Four Eastern Caribbean small island developing states have gained access to a groundbreaking new regional initiative that removes long-standing implementation barriers to delivering climate-resilient infrastructure, marking a major step forward for climate adaptation in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
Officially opening operations this month, the Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility was launched on September 14 during a side event of the Caribbean Infrastructure Forum held in Miami. The initiative brings together four participating founding nations: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with high-level representation from each country joining international partners for the launch ceremony.
Funded entirely by the Government of Canada and hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), RIISE is structured as a Caribbean-led initiative. Its operational secretariat is based in Barbados, governance is led by the participating member countries, and independent technical guidance is provided by a panel of global and regional experts. While the four Eastern Caribbean states serve as the initial focus, RIISE leadership has confirmed that expansion to other climate-vulnerable island nations will be possible in the future as additional funding, partnerships, and resources are mobilized to meet growing regional demand.
The core mission of RIISE is to address the persistent delays that have kept many critical climate-resilient infrastructure projects from moving from planning and investment phases to on-the-ground completion. Small island developing states in the Caribbean frequently face gaps in technical capacity, specialized expertise, and implementation support that slow the delivery of infrastructure designed to withstand intensifying climate impacts like hurricanes, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion.
Through RIISE, participating governments can access tailored support to meet their specific needs. This ranges from short-term technical advice to solve acute implementation bottlenecks to temporary deployments of specialized experts that strengthen local public sector teams. Eligible support covers a wide range of practice areas, including full-spectrum project management, public procurement, contract administration, engineering and technical design reviews, financial management, environmental and social safeguard development, climate resilience design, gender equality and social inclusion mainstreaming, stakeholder engagement, project communications, monitoring and evaluation, and climate risk management.
The facility supports infrastructure projects across nearly every sector critical to community well-being and climate adaptation, including water and sanitation systems, transportation networks, energy infrastructure, coastal protection barriers, public government buildings, post-disaster recovery projects, health facilities, education campuses, and affordable housing.
Beyond supporting immediate project delivery, RIISE also has a long-term capacity-building goal: to build and retain specialized technical expertise within the Caribbean region. By placing international and regional specialists alongside local public sector teams and creating structured opportunities for member countries to share knowledge, lessons learned, and implementation experience, the initiative aims to strengthen lasting institutional capacity across the region.
Speaking at the launch, Her Excellency Brenda Wills, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, emphasized the central role of resilient infrastructure to sustainable development in the Caribbean. “Resilient infrastructure is essential to economic development, climate adaptation, and the well-being of Caribbean communities,” Wills said, noting that Canada’s funding support is designed to help governments access the critical expertise needed to overcome implementation hurdles and deliver high-priority climate investments.
Giuseppe Mancinelli, UNOPS Caribbean Coordinator and Country Director for Barbados, added that the UN body is proud to anchor the Caribbean-led initiative. “UNOPS is proud to provide the operational backbone for this Caribbean-led initiative,” Mancinelli said. “We will help governments turn their infrastructure plans into tangible results by providing additional capacity, expertise and implementation support.”
Public institutions and ministries in participating countries can request support through their designated national focal points. Requests are submitted via an online portal that requires basic information about the project, the specific implementation challenge, and expected outcomes. The RIISE secretariat then assesses request eligibility and works with the requesting institution to tailor the appropriate package of assistance and expertise. More details about the facility, its services, and the request process are available on the official RIISE website at riise-caribbean.org, or via email at info@riise-caribbean.org.