to the establishment of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI). The ultimate objective of the MVI is to approach assistance to SIDS countries such as those in the region in a more equitable manner. Please note, therefore, that all your congratulations are unwarranted.
As we say. Leadership Matters. And a King is not honored in his own country. But that is OK. Others recognize the great leadership that our PM has been displaying internationally. Whether it was at the COP leading the SIDS or leading Caricom delegation on D-Risking. Or being invited as feature speaker at international forums on various economic views such as entrepreneurial socialism.
FROM THE SIDELINE entrepreneurial socialism? What is the latest with that concept that Gaston claims to coin?
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