Barbados Hosts Inaugural Global Supply Chain Forum: Senator Cummins Highlights Success and Future Prospects

Business development minister Senator Lisa Cummins has hailed Barbados’ hosting of the first-ever Global Supply Chain Forum to discuss the future of global trade and logistics.

Reflecting on the achievements of the past two days, she highlighted the robust support and engagement the event had received, predicting similar success for future sessions. “We are confident that on the basis of what we’ve seen so far over the last two days and your own responses, not only has it been a success for the inaugural session, but we can expect that every successive session is going to be just as robustly supported as this one,” she said, pointing to the importance of international collaboration and the critical role of partnerships in addressing global trade challenges.

Some 900 delegates including experts in shipping, policymakers and business leaders are attending the forum, organised in collaboration with the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations agency that promotes developing countries’ interests in world trade.

Speaking during the opening of the third Global Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees, the minister outlined three key focus areas: the role of governments, international partnerships, and private sector collaboration. She emphasised that while governments do not engage in trade or business, they play a crucial role as facilitators. The intent of a trade facilitation agreement, she noted, is to streamline government regulations to enhance the ease of doing business.

Reflecting on her tenure as chairman of the Bridgetown Port, Senator Cummins discussed the substantial efforts made to improve efficiency, reduce business costs, and protect national borders. The introduction of the computerised customs management system ASYCUDA World in 2019, she said, was a pivotal step in modernising customs processes, ensuring revenue collection, and facilitating trade. This initiative led to the creation of the Port Efficiency Subcommittee, a body that embodies the collaboration between the government and the private sector.

“What comes next from our perspective is the collaboration with international agencies,” the senator told delegates. “I want to take the opportunity to make the call here today for us to work far more closely with the WTO, with UNCTAD, with the WCO, to ensure that we’re able to meet the regulatory requirements of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, that we’re also able to live up to the requirements of government, but that we are able to go beyond that.