标签： Dominica

Small island developing states across the Caribbean have emerged from a landmark capacity-building workshop with enhanced skills and clear guidance to unlock millions in dedicated climate grant funding, designed to strengthen regional resilience and address the devastating climate impacts that have long held back development across the region.

Hosted jointly by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the UN-hosted Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), the two-day workshop gathered senior government officials and national focal points from 15 eligible Caribbean nations in Bridgetown, Barbados, from May 12 to 13, 2026, according to an official CDB press statement. The gathering centered on preparing competitive funding proposals for the FRLD’s ground-breaking Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM), a $250 million pilot grant program with a final application deadline of June 15, 2026.
CDB President Daniel M. Best opened the workshop by emphasizing the urgent need for transformative investment in climate resilience across the region. For decades, major climate-driven disasters including hurricanes Maria, Irma, Dorian, Beryl, and Melissa have inflicted catastrophic damage on Caribbean economies, pushing small nations into development reversals where total losses often amount to multiple times a country’s entire annual gross domestic product. “The real lesson extends beyond the disaster itself; our response must evolve into bankable and scalable investment pipelines that reduce future losses,” Best noted.
With regional climate financing needs estimated at roughly $14 billion per year to address ongoing and future climate impacts, the workshop moved beyond high-level dialogue to deliver hands-on technical support. Attendees walked through proposal development requirements, eligibility guidelines, and priority intervention frameworks, equipping national teams to submit strong, fundable applications ahead of the mid-June deadline. Participating countries spanned the entire Caribbean basin: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.
FRLD Executive Director Ibrahima Cheikh Diong reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to correcting the global climate injustice that has left the Caribbean — responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions — bearing a wildly disproportionate share of climate harm. “The FRLD was created precisely to address the critical gap in responding to loss and damage, and the Barbados Implementation Modalities opens a clear pathway to finance,” Diong explained. “We are committed to ensuring that Caribbean countries have the knowledge and support they need to access this fund. Workshops like this one, co-designed with CDB, are central to that mission.”
The workshop also included input and collaboration from key regional climate and disaster institutions, including the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Their participation is expected to strengthen collaborative cross-border and regional funding proposals, unlocking greater collective impact for shared climate challenges.
Notably, CDB and the CCCCC are the only two regional Caribbean institutions accredited to both the global Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund, a status that positions them as trusted, accessible intermediaries for countries seeking to access FRLD resources. The BIM initiative also aligns directly with CDB’s newly launched 10-year Strategic Plan 2026–2035, branded “Transforming the Caribbean for Resilience,” which identifies scaled climate action and expanded access to climate financing as top institutional priorities for the coming decade. By building national capacity to secure and deploy loss and damage funding, CDB officials say the institution is translating its regional resilience vision into direct, tangible support for the vulnerable communities on the front lines of climate change.
As the application deadline approaches, eligible nations are being encouraged to maintain close coordination with CDB and their national focal points to refine priority intervention plans and submit robust, competitive proposals to access the transformational funding on offer.

Between April 28 and 30, 2026, key stakeholders from across the Eastern Caribbean gathered in the island nation of Saint Lucia for a landmark high-level workshop focused on catalyzing urgent reform, digital transformation, and cross-border cooperation for the region’s port and maritime sectors. Hosted at the Bay Gardens Hotel, the three-day event was coordinated by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, in strategic partnership with the World Bank and the European Union, bringing together cabinet ministers, senior public servants, top port and customs officials, regional maritime and logistics industry leaders, and global technical experts.

This workshop forms a core preparatory step for the upcoming Caribbean Connectivity and Logistics Regional Programme, a major initiative backed by World Bank financing. It also laid critical groundwork for shaping future EU investment in the region’s maritime transport sector under the bloc’s Global Gateway Strategy. Central to all deliberations were two overlapping goals: upgrading outdated Eastern Caribbean maritime infrastructure and gateways, and forging stronger, more integrated collaboration between national customs and port authorities.

Opening the formal proceedings, Shawn Edwards, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Energy, framed port system transformation as an existential priority for small island developing states across the region. “As global shipping shifts toward larger vessels and greater industry consolidation, we are already grappling with exorbitant freight costs, limited shipping route options, and chronic infrastructural gaps,” Edwards explained. “Against this backdrop, reform, digitalization, and cross-sector cooperation are not optional upgrades—they are non-negotiable requirements for our long-term economic growth and resilience.” Edwards emphasized that regional ports must continuously evolve to keep pace with the changing demands of the global economy.

Darwin Telemaque, Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean, echoed Edwards’ call for urgent, decisive action to overhaul outdated port operations and regulatory frameworks across the region. Telemaque noted that many Eastern Caribbean ports still operate under bureaucratic and structural systems inherited from the mid-20th century, creating unnecessary barriers to growth. “The region is crying out for sweeping regulatory reform,” he said. “It is past time to free the private sector and ordinary citizens from the outdated shackles that have held back our ports for decades.”

Alexander Agosti, Country Representative for Eastern Caribbean Countries at the World Bank, stressed that sustained political commitment is critical to unlocking long-term gains in port efficiency. Agosti pointed out that underperforming port systems drive up the cost of doing business across the Caribbean and limit access to new economic opportunities for local communities. He reaffirmed the World Bank’s ongoing commitment to supporting regional cooperation and building the institutional capacity required to implement durable, far-reaching reforms.

For the European Union, Ambassador-designate Fiona Ramsey used the gathering to announce new financing mobilized through the Global Gateway Strategy to support maritime transport infrastructure modernization across the Eastern Caribbean. Ramsey noted that maritime shipping is the backbone of global trade, carrying 80% of total global trade volume by measure of size—and that figure rises to 90% for intra-regional trade across the Caribbean. She emphasized that coordinated regional integration is key to avoiding wasteful duplication of costly infrastructure projects, while unlocking new economic opportunities for local businesses, smallholder farmers, and emerging entrepreneurs.

Ricardo James, Head of Trade Policy Development at the OECS Commission, also addressed attendees, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen implementation of existing regional trade and transport agreements and frameworks, including those established under the Revised Treaties of Basseterre and Chaguaramas. “We already have strong frameworks in place—now we need to activate and reactivate them,” James said. “We must use these existing agreements to set a clear agenda and work program to address the persistent challenges facing our transport sector.”

Over the course of the three-day workshop, participants engaged in targeted working sessions to map the full range of challenges and opportunities tied to port reform, digital innovation, and enhanced customs cooperation. Port and customs leaders from across the region shared on-the-ground experiences with technological upgrades and cross-agency operational coordination, while representatives from the World Bank, International Maritime Organization, and European Union presented findings from ongoing research and outlined the technical support packages available to OECS member states.

By the close of the event, attendees reached a broad consensus on the need to accelerate legislative, policy, regulatory, and institutional reforms designed to improve maritime transport governance, boost operational efficiency, and attract much-needed private and public investment in port infrastructure and integrated logistics systems. Discussions also repeatedly emphasized the value of breaking down silos between customs and port operations, through updated legal frameworks, restructured core business processes, and the widespread adoption of digital, data-driven management systems.

In their closing statement, participants reaffirmed the urgent need to roll out practical, actionable reforms to strengthen port governance, secure sustainable long-term financing, and advance digital transformation across the entire Caribbean. The workshop also underscored the critical importance of coordinated regional action among OECS members and the wider CARICOM bloc to boost connectivity, transparency, and climate and economic resilience across the regional maritime sector.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has formally announced a new $698,700 grant, backed by funding from the European Union (EU), designed to shore up Suriname’s capacity to handle climate-driven flood events, the bank confirmed in an official press statement this week.

This investment will underpin the cross-stakeholder Strengthening Flood Early Warning Systems in Suriname Project, a collaborative effort between the CDB, the EU, and the Surinamese national government. Per the CDB’s announcement, the core goal of the initiative is to boost disaster preparedness and emergency response capacity across Suriname’s high-risk regions that are regularly exposed to extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding, while safeguarding local populations, livelihoods, and critical economic infrastructure.

L. O’Reilly Lewis emphasized that the targeted funding will address long-standing structural gaps in the country’s existing flood monitoring and alert infrastructure. “This new investment will close critical gaps by upgrading hydrometeorological monitoring, strengthening forecasting capacity, improving inter-agency coordination, and ensuring that warnings are timely, accurate and actionable at both national and community levels,” Lewis explained.

The project is financed through the Caribbean Action for Resilience Enhancement (CARE) Programme, which falls under the EU’s broader Intra-African Caribbean Pacific European Union Disaster Risk Reduction Programme. The CDB notes that the upgrade work will focus heavily on low-lying, flood-prone communities across the country, including Brokopondo, Sipaliwini, sections of the capital Paramaribo, the Boven-Suriname watershed, and at-risk coastal zones. These areas have repeatedly faced crippling disruptions to transportation networks, agricultural production, housing, and public services, driven by a combination of heavy rainfall, shifting river system activity, and inherent geographic vulnerability to flooding linked to climate change.

Fiona Ramsey, speaking for the EU, underscored the urgent regional need to modernize weather forecasting and climate monitoring infrastructure across the Caribbean. “This initiative reflects the European Union’s continued commitment to strengthening climate resilience in the Caribbean, under our renewed partnership with the region on Disaster Risk Management,” Ramsey said. “By advancing weather forecasting capabilities and enhancing early warning systems, we are helping countries like Suriname better anticipate and respond to extreme weather events. Investing in reliable, science-based forecasting and timely alerts is essential to protecting lives, livelihoods and infrastructure, and to supporting sustainable development in the face of a changing climate.”

Key deliverables for the project include the creation of high-resolution 3D hazard and flood-risk mapping, a major expansion of national meteorological and hydrological monitoring networks, upgrades to data processing and management systems, and the rollout of a standardized Common Alerting Protocol to streamline the distribution of emergency warnings to at-risk populations. The CDB also confirmed that widespread public education and community outreach campaigns will be rolled out to ensure that even residents in remote, underserved vulnerable communities can understand and act quickly on flood alerts when they are issued.

Once fully implemented, the project is projected to cut flood-related economic and human losses, strengthen national food security, protect critical public and private infrastructure and local employment, reduce unplanned fiscal pressures tied to disaster response and recovery, and bolster investor confidence in the country’s long-term climate stability.

On-the-ground implementation will be led by Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning through the country’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Service, using a coordinated multi-agency governance framework to ensure effective delivery.

Stephen Tsang, representing the Government of Suriname, expressed gratitude for the collaborative support from the CDB and the EU. “The Government of Suriname welcomes this timely support from the CDB and the EU. Strengthening our flood early warning systems is a critical step in protecting our communities, infrastructure, and economy against the increasing impacts of climate variability. This initiative will enhance our national capacity to anticipate and respond to extreme weather events, while reinforcing our commitment to building a safer, more resilient and sustainable future for all Surinamese,” Tsang said.

The CDB added that this new financing aligns fully with the institution’s 2026–2035 Strategic Plan, which prioritizes boosting social, economic, and environmental resilience across the entire Caribbean region. The investment also advances the bank’s core mission of cutting poverty and improving quality of life through resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development practices.

In a landmark presentation at the 49th Meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission on April 30, 2026, Saint-Martin has put forward a bold proposal to unify the Caribbean’s fragmented film and audiovisual sectors through the establishment of a specialized regional knowledge network. The initiative, which is backed by Saint-Martin President Louis Mussington and First Vice President Alain Richardson, was laid out to assembled OECS commissioners by Saint-Martin’s representative Cyrielle Cuirassier.

Drawing on latest data from three leading United Nations agencies – UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development – Cuirassier highlighted the rapidly expanding global footprint of cultural and creative industries. She underscored that the creative sector has outpaced long-standing traditional industries including automotive manufacturing and pharmaceuticals in annual growth, both on a global scale and within France, setting the context for the Caribbean region to capture similar economic gains.

“The Caribbean holds unmatched cultural richness and untapped creative potential,” Cuirassier told the full commission. “Film and audiovisual production are powerful catalysts for inclusive economic growth, local job creation, and the strengthening of regional cultural identity. Now is the moment for our bloc to build a coordinated institutional structure that allows us to unlock the full value of this opportunity.”

As part of the proposal, Cuirassier called for an initial regional benchmarking assessment to map existing production resources, institutional governance frameworks, and key industry stakeholders across all OECS member territories. To kick off the collaborative process, she asked attending commissioners to share dedicated institutional contacts, laying the groundwork for future broad consultations on the plan.

Cuirassier also held bilateral discussions with OECS Director General Didacus Jules and his senior leadership team, connecting the new proposal to the organization’s existing creative industries study completed in August 2025. She clarified that Saint-Martin’s targeted initiative, focused exclusively on film and audiovisual work, is designed to complement rather than replace the broader creative economy agenda already being advanced by the OECS.

For Saint-Martin, which gained official Associate Member status in the OECS just over a year ago in March 2025, the proposal is a core component of a wider strategic push to establish the territory as a leading regional hub for film and audiovisual production. According to the joint press release announcing the plan, the initiative will evolve into a formal network cooperation agreement, which will be tabled through official OECS institutional channels following consultations with interested member states. The presentation at the commission meeting also served to reaffirm Saint-Martin’s commitment to active regional engagement, developing cross-border projects that deliver shared economic and cultural benefits across the entire Caribbean.

Addressing the longstanding challenge of limited regional scale, Cuirassier emphasized: “Individually, Caribbean creative industries do not have the critical mass required to compete effectively in the global marketplace. Working together, we can reverse that reality, and the OECS provides the natural institutional framework to turn this vision into action.”

The 49th OECS Commission Meeting brought together Director General Dr. Jules, senior OECS leadership, and ambassador-level commissioners from all member governments. The session followed the 3rd Meeting of OECS Associate Members held on March 31, 2026, which Cuirassier also attended as part of Saint-Martin’s delegation.