WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2024 — As part of the growing number of sustainability initiatives coming out of the United Nations, the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Dennis Francis, has launched the inaugural General Assembly Sustainability Week, currently being held at the UN headquarters in New York 15-19 April 15 – 19, 2024.
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, who is also Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, is representing The Bahamas at the first high-level event of its kind, focusing on five key elements: Sustainable Energy, Transportation, Tourism, Infrastructure, and Debt Sustainability.
According to an article in today’s Nassau Guardian, addressing the Sustainability Week forum yesterday DPM Cooper labeled travel advisories issued against The Bahamas and other Caribbean destinations as “harmful and unfair”.
“As a destination, we live and breathe by our reputation,” said Cooper said. “Therefore, it is critical to highlight that travel advisories issued by large nations about The Bahamas, and other Caribbean destinations, have the potential to do incredible harm to our economies and disrupt our sustainability efforts. We believe the release of these advisories without context is unfair and portrays a sensational narrative that we must expend scarce resources to correct.”
The Guardian noted that both the United States and Canada issued advisories with respect to crime in The Bahamas earlier this year “as the island nation was grappling with a sharp uptick in murders, which authorities say were primarily retaliatory attacks and gang related,” adding that the “ advisories and an onslaught of negative press raised concern about a potential impact on tourism arrivals.”
In announcing DPM Cooper’s participation in the forum, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation said, “His engagements will include speaking at the high-level thematic debate on debt sustainability and socio-economic equality, scheduled for Monday, 15th April. This session aims to address key global challenges, including the ongoing debt crisis and its impact on socio-economic disparities.”
“Furthermore, DPM Cooper will lead a major presentation during the high-level thematic event on tourism, set for Tuesday, 16th April. He will emphasize the critical role of sustainable tourism in economic development and its contribution towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,” the Ministry said. “These discussions are particularly timely as The Bahamas has reached the critical midpoint in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They follow the momentum of the September 2023 SDG Summit and will set the stage for the Summit of the Future scheduled for September 2024.”
The Ministry added, “As the global community continues to tackle the triple planetary crises — climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution — it is essential to highlight sustainable models across all sectors, including tourism, which is vital to The Bahamas.
“The Deputy Prime Minister’s participation underscores The Bahamas’ commitment to sustainable development and our nation’s dedication to contributing meaningfully to the global dialogue on these issues. It also reaffirms our position on the international stage as a leader in integrating environmental responsibility into economic strategies.”
NOTE: Here’s a link to Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper’s address:
https://www.facebook.com/teamcooper242ex/videos/1135027917918276
