safety steps

AUA, Antigua & Barbuda – 16th Feb., 2024… – Only standing room was left as scores of citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda filled to capacity the AICASA lecture room of the AUA
Campus for the first meeting of prospective volunteers for the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, SIDS4.

The meeting was addressed by a number of top officials within Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including its Minister, the Hon. EP Chet Greene as well as his Permanent Secretary Ambassador Anthony Liverpool as the country

Also involved in the information sharing exercise were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Chief of Protocol Karen Cabrall and National Volunteer Coordinator for the Conference Anika Kentish.

Buoyed by the enthusiastic and overwhelming response to the call for Volunteers, Minister Greene expressed his profound appreciation to the packed room of attendees for their zeal and interest in ensuring that the Conference is a success not only for Antigua and Barbuda but all SIDS as they seek to map a course to brighter future.

“By volunteering, you are showing your nationalism, patriotism, and selfless duty to your beloved country and an interest in the affairs of those islands with whom we must unit in a common accord to address the defining issues of our time. It’s indeed a profound endeavour and your significant show of support today is indeed moving,” Minister Greene declared.

The meeting coincided with the visit of the Peru Country Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteer Programme Oscar Malaga who held a number of meetings with Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and at the National Secretariat for the Conference to mainly advise on the process of training for the volunteers and plot out the timetable for these exercises.

Some of this information was shared by Miss Cabrall during Thursday’s Volunteer meeting. She also advised on the various areas where volunteers could contribute their latent talents and skills. There was an enthusiastic response to some of the key areas of need where registration was showing a slight shortfall in a number of responsibilities.

“That was one of the positive outcomes of our first meeting where persons were able to get a better understanding of the conference, share their skills and interests and we were able to direct them through the registration process on the spot,” Cabrall noted.

As the meeting concluded, attendees were reminded of the magnitude of the SIDS4 Conference, expected to draw over 5000 individuals, including world leaders, international partners and leading experts in a number of fields that are of importance to SIDS.

The conference will serve as a platform for the international community to be united in support of/for Small Island Developing States and propose a new decade of partnerships and solutions to bolster their path to resilient prosperity.

Interested persons who wish to contribute to the SIDS4 Conference can apply to be a volunteer by adding their information to this form found here: https://forms.office.com/r/ujPfkqQYsu