Barbados Backlog Symposium

Between 27-29 January, 2025, Justice Anderson, in his capacity as Chairman of the CCJ Academy for Law and the Monitoring, Evaluating and Facilitating Committee of the Needham’s Point Declaration, was invited to deliver a keynote address at the Barbados Backlog symposium hosted by the UNDP-PACE Project in Collaboration with Government of Barbados, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the European Union at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Conference Centre (LESC) in Bridgetown, Barbados. In his presentation, Justice Anderson adeptly tied together the discussions held on the second and third days of the symposium, focusing particularly on the Needham’s Point Declaration and its impact.

Justice Anderson pointed out specific initiatives and reforms that have been implemented in response to the discussions at the symposium, and how the Needham’s Point Declaration has been serving as a guide to judges since its adoption in October 2023 at the CCJ Academy for Law 7th Biennial Conference, to further modernize the region’s criminal justice systems. Justice Anderson praised collaborative efforts among Caribbean nations to share best practices and resources, which have led to measurable improvements in case management, reduced backlogs, and increased access to justice for all. Particularly, he stressed the importance of sustaining momentum following the symposium and the Needham’s Point Declaration and called upon stakeholders to remain committed to the shared vision of a more efficient and equitable criminal justice system.