Skip to main content
Available in English

Fifth meeting of the Caribbean Development Roundtable Promoting climate resilience and sustainable economic growth in the Caribbean

Economic development
Social development
26 April 2018|Event
ECLAC - Caribbean

This year the Caribbean Development Roundtable (CDR) takes a frontal look at four major issues facing the region with a view to identifying workable solutions to address them successfully.

CDR 5_logo

CDR 5_logo
CDR 5_logo
ECLAC Caribbean

Under the general theme “Promoting climate resilience and sustainable economic growth in the Caribbean”, the Roundtable, through panel presentations and dialogue among policy makers, academics, the private sector and other stakeholders, will invite consideration of the  ECLAC debt for climate adaptation swap initiative, related opportunities for investment in green industries to promote economic diversification, and efforts to promote fiscal responsibility through the use of Public Expenditure Reviews in the Caribbean. The meeting will address the continuing challenge of de-risking and ongoing difficulties being experienced by the offshore financial sector in several member States. These issues are interrelated and deserve comprehensive attention with a view to improving the resilience of the region from both economic and environmental perspectives.

 

The CDR is expected to address the Caribbean’s debt challenge and other related issues, while providing a forum for examining opportunities for more effective promotion of sustainable development. Emphasis will be placed on finding innovative solutions to these trenchant problems.  The theme of the Roundtable is “Promoting climate resilience and sustainable economic growth in the Caribbean”

 

 

26 Apr 2018

  • Opening of the meeting

    09:00 to 09:20
    • Statement by Raúl Garcia Buchaca, Deputy Executive Secretary for Management and Programme Analysis, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
      Statement by The Honourable Allen Michael Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service

  • Implementing the ECLAC Debt Swap Initiative

    09:20 to 10:30
    • Presentation by Daniel Titleman, Director, Economic Development Division, ECLAC

  • Official group photo and coffee break

    10:30 to 11:00

  • Financing green investment for resilience building and structural transformation in the Caribbean

    11:00 to 12:30
    • Moderator: The Honourable Oliver Joseph, Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and CARICOM Affairs, Grenada
      Patrick McCaskie, Director, Research and Planning Unit, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Barbados
      Nirad Tewarie, Chief Executive Officer, American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago
      Diann Black-Layne, Chief Environment Officer, Antigua and Barbuda

  • Lunch break

    12:30 to 14:00

  • Promoting fiscal responsibility and financial management within the context of the region’s high debt burden

    14:00 to 15:30
    • Moderator: Stephen O’Malley, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the OECS
      Bert van Selm, Deputy Division Chief Caribbean II, International Monetary Fund
      Michael Baptiste, Independent Public Policy Consultant
      Michele Robinson, Consultant, Debt Management
      Dillon Alleyne, Deputy Director, ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean – Launch of ECLAC PER Manual

  • Coffee break

    15:30 to 15:45

  • Addressing the vulnerability of Caribbean economies caused by de-risking and challenges to the offshore financial sector

    15:45 to 17:15
    • Moderator: Ivan Ogando Lora, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dominican Republic
      Presentation by Sheldon McLean, Coordinator, Economic Development Unit, ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean
      The Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
      The Honourable Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Premier of Nevis
      Filippo Alario, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Belize Bank Ltd

  • Closing

    17:15 to 17:45

Practical information

Scope of Meeting

The CDR is expected to address the Caribbean’s debt challenge and other related issues, while providing a forum for examining opportunities for more effective promotion of sustainable development. Emphasis will be placed on finding innovative solutions to these trenchant problems.  The theme of the Roundtable is “Promoting climate resilience and sustainable economic growth in the Caribbean”

The meeting will focus on four interrelated topics as follows:

  • Understanding the ECLAC debt for climate adaptation swap initiative.
  • Advancing green investment and green industry for structural economic transformation the Caribbean.
  • Promoting fiscal responsibility and management in the Caribbean. The need for public expenditure reviews (PERs).
  • Addressing the vulnerability of the Caribbean caused by de-risking and challenges to the offshore financial sector.

 

Objective of the Roundtable

The main objective of the Roundtable is to provide a space for intellectual exchange of views and suggestions, with a view to identifying workable solutions to address the vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS.  Focus will be given the identification of integrated strategies for building resilience. It is anticipated that such strategies could be mainstreamed into national development planning processes, through policy formulation.