Barbados’ Mia Mottley announces new pharmaceuticals initiative at COP27

By Shanieka Smith

Staff Writer

#Barbados, November 14, 2022 – Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley announced a new collaboration between the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America to produce pharmaceuticals for the global market.

The statement revealed that the presidents of Guyana and the Republic of Rwanda met at the UN Climate Change Conference to discuss the details of this initiative.

Also present at the meeting were President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

From the meeting, it was recommended that the governments within this South-South Cooperation develop and manufacture 60 per cent of the essential pharmaceuticals to be distributed and used within the respective continents by 2040.

Mottley described the initiative as “truly historic”, noting that the South-South Cooperation would address matters of public health within the regions.

The initial stages of the initiative will involve the production of women’s health medications, new oncological drugs, and preventative and therapeutic vaccines.

The President of the European Commission said the EU is committed to supporting their partners in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America in their initiative to boost their economies.