Barbados’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other International Organisations in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, is now officially accredited to the Republic of Austria.
Ambassador Wilson presented his credentials to President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday at the President’s office in Hofburg, Vienna, Austria.
He noted that Austria is one of the countries in the European Union with the highest share of renewables in its overall energy mix, and discussed the possibility of an enhanced partnership around renewable energy and energy efficiency, given the need for Barbados to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.
President Van der Bellen and Ambassador Wilson also discussed climate finance, in light of Austria’s policies, which promote green investments; enable greater public green investments; reinforce the green community and federal projects; embed sustainable financial instruments more firmly in the Austrian market; and issue green sovereign bonds.
“Climate vulnerable small island developing states (SIDS) should be able to more easily access climate and development finance and green technology,” the Barbadian diplomat said.
He also indicated that Austria’s support would be critical in light of efforts in Geneva to establish a SIDS framework and a trust fund at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The two officials also spoke about the importance of scholarships offered by Austria in the area of hospitality training, and the need to build on the potential of tourism between the two countries.
Ambassador Wilson stated: “Austria and Barbados have always had friendly and productive relations. Going forward, we need to explore opportunities to scale this up in areas like climate financing as called for in the Bridgetown Initiative; access to green technology and energy-efficient techniques; and to explore greater tourism and cultural links.”
He commended Austria for its support of Barbados’ priorities at the WTO and the United Nations.
Barbados and Austria established diplomatic relations on November 27, 1967.
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