Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has praised Selwin Hart for his outstanding work, describing him as “a great champion in the fight against the climate crisis”.
Hart was recently announced by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, as his Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General of the Climate Action Team.
Mottley said recently at two Inter-American Development Bank events, held at the Hilton Barbados Resort, that she was proud and happy at Hart’s appointment.
“It is a signal achievement for us to have a Barbadian young man, who has already distinguished himself in so many different respects, to accept this responsibility, knowing full well that this [climate change] is the primary concern of the global community as it is an existential problem that we face.
“It gives those of us who come from island states the confidence that our voice, views, reality and experiences will be reflected and heard at the table,” she stated.
Hart is currently the Executive Director for the Caribbean region at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Mottley said she had no doubt that his diligence at the bank had contributed to the tremendous achievements the region had seen in the last 18 months.
“I have every belief that the global community and the Caribbean community will benefit from your stewardship on this very major issue of human civilization …. I know we [the IDB] governors are losing a good man, but I believe that we are gaining a great champion in the fight against the climate crisis. Selwin Hart has been a distinguished Barbadian in the defence of the interest of the Caribbean,” she told her audience, which included Hart.
President of the IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno, congratulated Hart on his new assignment, saying he had been a fantastic partner and great advocate for the Caribbean. He added that Hart always reminded them of “how important it is for a bank the size of the IDB to never lose sight of this very great region”.
Hart was previously the Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States for Barbados and Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team.
He has served in several climate action leadership positions during his career, including as a Climate Adviser for the Caribbean Development Bank, Chief Climate Change Negotiator for Barbados and Coordinator and Lead Negotiator on Finance for the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, a coalition of 43 islands and low-lying coastal states in the Caribbean, Pacific, Africa, Indian Ocean and South China Sea. (BGIS)
