Barbados on Thursday voiced its hope to see a greater role of the United Nations, which is the most universal international body in the world, in global economic decision making.

The statement was contained in a speech by Darcy Boyce, Barbados' minister of state of finance, investment, telecommunications and energy, at the high-level UN conference on the global financial and economic crisis and its impact on development. The high-level meeting was opened on Wednesday and it will last three days.

"Barbados believes that the United Nations, which has a unique role and legitimacy, must play a much greater role in global economic decision making and rule setting," he said.

"We therefore welcome the possible formation of a working group in the General Assembly to advance many of the proposals from this Conference," he said.

"We must not squander the opportunities for creating a fair and more equitable system of governance where responsibility for global rule making and decision-making is vested solely in the entire UN family of nations," he said.

"Throughout history, small States have made an invaluable contribution to strengthening multilateralism and providing solutions to complex global problems," he said. "Our small countries can continue to be effective partners but they must be accorded a seat at the table when decisions are being made on issues of global concern."

Source: Xinhua