By Aabigayle McIntosh

The SIDS Center of Excellence one of the major outcomes from the 4th International Conference on Small Island Development States held in Antigua and Barbuda is expected to be up and running within a 6-month time frame.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nation’s Ambassador Walton Webson shared the information during an interview on Pointe FM.

He said, “It is a plan to put the next, have the next six months where the operational structures will be, and governance structures will begin to be put in place. We will recruit the relative, the relevant leadership to make this happen. And the center, I believe, would be totally functional within six, well, six months.

He also added they are now looking at the legal process that is required to make this center.

“They make this institution, the UN/Antigua SIDS center. And we expect that by within the next six weeks, the center, the physical center would be operational. As a small island, you want to make sure it’s done right, it’s done well, so that people could yet again say, nothing is too big for a small island to manage,” Webson said.

The Centre of Excellence is a direct response to the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS and is planted on three corner stone pillars – a Global Data Hub, an Innovation and Technology Mechanism and the Island Investment Forum.

 The Center will be established at Barnacle Point.