As Barbadians marked 37 years of independence on Monday, the
      milestone was celebrated in Washington, D.C., as well, with the
      Caribbean nation’s Ambassador, Michael King, touting Barbados’
        top ranking among developing countries, on the United Nations
      Human Development Index.

      “I do believe we must be doing something pretty right in
        Barbados,” declared Ambassador King to the guests during a
        reception he hosted at the Organization of American States
        (OAS), where he also serves as his country’s Permanent
        Representative.  Besides leading developing nations, Barbados
      placed 27th among all nations on the same UN index, according
        to Ambassador King, who noted that among the nations of the
        Americas, Barbados has been surpassed only by the United States
      and Canada on the performance measure since the UN instituted
        it 12 years ago. 

 

        “This did not come about by accident,” he stressed, explaining
        he hard work and sacrifice by Barbadians since the turn of the
        20th century when they began migrating across the hemisphere to
        Panama, Brazil, Cuba and the United States, and later to
        Britain.
      King also highlighted the “excellent political leadership”
        political parties have provided since the nation gained
      independence from Britain, and he hailed the good human capital
        and opportunities created.  “We continue to have free education
        from primary school right through to university.  We continue
      to put a lot of emphasis on the quality of life of our
      citizens,” he stated.  Emphasizing there was much for which
        Barbadians should be very thankful, he cited continued economic
        growth and “a certain level of prosperity, which suggest that
        we have been able to manage through turbulent times-certainly       from an economic and social point of view.”

 

        He also underscored Barbadian and Caribbean Community
        contributions to the inter-American system to help improve the
        lives of the hemisphere’s citizens.

 

      OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi and several OAS
        member country ambassadors joined the large turn-out of
        Barbadian nationals and friends in Washington who celebrated
        the island’s independence.
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