Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis said diplomacy may appear distant to some, but its outcomes reach deep into the communities.
“When our negotiators secure new climate finance mechanisms, they are creating opportunities for Bahamian contractors to rebuild seawalls in Grand Bahama. They are providing the funding to reinforce schools in Abaco. They are ensuring that the people of Long Island and Exuma can live with greater protection from rising seas,” the Prime Minister said during the Opening Ceremony of Diplomatic Week 2025 at Baha Mar Resort on Monday, October 20, 2025.
He said when The Bahamas expands trade partnerships and attracts new investment, diplomacy becomes the quiet architecture of opportunity. “It opens doors for Bahamian exporters, for small businesses, and for tourism operators who depend on reliable air and sea links. It allows for the exchange of technology, skills, and knowledge. The trade agreements and investment treaties we negotiate are the reason a young Bahamian can find work in a hotel, a resort, or a renewable energy project.”
The Prime Minister added that when the country works with its neighbours and allies on maritime security, diplomacy gives law enforcement agencies access to intelligence, technology, and coordination that would otherwise be out of reach. “It strengthens our ability to defend our borders, safeguard our waters, and combat trafficking and illegal fishing.
“And when we speak in international forums for small island developing states, we are standing on principle. We are demanding fairness. We are reminding the world that our size does not diminish our right to influence decisions which affect our very existence.
“This is the work of diplomacy – the unseen effort that makes daily life in The Bahamas more secure, more prosperous, and more stable.”
He said the government is committed to an active and strategic foreign policy that reflects the complexity of the times.
“We are building a professional and modern foreign service equipped to operate in a world defined by rapid change. Our diplomats must now understand climate finance as well as international law, energy transition as well as economics, digital regulation as well as traditional trade. The practice of diplomacy today requires technical expertise, but also emotional intelligence – the ability to read intention, to navigate difference, and to speak for national interest without arrogance.”
The Prime Minister noted that the country is strengthening its representation abroad to ensure that Bahamian voices are heard on every major issue – from sustainable development and global taxation, to maritime boundaries and the governance of emerging industries like digital assets. “We are also deepening our cooperation with regional partners through CARICOM, because we know that small states are strongest when they act collectively.”
He explained that The Bahamas has long understood that isolation is not an option. “We sit at a strategic crossroads between North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. That position gives us reach, but it also gives us responsibility. We have a duty to act as a bridge – between the developed and developing world, between the large and the small, between the powerful and the vulnerable.
“In a time of global fragmentation, nations like ours can demonstrate that cooperation is still possible.”
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