Sub-Regional Director for the Caribbean of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Diane Quarless says Caribbean SIDS (Small Island Developing States) must stop working in silos to tackle development challenges and unlock the full potential of the region.
Director Quarless was speaking in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at a meeting of Caribbean SIDS, where representatives from 16 countries are assessing progress on sustainable development and planning for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in 2024.
Convened by ECLAC Caribbean, and hosted by the Government of Suriname, the CDR was officially opened by the outgoing Chair, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Keisal Peters.
The United Nations regional organization ratified its “Caribbean First” strategy in times of pandemic, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
ECLAC’s debt relief proposal for the countries most affected by recent hurricanes was presented by Alicia Bárcena, the organization’s Executive Secretary, at a high-level ECOSOC meeting in New York.
The Executive Secretary of the United Nations’ Commission, Alicia Bárcena, detailed the proposal during the fourth meeting of the Caribbean Development Roundtable (CDR).
