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Prime Minister Davis Calls for Stronger Global Partnerships, Fairer Climate Financing and Renewed Commitment to International Cooperation
October 20, 2026（https://opm.gov.bs/2026/10/20/）
At Diplomatic Week 2026, Prime Minister positions The Bahamas as a strategic partner for investment, trade and sustainable development through the blue, green and orange economies.
NASSAU, The Bahamas — Prime Minister Philip Davis has called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to a rules-based international order, strengthen cooperation with small island developing states, and pursue new partnerships in trade, investment and sustainable development.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening of Diplomatic Week 2026, Prime Minister Davis outlined The Bahamas’ foreign policy priorities against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, shifting trade relationships and increasing pressures on international institutions.
Under the theme “Orange, Blue and Green Economies: New Frontiers for Trade and Economic Development,” the Prime Minister presented a vision for international cooperation that connects the protection of small states with new opportunities for economic growth, climate resilience and shared prosperity.
He warned that the weakening of international rules and institutions poses particular risks for smaller nations, which depend on multilateral cooperation to safeguard their sovereignty, economic interests and security.
“For small states, the effects arrive early, and they arrive hard,” Prime Minister Davis said, pointing to international financial restrictions, the withdrawal of correspondent banking relationships and mounting pressures on global trade and development commitments.
Reflecting on The Bahamas’ entry into the United Nations following independence in 1973, the Prime Minister recalled the country’s founding commitment to international law and multilateralism.
“That was a bet. A small country with no army bet its future on a simple idea: that rules would protect the weak as well as the strong,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis invoked the legacy of the country’s first Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Pindling, whose inaugural address to the United Nations General Assembly emphasized the equal dignity and aspirations of all nations, regardless of size.
He said those principles remain central to The Bahamas’ approach to international relations, particularly as the global community confronts challenges that no country can resolve independently.
The Prime Minister identified security, economic opportunity, meaningful representation in international decision-making and climate justice among the principal aspirations of The Bahamas and other small island developing states.
He stressed that international financial systems must better recognize the vulnerabilities of countries exposed to severe climate events, even where national income classifications suggest relative prosperity.
“A country can look wealthy on paper and still lose a quarter of its economy to a single storm. Finance on fair terms has to reflect vulnerability as well as income,” he said.
Citing Hurricane Dorian, which devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama in 2019 and caused damage and losses estimated at approximately one-quarter of the country’s economic output, Prime Minister Davis underscored the existential implications of climate change for island nations.
“When we speak about climate, we are speaking about whether our children will inherit a homeland,” he said.
Beyond the challenges confronting small states, Prime Minister Davis issued a direct invitation to international governments, investors, universities and development partners to pursue opportunities in three emerging economic frontiers.
He identified the blue economy as a major opportunity for marine research, ocean conservation, shipping, logistics and transshipment. With an extensive maritime territory, strategically located shipping routes and valuable marine ecosystems, The Bahamas is positioned to deepen its role in ocean-based economic activity and scientific cooperation.