Best-dos Santos Laboratory designated PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for AMR Surveillance

Bridgetown, Barbados, 17 June 2026 (PAHO/WHO) - Barbados' Prime Minister, Ministry of Health and Wellness officials and a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) team gathered at the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory where they traced the journey leading up to the occasion of the unveiling of the Laboratory's designation as a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance.

Emphasing that collaboration is key for progress in public health, Prime Minister of Barbados, The Hon. Mia Amor Mottley stated: "Without partnership we're not able to contain the spread of diseases; without collaboration and without partnership, we're not able to expand the body of science and knowledge that we have, without collaboration and without partnership, we are literally in a position of being a victim of circumstances."

Hon. Mia Mottley, Barbados Prime Minister

The Prime Minister recounted Barbados' outstanding public health history, naming three of its champions of public health - Sir Kenneth Stuart, Sir Kenneth Standard and Sir George Alleyne. Progress in public health in Barbados, she said, "might have been an academic speech for us had we not gone through three years of the COVID-19 pandemic; this might have been an esoteric speech for many had we not seen the level of deaths and the consequences for the livelihoods of our people in this country as it was across the global community. We are clear that there has to be collaboration before crisis, and that is why in the steady safe days that we are in relatively speaking, there must be progress."

Prime Minister Mottley described AMR as a "silent, slow-motion pandemic". Recounting her service leading the One Health Global Initiative for five years, she said AMR is the "third largest killer of human beings globally and is on target without intervention to be the number one killer of human beings by 2050."

Dr. Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries

PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC), Dr. Amalia Del Riego, expressed her gratitude to the Government of Barbados. "PAHO/WHO is deeply thankful to the Government and the people of Barbados for what they have built, and for what they so generously share with the wider region. Long before today's designation, the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory had already earned this recognition in practice. For many years it has served as a centre for learning for our sub-region - a focal point and a reference to which colleagues from across the Eastern Caribbean have come, time and time again, to be trained, to sharpen their skills, and to return to their countries better prepared."

Dr. Del Riego thanked partners who have made the Best-dos Santos Laboratory designation possible.

"We are especially grateful to the Government of Argentina for its important contribution to this journey. Through cooperation between Argentina and the countries of the Caribbean, the team of Best-dos Santos has received extensive training in antimicrobial resistance, including at the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre at the Malbrán Institute in Argentina."

She added: "I also wish to recognize the Government of the United States, whose support has strengthened this laboratory both directly and through PAHO. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that support took the form of substantial donations of laboratory equipment, notably strengthening whole genome sequencing capacity, and expanding what Best-dos Santos is able to do for the entire sub-region. We are grateful for this enduring partnership."

Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness

Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, Minister of Health and Wellness, commended Barbados for demonstrating "aspirational and inspirational leadership". She added that this leadership has led to the UN political declaration at the UNGA in the 79^th session on AMR, Barbados' efforts to realise the catalytic funding to support country budgets in this area and the emergence of targets set for 2030. She said PAHO has been a trusted and valued partner.

Dr. The Most Hon. Songee Beckles, Director of the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory

Dr. The Most Hon. Songee Beckles, Director of the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, described AMR as one of the greatest public health threats in the 21^st century. She outlined the critical role played by the Best-dos Santos Laboratory in strengthening national and regional capacity for AMR detection, surveillance, research and response. Through investments in microbiology, molecular diagnostics, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, quality management systems and regional partnerships, the lab has evolved into a leading Caribbean laboratory, she said. She credited PAHO and WHO as being among those to help the team improve laboratory surveillance systems and improve detection of resistant pathogens, through training and other support.

This designation builds on the laboratory's longstanding record of achievement and excellence in public health laboratory services. In 2024, the laboratory was recognized by the World Health Organization as a National Influenza Centre (NIC), joining the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and reinforcing its role in global disease surveillance efforts.

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