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Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapse

Nationnews Desk
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Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapse

Spirit Airlines is shutting down as a business after failing to secure a $500m (£368m) bailout from the Trump administration.

The budget airline was in talks with the US government about a rescue deal which would have saved it from going out of business.

But discussions collapsed and the carrier said in an announcement on its website on Saturday that with “great disappointment” it had “started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately”. That included canceling flights across the US.

Spirit was emerging from its second bankruptcy filing in recent years before the US-Israel war in Iran, but the resulting surge in jet fuel costs pushed it over the brink.

“All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and Spirit Guests should not go to the airport,” the company said in its statement posted early Saturday morning.

The airline also said it would automatically process refunds for any flights purchased through Spirit with a credit or debit card to the original form of payment.

Guests who booked flights via a travel agent should contact the travel agent directly to request a refund.

Compensation for those who booked flights using a voucher, credit, airline points or any other method will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy court process.

The airline said it was unfortunately not able to reimburse guests for other related costs such as emergency hotel stays or replacement flights associated with cancelled trips.

Spirit’s customer service is no longer available, the airline said early on Saturday, but customers with questions can contact the carrier’s claims agent.

In the statement, Spirit’s CEO Dave Davis said: “In March 2026, we reached an agreement with our bondholders on a restructuring plan that would have allowed us to emerge as a go-forward business.

“However, the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the company.”

But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday that Spirit’s demise was not the result of fuel price increases, which are largely due to the war with Iran.

“Spirit was in dire straits long before the war with Iran,” Duffy said, citing the company’s multiple bankruptcy filings, in a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“Their model wasn’t working,” he added. “The war was not the impetus.”

The airline’s demise was so abrupt that it has left many ticketholders in the lurch.

One Spirit customer, Yash Kothari, told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that he didn’t learn about the airline’s shutdown until he arrived at Philadelphia International Airport for a flight at 05:45 local time (09:45 GMT) on Saturday.

“The email came in at 1 am, so I was unaware,” Kothari told the outlet.

Other US airlines — including Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Frontier Airlines — have stepped in to offer “rescue fares” to stranded Spirit customers. The fares vary by airline, with Delta offering reduced, nonrefundable fares for the next five days, while United is offering price-capped one-way tickets for the next two weeks.

Fuel costs can make up as much as 40% of an airline’s outgoings, and airlines have seen the cost of jet fuel double since the US and Israeli strikes began at the end of February.

Savanthi Syth, airlines analyst at the investment bank Raymond James, said spiralling jet fuel costs in the wake of the Iran war had proved “the final nail in the coffin” for Spirit.

Speaking to the BBC, Syth said the operator had shied away from the radical overhaul it needed during a 2024 bankruptcy procedure.

Spirit had been in the process of making the changes it needed in its current bankruptcy process, scaling back the number of flights it was offering and aircraft it owned, she said.

But its ability to survive the year was in question even before the Iran war, Syth added.

“If it wasn’t for the fuel scenario, they would have been okay through the summer, beyond the summer I would have said it was still precarious.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union, which represents Spirit staff, said the news was “devastating for the thousands of airline workers who showed up every day and gave everything to keep Spirit Airlines in the air”.

“Our members on the ramp did not cause this failure; corporate mismanagement and poor financial stewardship did,” the IAM union continued in a statement. “Our members deserve answers and support.”

The IAM union said it would be providing additional support to its members affected by Spirit’s shutdown and urged the airline’s leadership and the bankruptcy court “to ensure that every worker receives the full severance, back pay, and benefits they are owed”.

Some airlines have been cutting flights and others have hiked fares to cope with the cost increases. At the same time, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned Europe could run out of jet fuel in as little as six weeks.

At the end of April, Spirit had been confident its rescue deal with the Trump administration was to be finalised imminently.

But after that deal fell through, Trump on Friday told BBC partner CBS the airline had been offered “a final proposal” to keep it in business.

The earlier plan, which would have seen the US government take effective ownership of as much as 90% of the airline, faced stiff opposition from Wall Street, Capitol Hill and even a member of Trump’s own cabinet. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Reuters a rescue would amount to tossing “good money after bad”. (BBC News)

Former staff agree to 12% increase

Tonisha Rock-Yaw
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Former staff agree to 12% increase

Out-of-work former Berger Paints employees will get a 12 per cent salary increase back dated to January 2025.

The paint company closed down on April 24 and general secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union Toni Moore revealed yesterday that the workers had secured the settlement.

“The workers got a 12 per cent salary increase effective January 1, 2025. On top of severance already calculated, they will get back pay for the last 16 months and their severance calculations will be adjusted to reflect it,” she said.

Moore stated that the settlement was reached on Thursday morning with much effort as the Trinidadian company ANSA McAl Group ended operations of the paint company here.

She spoke at the BWU’s anniversary picnic and family Affair at the National Botanical Gardens as the country marked May Day, the internationally recognised day to celebrate labourers and the working classes “To secure that benefit for those workers, many of them after an average of 20 years working there, we had to fight hard. We had to fight harder than anybody should have to fight for things that were already merited to them,” Moore said. (TRY)

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Donation of supplies for Turner’s Hall students

Josue Ramirez Nelson
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Donation of supplies for Turner’s Hall students

Class 4 students at Hillaby Turner’s Hall received a donation of school supplies on Thursday, ahead of the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examinations on Tuesday.

Parliamentary representatives for St Thomas, Gregory Nicholls and for St Andrew, Dr Romel Springer, both donated clipboards, clear bags, pencils and other stationery to the students at the school’s morning assembly.

With the school falling within the St Andrew constituency, the two MPs combined their efforts for the annual donation of supplies to students.

“This is an important gesture that we really believe in because it takes a little bit of pressure off of the parents this weekend and the children trying to get those supplies,” Nicholls said.

“We know that times are tough and parents are focussing on getting their children ready along with the work that the teachers have been doing over the years. So this is just an expression of our commitment to the community and building up strong communities and partnering with the parents and the teachers at these schools to ensure that we give our children the very best start in life,” he added.

Meantime, Springer said: “A lot of the students who attend this school are from the parish and the constituency of St Thomas. So we decided to share the responsibility of donating the kits and basically, it’s us doing our little part to ensure that our students are better prepared for the exam come next week.” ( JRN)

Call for more collaboration on curbing methane emissions

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Call for more collaboration on curbing methane emissions

With Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley expected in France on Monday to participate in high-level talks on reducing harmful methane emissions, a Government minister from that country is stressing the importance of more international collaboration and continuation of the rules-based system.

France, which holds the G7 presidency in 2026, has been hosting a series of ministerial and other meetings ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit from June 15 to 17 in Évian-les-Bains, including the G7 Ministerial Meeting On Development.

In a meeting with journalists from Barbados, Brazil, India and Kenya, Nicolas Forissier, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, underscored the importance of building secure, rule-based agreements partnerships.

This included the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and pursuing trading deals with various countries and regions.

“For a country like France, and it’s true for the other European countries, I think it’s very important to build some secure relations with countries that are like-minded, working on rule-based behaviours, to build some win-win partnerships. This is the philosophy with which we are trying to develop these relations,” the minister said.

“We very much support the idea of reforming the WTO, even if it’s little by little, step by step. But it’s very important to preserve and strengthen the multilateralism in terms of trade, and all the more when you see what’s going on in the world.

“It’s very important for us to build strong partnerships and be very much more present in those countries, especially those with which we are building some free trade agreements.”

Following last week’s meeting of G7 Development Ministers, France is continuing dialogue involving this group of some of the world’s leading economists and other countries, including Barbados.

The International High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Event on Methane Action will take place in Paris on Monday and French officials expect Mottley to be there.

The Prime Minister is on the agenda to deliver a high-level opening statement, along with COP21 president and chair of the COP Presidents Circle, Laurent Fabius, following a welcome address by the French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut.

Urgeent call

Mottley has already made an urgent call for a legally binding global agreement to reduce methane emissions, which is a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for about 30 per cent of global temperature rise since the industrial era.

Monday’s high-level, multistakeholder event on methane action, organised by France in the context of its G7 Presidency, “aims to accelerate global efforts to reduce methane emissions across the main emitting sectors – energy, waste, agriculture – with a particular focus on the energy sector, which offers the fastest and most cost-effective reduction potential”.

The event will convene a broad spectrum of participants from beyond the G7 membership, including ministers and senior officials, industry leaders, financial institutions, scientific experts and representatives of civil society.

Its objective is to strengthen the momentum of international action on methane ahead of COP 31, providing a platform for tangible announcements and reinforcing signals for increased efforts.

Officials said that amid the current energy crisis, the event will underscore that addressing methane remains a critical priority, demonstrating that ambitious climate action can go hand-in-hand with energy security and resilient, efficient practices across sectors. (SC)

Mexico to host 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship with Olympic, World Cup berths on the line

Nationnews Desk
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Mexico to host 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship with Olympic, World Cup berths on the line

Concacaf has officially named Mexico as the host nation for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship, which will run from July 24 to August 9.

The tournament will serve as a direct qualifying route to both the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“The Concacaf U-20 Championship represents a crucial step in the development pathway for the next generation of talent across the region, and we are delighted to stage the tournament in a country as passionate about football as Mexico,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani.

“With qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the LA Summer Olympics on the line, we expect a highly competitive tournament.”

Montagliani also expressed gratitude toward the Mexican Football Federation and its Commissioner, Mikel Arriola, for their commitment, adding, “We look forward to delivering a premier tournament experience for both participating teams and fans alike.”

Arriola welcomed the announcement with equal enthusiasm. “It is a great honour for us to be part of the development of the next generation of football in our region. We look forward to welcoming all participating teams and their fans to our country, and we are confident it will be a successful tournament and a great experience, reflecting the standards of Concacaf and football in our region.”

The 2026 edition will feature 12 nations. The six highest-ranked sides in the Concacaf U-20 Rankings as of October 2025, the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, and Guatemala, have been pre-seeded directly into the championship.

They will be joined by Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, and Jamaica, all of whom punched their tickets through the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers played from February 23 to March 4, 2026.

The tournament, which is part of Concacaf’s revamped Youth National Team competitions calendar, will determine the region’s representatives on the global stage. The four semifinalists will earn spots in the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Additionally, the tournament winner will qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics Men’s Football Tournament in Los Angeles. However, if the United States, already qualified as Olympic hosts, wins the regional championship, the Olympic berth will be passed to the runner-up.

The official draw for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship will take place on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Concacaf Headquarters in Miami, Florida. (CMC)

Guyana remains confident of victory in its border dispute with Venezuela

Nationnews Desk
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Guyana remains confident of victory in its border dispute with Venezuela

The Guyana government Friday said it remains confident of securing victory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding its border dispute with Venezuela.

In a statement issued ahead of Monday’s  public hearings by the Hague-based court, Georgetown said that it is approaching the hearings “with full confidence in the strength of its case, which is supported by the historical record and the applicable legal principles relating to the binding nature of arbitral awards, the sanctity of treaties, the respect for the rule of law and the stability of boundaries”.

The ICJ is set to begin oral hearings on May 4, with Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, saying that hearings are scheduled for May 4-8, and may extend into the following week.

Guyana brought the case before the ICJ in 2018, seeking affirmation that the 1899 Arbitral Award, establishing the boundary between the two countries, is legally valid. The award had been accepted for over 60 years before Venezuela declared it null in 1962 and revived its claim to the territory.

The matter is being addressed under the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which outlines mechanisms for a peaceful settlement. After bilateral efforts failed, the dispute was referred to the ICJ by the United Nations Secretary-General.

The court has already ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the case, paving the way for hearings on the merits, during which both sides will present full legal arguments.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that the ICJ has twice affirmed its jurisdiction in this matter, in Judgements issued on December 18, 2020 and April 6 2023.

“The Court has issued two Orders, both indicating provisional measures, which Guyana had requested, to prevent Venezuela from interfering with Guyana’s lawful control and administration of the territory that is the subject of the controversy while the judicial proceedings are still pending.

“Guyana approaches these Hearings with full confidence in the strength of its case, which is supported by the historical record and the applicable legal principles relating to the binding nature of arbitral awards, the sanctity of treaties, the respect for the rule of law and the stability of boundaries,”  the government said in its statement.

Earlier this week, Venezuela brushed aside concerned raised by Guyana and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) over a brooch that Acting President Delcy Rodriquez wore when she held talks with Barbados and Grenada leaders earlier this month.

The 15-member CARICOM grouping said Tuesday it had taken note of recent official engagements within the Community during which material asserting Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region had been on public display.

Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali, had earlier expressed his “grave concern” over the public display of the brooch won by Rodriquez, showing her country’s map that includes Guyana’s Essequibo Region as she held talks with two CARICOM leaders this month.

But as she addressed an anti-sanctions rally at the Municipal Theatre of Valencia in the Venezuelan state of Carabobo, Rodriquez said that Caracas will continue to uphold its claim to the ownership of the disputed Essequibo region in Guyana.

“We will soon be at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the coming days to reaffirm our historic position, which is international law and respect for the Geneva Agreement. It is outrageous when Venezuela is attacked, and that is why we are undertaking this entire process of spiritual revitalisation for the good of our nation,” she said.

“You know that the President of Guyana is now causing a scandal because I always wear the pin with the map of Venezuela. The only map I have ever known. Now they are even bothered by how I dress.” (CMC)

Reggae Weekend ‘a success’

Natanga Smith
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Reggae Weekend ‘a success’

Barbados Reggae Weekend has been declared a resounding success, with larger crowds, seamless global streaming for the first time and organisers already turning their attention to an even bigger fourth edition next year.

Sponsorship manager Michelle Straughn said the just-concluded three-day festival, held from April 24 to 26 at Kensington Oval, marked a significant step forward for the event.

“This has been a very, very, very good event. I think one of the better events that we’ve had in Barbados for a very long time. Everything came together as we would have hoped and the result speaks for itself when you see how happy the patrons are and the numbers over the last three nights,” she said.

Straughn noted that each night of the festival recorded growth, underscoring the event’s rising appeal. Friday’s Legends Show & Dance surpassed previous editions, while Saturday’s Showdown saw attendance double. By Sunday, the flagship Reggae in the Gardens event had tripled its usual turnout.

‘Bigger and better’

“This year was bigger and better,” she said, adding that the momentum has already sparked planning for next year’s staging.

In a major development for the festival, this year also marked the first time Barbados Reggae Weekend was streamed globally.

“We’ve had a very good response. It was a seamless exercise. It’s something we’re looking forward to doing again next year and going forward. We’re going to take Barbados and Barbados Reggae Weekend across the world.”

Challenges

The move to Kensington Oval, while visually and logistically significant, brought its own challenges. It was the first time the venue hosted the event, requiring organisers to balance large-scale production demands with the need to protect the historic cricket ground.

“The venue is a beautiful venue, there’s no doubt about that, but for a production like this there were some challenges,” Straughn explained. “We worked through them because we still have to make sure that we protect the pitches so that cricket can be played here in Barbados.”

She said the event is part of a wider push to reposition Barbados as a major festival destination.

“We are doing this on behalf of Barbados to help build Barbados as another destination as a festival, because I think we were losing that somewhat when Barbados Reggae Weekend went away.”

This year’s line-up also reflected a strategic shift, blending reggae with R&B to broaden its appeal.

“This is the first year that we have really fused R&B with reggae. Reggae in the Gardens has always been planned to be a fusion event because at some point we would have recycled the reggae artistes. There’s a wide range of artistes out there and we have time. This is only our third year, so more will come.”

There were minor hiccups along the way, including a scheduling issue with Jamaican artiste 450, who was originally billed for the Saturday but instead performed on the Sunday.

“There was a miscommunication and it was resolved. He couldn’t fly on Saturday, so he came in Sunday morning and performed and the patrons loved it.”

Sunday’s event also started later than advertised, a delay Straughn attributed to heightened security protocols at Kensington Oval, particularly with the presence of high-level officials including the Prime Minister and the President.

“We have to go through what’s called a bomb sweep where everyone in the stadium has to leave while checks are done. That process takes time. Then we had sound checks, especially with a production like Fantasia, which requires a lot of coordination.”

Despite the delays, she praised the cooperation of the Barbados Police Service. ( NS)

Regional countries to benefit from new initiative to deal with reduce plastic waste

Nationnews Desk
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Regional countries to benefit from new initiative to deal with reduce plastic waste

Small business enterprises in the Eastern Caribbean are being given the opportunity to benefit from a community-driven action project on plastic pollution that has been launched under the “Closing the Caribbean Plastic Tap” initiative.

The Sustainable Small Grants Programme (SSGP) will provide targeted financial and technical support to organisations working to reduce plastic waste and advance circular economy solutions in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The programme is designed to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), community-based organizations (CBOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), cooperatives, associations, schools, and informal groups with demonstrated community engagement to implement practical, scalable interventions that reduce plastic leakage into the environment.

It is being implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC), with support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

According to the IUCN, a total of EUR400,000 (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) will be made available to fund locally led projects that address plastic waste through upstream prevention and midstream circularity approaches.

Each participating country is allocated up to EUR 80,000, with individual grants ranging from EUR 30,000 to EUR 80,000.

The programme forms part of a broader regional effort to reduce plastic pollution at its source by supporting improvements in waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and sustainable material alternatives.

Projects funded under the SSGP will be expected to demonstrate measurable environmental and socio-economic impact, contributing to national priorities and global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). (CMC)

Walters: Growth not reaching public

Sherrylyn Clarke
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Walters: Growth not reaching public

The Democratice Labour Party (DLP) has chided the Mia Amor Mottley administration for continued reliance on a “narrow growth model” and over-reliance on tourism and construction.

DLP spokesperson on finance and economic affairs, Senator Ryan Walters, said the first quarter economic review presented by Central Bank Governor Dr The Most Honourable Kevin Greenidge on Wednesday, was not being felt at the micro level.

“Ultimately, while economic growth has been consistent, it is not being sufficiently reflected in the social infrastructure or lived experience of many Barbadians. Growth without transparency, diversification and tangible improvements in national development cannot be considered fully secure,” he pointed out in a media statement.

During his review, Greenidge said Barbados had seen 20 consecutive quarters of growth, low inflation, falling debt and there were $3 billion in reserves.

“The Barbados economy’s performance for the first quarter reinforced the progress achieved over the recent years. Macroeconomic stability has been maintained, supported by broad-based economic expansion, fiscal sustainability, healthy international reserves and a resilient financial system. The early first quarter performance also points to an economy that has retained its footing, underpinned by sustained policy discipline and the rebuilding of critical buffers,” he said.

The Governor reported that the economy grew by 1.7 per cent during the first quarter, inflation stood at 1.1 per cent and the unemployment rate was at 7.2 per cent.

The DLP did acknowledge the continued quarters of economic growth, but said it was reduced when compared with the same period in 2025.

“While Barbados has recorded 20 consecutive quarters of growth and a 1.7 per cent expansion in the first quarter of 2026, this represents a slowdown from 2.6 per cent in the corresponding period last year. This trend reinforces a long-standing concern – in the absence of targeted economic diversification, the economy remains heavily exposed to external shocks, particularly those affecting tourism and construction, the two primary drivers of current growth,” Walters argued.

“Despite modest gains, there is limited evidence of meaningful expansion in other critical sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and energy. Greater emphasis must be placed on developing agro-processing, investing in alternative energy, and advancing the creative economy particularly in areas such as film, digital media and local content production. These sectors represent real opportunities to broaden the economic base and build resilience.”

In his report, Greenidge stated that agriculture output increased by 4.1 per cent, recording a sixth consecutive quarter of growth, with fish catches surging 55.2 per cent, showing a strong rebound after Hurricane Beryl disrupted the industry in 2025.

Walters also raised concerns about debt management, saying no clear and credible strategy has been articulated for debt service, estimated to be in the region of $144.22 million in 2026. He reminded that in 2025, Government went to the capital markets to repay debt.

“While such measures may provide short-term liquidity relief, they do not constitute a sustainable debt management strategy. Rather, they reflect a form of debt roll-over that, if continued, can deepen structural vulnerabilities.

“Persistently relying on new loans to repay old ones increases exposure to interest rate shocks, erodes fiscal credibility and risks trapping the country in a cycle where debt grows faster than the economy’s ability to support it,” he added.

The DLP spokesperson called for clarity on the foreign reserves and how much was based on foreign receipts or tourism earnings. He suggested tourism spend might be down despite Government’s boast of record visitor arrivals, and that the construction boom might be locally driven rather than through foreign direct investment.

Greenidge had revealed that stay-over arrivals rose by 1.1 per cent to more than 237 000 visitors, while cruise passenger arrivals jumped 30 per cent to over 359 000.

Construction, he added, expanded 3.5 per cent, driven by projects such as the National Stadium, Coverley Residences and that at the Pierhead.

Walters also criticised what he termed “headline figures” that “risk presenting an incomplete picture”.

“More broadly, the absence of upto-date Accountant General reports and management accounts for several financial years severely constrains the ability to conduct independent, proper economic analysis. Without this critical information, it is difficult to fully assess the sustainability of current fiscal and economic trends.” (SAT/PR)

G7 to look at aid system reform

Nationnews Desk
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G7 to look at aid system reform

Development Ministers of the G7, a group of the world’s most advanced economies, ended their talks here in Paris yesterday with a consensus that the approach to development, including how countries like Barbados access financial and other support, needs to change.

This was outlined by France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, Éléonore Caroit, and reinforced in a communique issued at the end of the two-day G7 Ministerial Meeting On Development, which was hosted by the government of France.

With a significant number of countries grappling with rising debt and poverty levels, food insecurity and humanitarian needs, ministers from France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States assembled at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to address these and other global development challenges.

One of the issues on the table was reform of the criteria which determined the countries that can benefit from official development assistance (ODA). Barbados is excluded from such support.

ODA support is allocated using the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and includes gross national income per capital measurements provided by the World Bank.

“We had the OECD participating . . . and that was very important, because they are undertaking a reform of the DAC as we speak. It was important first to show the support of the G7 countries representing 70 per cent of the financing of development as part of the discussion, to show the support and the importance of ODA, but also the importance of taking into account other parameters and other metrics,” Caroit said during a press conference yesterday.

“There were really interesting discussions amongst the World Bank, for instance, and other development banks, to show platforms that already exist and other instruments that are already ready to use, so to speak, and sometimes

used in some circumstances, and how we can generalise these approaches.

“It really was to show that we support an ambitious reform of the DAC system, but it was not intended to pre-empt the reform that, of course, should take place within the DAC framework.”

She noted that “different members of the G7 have different views on ODA, but there was an agreement that this has been a very important tool that has been used to measure development, and that has been the core of our policies for decades.

“And so the idea is not to replace ODA or to eliminate it, but to accompany the DAC reform that is already intending to open its perception of how we can assess development policies in countries and where they should stand,” she added.

Caroit also said she was happy development ministers from the G7 were able to find consensus.

“I believe also it is important to speak about development nowadays. The backlash against some of the development policies and actions is present in every country. This has become, to a certain extent, a very ideological field, and what we did during these two days in Paris is to show that there is consensus beyond any form of ideology, that there is a willingness to work together to address the needs of those that need it the most.” (SC)

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