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  • Zaiden Cornelius secures Jamaica scholarship to advance athletics career

    Zaiden Cornelius secures Jamaica scholarship to advance athletics career

    A rising young track and field talent from Dominica is set to embark on a transformative new phase of his dual academic and athletic career, after securing a prestigious athletics scholarship to Edwin Allen High School, one of Jamaica’s most renowned track and development powerhouses.

    Zaiden Cornelius, a Portsmouth-based javelin thrower who currently competes with Dominica’s Aspirers Athletics Club, will now have the chance to refine his craft and compete at an institution long recognized as one of the Caribbean’s leading hubs for nurturing elite track and field athletes. The opportunity comes on the heels of a string of standout performances that have cemented Cornelius’ reputation as one of the most promising young field athletes emerging from Dominica in recent years.

    Over the past year, the young thrower has stacked an impressive list of accolades that caught the eye of Jamaican recruiters. He has claimed national junior championship titles, as well as top honors at the Sports Division Secondary Schools championships in both the under-16 and under-17 javelin divisions. Most recently, he earned silver medals in the under-17 javelin event at two major regional competitions: the 2026 Trupial Classic hosted in Curaçao, and the 2026 Windward Island School Games held in Saint Lucia. He also secured a qualifying spot to represent his home country of Dominica at the 2026 CARIFTA Games, which will take place in Grenada.

    Cornelius’ journey from local competition at Portsmouth’s Benjamin’s Park to a full scholarship at one of the Caribbean’s top athletic high schools is a testament to the young athlete’s years of consistent training, relentless determination, and unwavering commitment to his goals.

    The Dominica Athletics Association Inc. has publicly extended its congratulations to Cornelius on the milestone achievement. The association has encouraged the young athlete to maximize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, urging him to continue pursuing excellence both in the classroom and on the throwing field. Beyond his own success, Cornelius’ breakthrough is already being celebrated across Dominica’s athletic community as a powerful, encouraging example for other young local athletes who dream of competing at the elite international level.

  • CAB UWI Scholarship awarded to three oustanding scholars

    CAB UWI Scholarship awarded to three oustanding scholars

    The Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) has announced the successful completion of higher education studies by three standout regional finance professionals through its joint scholarship initiative with The University of the West Indies (UWI). The CAB–UWI Scholarship Programme, a flagship professional development benefit extended to staff of CAB member institutions, represents the organization’s long-term investment in nurturing current and future leadership for the Caribbean’s evolving financial services sector.

    Designed to remove barriers to advanced learning for eligible employees across member organizations, the program empowers working professionals to pursue academic advancement while retaining their industry roles, equipping them with cutting-edge knowledge and specialized skills to navigate the fast-changing global financial landscape. This cohort of graduates, which includes practitioners spanning credit administration, tax operations, and credit risk management, embodies the program’s core mission of fostering continuous improvement across the regional finance workforce.

    Patricia C. Farrell, Credit Administration Manager at ACB Caribbean, graduated from the program in 2025. Balancing her academic commitments with ongoing senior leadership responsibilities in credit administration, Farrell’s milestone reflects a consistent dedication to professional excellence, lifelong learning, and personal career growth.

    Also graduating in 2025 was Rochelle Alphonse, Senior Manager of Tax & Operations at Grant Thornton East Caribbean. Alphonse successfully managed the competing demands of a senior leadership role and rigorous academic study, with her achievement highlighting the discipline and determination required to advance professional expertise for the benefit of both her organization and the wider Caribbean financial community.

    The most recent graduate of the cohort is Ashley Pickwoad, Senior Supervisor in the Credit Risk Unit at Heritage Bank Limited, who completed her program requirements in 2026. Pickwoad’s accomplishment in the specialized field of credit risk management reinforces the program’s focus on supporting targeted upskilling that directly strengthens industry capacity across key financial sub-sectors.

    Wendy Delmar, Chief Executive Officer of CAB, emphasized the transformative impact of the scholarship initiative in a statement following the graduates’ milestone. “The CAB–UWI Scholarship Programme is one of the many benefits available to employees of our member institutions, and we are delighted to celebrate the success of Ms. Farrell, Ms. Alphonse, and Ms. Pickwoad,” Delmar said. “Their achievements demonstrate the transformative power of education and the importance of investing in people. CAB remains committed to creating opportunities that strengthen the capabilities of professionals across the Caribbean and contribute to the long-term success of our member institutions and the financial sector as a whole.”

    The success of these three scholars underscores the tangible, lasting impact of CAB’s targeted investments in professional development across the region. Through ongoing initiatives like the CAB-UWI partnership, the association continues to help member organizations build a skilled, adaptive workforce capable of driving innovation, strengthening systemic resilience, and advancing sustainable economic growth across the Caribbean. CAB has formally congratulated the three graduates on this major career and academic milestone, recognizing their unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of professional and academic excellence.

  • Southeast banana and plantain farmers gain new skills through practical training

    Southeast banana and plantain farmers gain new skills through practical training

    In Dominica’s southeastern agricultural corridor, more than two dozen small-scale banana and plantain producers have walked away with actionable, hands-on skills to upgrade their operations after completing a targeted training initiative focused on elevating farm safety and standardized working practices.

    Hosted at the La Plaine Agricultural Training Centre, the program centered on two high-priority areas for local producers: safer management of agricultural agrochemicals and the correct, efficient operation of mist-blower machinery. Rather than relying solely on classroom-style lectures, organizers structured the session to blend expert technical guidance with live, on-site demonstrations. This hybrid approach let participating farmers practice new techniques directly, ask questions in real time, and cement their understanding of critical safety protocols that many had not received formal training on prior to the event.

    Organizers say the initiative responds to a ongoing shift in Dominica’s agricultural sector, where producers are increasingly looking to update legacy working methods to boost output, reduce workplace risks, and keep their operations competitive. The high level of engaged participation throughout the session underscores the local farming community’s strong eagerness to upskill, boost long-term productivity, and secure their place in the island’s key banana and plantain industry.

    To complement the training and extend its impact beyond the workshop, every participating farmer received a set of new tools and essential farm supplies to support their day-to-day cultivation work. This combined package of training and material support forms part of a sustained outreach effort led by two government agricultural bodies: the Banana and Plantain Unit and the extension staff of Dominica’s Division of Agriculture. For months, these teams have worked directly with producers across the island, delivering ongoing technical guidance, skills-building opportunities, and critical resources all with the core goal of helping local growers maintain consistent output and raise the overall quality of their banana and plantain crops.

  • Caddle: Don’t measure Caribbean by G20 standards

    Caddle: Don’t measure Caribbean by G20 standards

    At the inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space 2024 held at Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle this Tuesday, Minister of Economic Affairs & Planning Marsha Caddle delivered a pressing call for the Caribbean region to develop custom monitoring and evaluation frameworks aligned with its unique economic and geographic realities, rejecting one-size-fits-all models imported from larger, wealthier nations.

    Caddle emphasized that small island developing states (SIDS) in the Caribbean face distinct structural vulnerabilities that global metrics designed for major economies fail to capture. A wholesale copy-paste of results frameworks from G20 finance ministries, she argued, would ask misaligned questions that do not account for the region’s small, highly interconnected populations and deep exposure to external shocks. “We are entitled, and obligated, to build monitoring and evaluation systems that are honestly ours, not borrowed frameworks we only hope will fit,” Caddle told attendees.

    A core critique from Caddle centered on the overreliance on GDP per capita as a primary measure of economic health. She noted that this common indicator offers no insight into the catastrophic risk Caribbean nations face from extreme weather events, where a single hurricane can erase a quarter of a country’s annual GDP in a single afternoon. Beyond natural disaster exposure, Caddle added that standard international metrics also fail to account for the unique constraints small island states face when adapting to rapid technological change. For decades, Caribbean nations have fought to have these unique vulnerabilities recognized by global institutions, from narrow economic bases to debt structures shaped by repeated borrowing to rebuild storm-damaged infrastructure. Without regionally developed resilience metrics, Caddle warned, the region will continue to be assessed and funded based on outsiders’ misaligned definitions of vulnerability and progress, distorting reporting against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    As the 2030 deadline for SDG achievement approaches, Caddle laid out two equally urgent priorities for the regional evaluation community. First, she called for rigorous, honest evaluation of current progress toward SDGs, even when the resulting evidence challenges prevailing narratives or exposes unmet needs. Second, she urged the long-term, intensive work of building measurement tools explicitly designed for small, open, climate-exposed Caribbean economies.

    Caddle also emphasized the critical importance of regional cooperation, warning that duplicating separate monitoring systems, data infrastructure and resilience indexes across dozens of small individual states is wasteful and inefficient. “It is distinctly unhelpful to have a dozen or more small Caribbean states each trying to replicate the same institutional endeavour separately, when a shared one would serve us all better,” she said. Instead of each nation building independent evaluation training programs and isolated data systems from scratch, Caddle called for a cohesive regional evaluation community that shares methodologies, expertise, and hard-won lessons. A collaborative approach would allow successful frameworks from one jurisdiction to be adapted rather than reinvented across the region, enable skilled evaluators to support neighboring states, and position the Caribbean as a global model of context-appropriate resilience measurement, rather than just a collection of separate national efforts.

    Beyond structural and regional design, Caddle outlined key principles for effective evaluation. She argued that assessment should not stop at checking whether individual projects meet their immediate outputs; it must also examine whether the underlying systems that deliver those projects are built for consistent, reliable performance. A results framework that only evaluates single projects will only highlight successes, she explained, while leaving fragile underlying institutional systems unaddressed. Caddle also stressed that data collection must be tied directly to actionable policy, warning that unactionable indicators are merely decorative. “Every indicator in a national evaluation framework should be able to answer the question: If this number comes back bad, what am I going to do about it? If nobody can answer that, the indicator is decoration, not evidence,” she said. Finally, she called for all evaluation frameworks to incorporate an explicit equity lens, noting that measuring whether a program was delivered on time and on budget tells stakeholders nothing about whether it actually reached the marginalized communities it was intended to serve.

  • MBS Launches ‘Protect Your Prostate’ September Calendar Challenge

    MBS Launches ‘Protect Your Prostate’ September Calendar Challenge

    Prostate cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men globally, and many cases go undetected until advanced stages due to low screening rates and a persistent cultural norm that pushes men to prioritize other responsibilities over their own well-being. This September, the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) of Antigua and Barbuda is aiming to shift that narrative through its new public health initiative: *Protect Your Prostate: Know. Check. Act. Calendar Challenge*, a community-focused campaign designed to turn prostate health awareness into tangible action for men across the twin-island nation.

    For countless men, daily life is dominated by meeting work deadlines, providing for family, and juggling a never-ending list of everyday obligations, leaving little to no time for preventive health check-ups. MBS designed this challenge specifically to carve out space for men to prioritize their own health alongside their other commitments, framing proactive prostate care as a responsibility to both themselves and the loved ones who depend on them.

    To complete the challenge, participants must check off three sequential, accessible activities that build from awareness to action. First, under the “Know” step, men are asked to have open conversations with family members to document any family history of prostate cancer or other related reproductive cancers. This step is rooted in clinical evidence: a family history of prostate cancer significantly increases an individual’s risk, making early screening all the more critical.

    Second, participants join the broader awareness movement by wearing blue every Friday — the globally recognized color for prostate cancer advocacy — and taking part in a local walk or community event that raises public awareness of the disease. MBS also extends this call to action beyond participating men, urging wives, partners, relatives, friends, and colleagues to support the men in their lives. Even small gestures, from wearing blue to starting an open conversation about prostate health, can help break down the stigma that often keeps men from seeking care.

    The third and most critical step is the “Check” requirement: participants must complete a recommended prostate cancer screening, and encourage at least one other man — whether a friend, coworker, or family member — to get screened as well. This ripple effect is designed to expand the campaign’s impact far beyond individual participants, creating a culture of proactive health across communities.

    To incentivize early and complete participation, MBS is offering a reward for the first man to submit a fully completed entry with verifiable proof of all three challenge steps: a $150 gift voucher from K.M Morgan Men’s Collection. All entries must be submitted by September 30, 2026, via WhatsApp at 720 6251 or 720 6310. MBS has confirmed that all personal health information submitted as part of the challenge will be kept strictly confidential to remove barriers for men who may be hesitant to share private health details.

    At its core, the campaign centers on a simple, powerful message: men need to care for the person their family counts on, and families have a key role to play in encouraging the men they love to learn their risk history, get screened, and take control of their long-term health. Through this structured, community-driven challenge, MBS hopes to reduce late diagnosis rates and normalize proactive prostate care for men of all ages across Antigua and Barbuda.

  • Dominica Dementia Foundation marks 10 years of advocacy and support

    Dominica Dementia Foundation marks 10 years of advocacy and support

    Ten years after it first opened its doors out of a founder’s family living room, the Dominica Dementia Foundation (DDF) is celebrating a decade of unwavering support for people living with dementia, their loved ones, and their professional and informal caregivers across the Caribbean island nation.

    Founded in 2016 by 18-year-old Rianna Patterson, the organization was launched as a living tribute to Patterson’s grandfather, Terry Vidal. Just one month after its formal establishment, the young founder was already invited to participate in a landmark Caribbean regional dementia consensus conference in Miami, convened by Dr. Jessurun, president of the Sint Maarten Alzheimer Foundation and Caribbean regional representative for Alzheimer’s Disease International, setting the tone for the foundation’s rapid, impact-driven growth.

    Reflecting on the milestone anniversary in an official press release, Patterson shared deep pride in the organization’s 10-year trajectory and gratitude for the collaborators and volunteers who turned a small personal initiative into a leading regional voice for dementia care. “I am proud of all we have accomplished over the past decade and deeply grateful for every helping hand that has shaped the Foundation’s success,” she said, recalling the organization’s humble origins in her family’s home space.

    Patterson’s trailblazing work has earned widespread international recognition: In 2017, just one year after founding DDF, she received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She was featured by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States’ YES in Action initiative in 2023, took home the Caribbean Global Award in 2024, and is set to be honored this September among the Most Influential People of African Descent during a ceremony in New York. Her global advocacy has also included an invitation from Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth to address delegates at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Kigali.

    DDF President Veronne Nicholas outlined the breadth of the foundation’s on-the-ground work, delivered through strategic partnerships with local and regional organizations including PHARCS, Lifeline Ministries, the RayAsta Foundation, and Optimum Care Facility. Key initiatives over the past decade have included community-focused dementia-friendly public events, targeted training workshops for caregivers, need-based scholarships for care workers, professional care training programs, and ongoing psychosocial support for affected families.

    One of the foundation’s earliest high-impact interventions came in the wake of 2017’s devastating Hurricane Maria, when Patterson made a direct appeal to Queen Elizabeth II to support care homes damaged by the storm. The request was fulfilled through the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, delivering critical aid to facilities struggling to continue caring for dementia patients in the disaster’s aftermath.

    Over the years, DDF has expanded its programming steadily: It launched Dominica’s first-ever Dementia Friends Programme in 2018, established a national dementia support network in 2020, hosted Commonwealth Youth Academy seminars in 2023, successfully advocated for the inclusion of dementia data collection in Dominica’s national census, launched a sustainable cacao tea community initiative, opened the country’s first dementia-friendly café in 2025, and introduced an annual community outreach event called the Walk and Lime in 2024. The foundation has also built formal collaborative ties with Alzheimer’s advocacy organizations in Puerto Rico and Curaçao, strengthening regional coordination on dementia care.

    At the policy level, DDF has been a leading voice for systemic change since its earliest days: Just months after its founding in 2016, the organization served on the Dominican Ministry of Health’s national dementia plan steering committee and formally recommended that dementia be integrated into the country’s National Policy on Ageing. Its roster of institutional partners also includes the Dominica Council of Women, CommonAge, the Dominica Council on Ageing, and Dominica State College, among others. Youth-focused outreach has included a 2019 Student Ambassador Programme with the country’s state college, widespread school engagement across the island, a 2018 awareness march at Roosevelt Douglas Primary School, support for former Miss Dominica Jade Romain’s 2017 mental health advocacy platform, a 2022 public policy panel with JCI Dominica, and ongoing caregiver training through the RayAsta Foundation.

    Keisha Antoine, a founding board member of DDF, said her more than 10 years as a volunteer with the organization has been a deeply fulfilling experience, reinforcing her commitment to public service and meeting the underserved needs of older adults across Dominica.

    A core part of DDF’s mission has been destigmatizing dementia, a progressive neurological condition that impacts memory, communication, problem-solving skills, and behavior in unique ways for every patient. The foundation notes that its decade of awareness work has already helped reduce the culture of silence and social stigma that once prevented many families from seeking support, while emphasizing that all people living with dementia deserve individualized, person-centered, respectful care.

    Looking ahead, Nicholas stressed that the growing regional burden of dementia demands urgent, coordinated action. Current public health projections show that dementia cases across Latin America and the Caribbean will jump from 6.9 million in 2020 to nearly 10 million by 2030, and surge to more than 19 million by 2050. Prevalence of the condition rises sharply with age: it affects an estimated 2.5% of people aged 60 to 69, 9.4% of those aged 70 to 79, and nearly 29% of all people aged 80 and older.

    “Statistics are sobering,” Nicholas said, emphasizing that governments and communities must prioritize strengthening regional healthcare systems, expanding support for overburdened caregivers, addressing the significant economic impact of dementia, and better preparing local communities to meet growing need.

    For Patterson, the work remains as urgent and meaningful as it was 10 years ago. “Ten years later, our commitment remains stronger than ever. Serving this mission has been the greatest honor and joy of my life to see the difference it has made in the lives of people with dementia and carers in Dominica,” she said. “I thank God for giving me this vision and for bringing together people with a heart to serve.”

    To mark both the foundation’s 10th anniversary and World Alzheimer’s Month, the Office of the President of Dominica will be illuminated in awareness colors from September 17 to 21, 2026. As DDF enters its second decade of service, the organization is calling for interested community members to apply to join its Board of Directors, with expressions of interest accepted via email at dominicadementiafoundation@gmail.com.

  • Paint and Primer Donated to Improve Pediatric Department

    Paint and Primer Donated to Improve Pediatric Department

    A generous donation of painting supplies is set to transform the pediatric care space at a national public health facility, following contributions from three key partners. The country’s Ministry of Health and the Environment has publicly recognized the Central Housing and Planning Authority, along with local stakeholders Kevin Morgan and Carl A. Christopher, for their gift of 23 gallons of interior paint and 10 gallons of primer.

    The donated materials have been earmarked specifically for renovation work on the Pediatric Department, where young patients receive ongoing and acute medical care. Ministry officials note that the refresh will go far beyond cosmetic changes: the updated space will be reimagined as a brighter, more inviting atmosphere that eases stress for sick children and their family members who accompany them during treatment.

    In an official statement, the ministry emphasized how community and institutional partnerships like this play a critical role in upgrading public health infrastructure that serves the nation’s most vulnerable population. The contribution addresses an unmet need for facility improvements, removing a financial barrier that would have otherwise delayed the renovation project. Leaders from the health ministry added that this act of support sets a positive example for other organizations and individuals looking to invest in better public health services for children across the country.

  • Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Celebrates Orderlies

    Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Celebrates Orderlies

    Across every medical facility, there are unsung heroes whose hard work keeps daily operations running smoothly and ensures patients receive holistic care, and at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, these frontline support workers are finally getting the public recognition they deserve. This week, the major healthcare center launched a recognition effort centering on its team of orderlies, shining a well-deserved spotlight on the critical, often overlooked work they perform every single day. Orderlies at the facility take on a wide range of essential responsibilities that go far beyond basic facility support. They are tasked with safely transporting patients between departments for tests, procedures, and admissions, assist specialized clinical care teams directly at patient bedsides during treatment, and deliver constant, flexible support across every wing of the hospital to address emerging needs. In an official statement shared publicly, the medical center emphasized that its gratitude for the orderlies extends far beyond a single recognition event. “We appreciate you today and every day,” the institution wrote, adding that the work of these dedicated team members forms a foundational pillar of the high-quality care the center aims to provide every patient. Alongside internal recognition for its staff, the medical center also issued a call to action for members of the public, encouraging community members to take a moment to acknowledge the commitment and selfless service that the hospital’s orderlies bring to their roles each day.

  • Nurse advances to BRTO Round of 16

    Nurse advances to BRTO Round of 16

    The 2024 Barbados Open Road Tennis Competition continues to narrow its field of contenders, with defending champion Shakeem Nurse becoming the latest high-profile name to book his place in the tournament’s men’s Round of 16. On Monday, Nurse faced off against Kerry TC Francis at the Deighton Pa Roach facility in Bush Hall, St. Michael, for their Round of 32 matchup. From the opening points, the defending champion showcased the form that carried him to the top of the podium last year, proving far too consistent and powerful for his opponent to challenge. Nurse wrapped up the straight-sets win with final scores of 21-15 and 21-17, clinching his spot in the next round without dropping a set.

    In his first match of this year’s tournament, Nurse displayed sharp ball control and solid court awareness that kept Francis on the back foot for most of the contest. Even so, the champion acknowledged areas for improvement ahead of his next matchup: his tendency to go for high-risk, high-reward power shots led to a handful of unforced errors that he will look to cut out in future rounds.

    Nurse’s progression to the Round of 16 was part of a full day of Round of 32 action that saw several other competitors lock in their spots in the next stage. 14th seed Shawn Spencer delivered a quick, dominant performance against Seth Best, wrapping up a straight-sets victory of his own with scores of 21-17 and 21-15 in just 33 minutes of play. Dwayne Lynch also secured his place in the next round with a straight-sets win over Daniel King, outplaying his opponent to finish with final scores of 21-14 and 21-15.

    All 16 winners from the Round of 32 have now advanced to the Round of 16, where each competitor is already guaranteed a minimum prize purse of $1,000. Tournament action is set to resume on Wednesday, September 2, at the Diamond Corner venue in St. Peter, as contenders continue their fight for the 2024 Barbados Open Road Tennis title.

  • CDB pushes for stronger Caribbean evaluation culture

    CDB pushes for stronger Caribbean evaluation culture

    The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has launched the inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (C Eval Space), a landmark three-day regional forum hosted at the Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle, that aims to embed a culture of data-driven, context-responsive decision-making across the region’s development sector. Opened on Tuesday, the gathering brings together a diverse cross-section of stakeholders: independent evaluators, national policymakers, academic researchers, and development practitioners from leading regional and global bodies including CDB’s own Office of Independent Evaluation (OIE), the Caribbean Evaluation International Network, the University of the West Indies, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

    For decades, conversations about development evaluation for the Caribbean were framed as a side note in larger global discussions, where the region’s unique challenges and priorities were often sidelined. This new forum changes that narrative, putting Caribbean needs, experience, and leadership front and center. Dr. Roberto La Rovere, head of the OIE — the independent CDB unit tasked with assessing the bank’s policies, strategies, and projects to uphold accountability and drive organizational learning — emphasized that C Eval Space is the first regional evaluation platform designed explicitly “by the Caribbean and for the Caribbean.”

    “For a long time, conversations about evaluation in our region have been part of broader global discussions. Certainly valuable, but the Caribbean was at times portrayed as a small part of a bigger region, of a larger story. So from today, the C for the Caribbean stands at the centre, also in evaluation,” La Rovere told attendees. He added that the new platform recognizes the Caribbean has its own distinct development realities, unique challenges, homegrown solutions, and valuable lessons to share with the global community, meaning all actionable insights must grow out of local evidence, local experience, and local leadership. The forum’s core long-term goal is to build a connected community of practice capable of asking tough questions, collecting rigorous, meaningful data, and turning evaluation findings into tangible policy and project action.

    CDB President Daniel Best doubled down on the urgency of embedding an evaluation culture across the region, noting that today’s shifting development landscape demands far more than perfunctory post-project check-ins. Speaking to the opening of the forum, Best stressed that evidence-based decision-making is no longer optional for the Caribbean — it is an essential foundation for building resilient societies, strengthening public institutions, and ensuring that every development investment delivers tangible benefits to Caribbean citizens.

    “This gathering marks an important shift in how we think about development in our region. It reflects a growing understanding that evidence is not optional; it is essential. Essential evidence informs better decisions, guides smarter investments, strengthens accountability, and ultimately delivers better results for the people we serve. Evaluation, therefore, is no longer something that happens at the end of a project. It helps institutions learn, adapt, and improve,” Best said.

    He noted that the Caribbean is currently navigating a cascade of interconnected challenges: accelerating climate change impacts, tight fiscal constraints, competing development priorities, rapid digital transformation, and shifting demographic trends, all of which are reshaping the needs of Caribbean societies. At the same time, citizens across the region are increasingly demanding greater transparency, more effective public institutions, and improved public services. In this context, Best argued that transparency and accountability are not just abstract good governance principles — they are critical to upholding national, regional, and global commitments, building public trust, and ensuring that limited development resources deliver maximum impact.

    As the independent body tasked with holding CDB accountable to the region, the OIE plays a central role in advancing this mission, Best added. Independent evaluation is core to CDB’s responsibility to steward the resources entrusted to it and deliver on the results it has promised to Caribbean people. This role is particularly critical as the bank implements its 2026–2035 strategic plan, which centers on boosting development effectiveness, tracking measurable results, and driving continuous improvement. Independent evaluation, Best explained, helps the institution understand not just what interventions work, but how to deliver results more effectively and sustainably over time.

    Best also highlighted that youth development is a core pillar of CDB’s new strategic plan, noting that young professionals bring the fresh perspectives, digital expertise, and willingness to challenge convention that the evaluation sector needs to evolve. “Young professionals bring fresh perspectives, digital fluency and curiosity, and the courage to ask new questions. You will help redefine how evidence is generated, communicated, and most importantly, how it is used to improve lives. Many of you in this room may one day shape national policies, advise governments, lead institutions, and influence decisions that affect millions of Caribbean people,” he said.

    Ultimately, the forum marks a key milestone in the region’s push to take ownership of its development trajectory. By centering Caribbean context and leadership in evaluation, stakeholders aim to build stronger, more accountable institutions that can deliver equitable, sustainable progress for the region for decades to come.