CDB President, Dr. Wm.
Warren Smith, explained why
transformation is a priority for the
Region as a whole as well as for
the Bank as it approaches its 50th
anniversary year.
Solutions and strategies to drive
economic and social transformation
in the Caribbean will feature
prominently when the Caribbean
Development Bank (CDB) holds the
49th Annual Meeting of its Board of
Governors in Trinidad and Tobago
on June 5 and 6, 2019.
The Meeting programme will
include key events and research
highlighting transformation in the
traditional and emerging sectors
and examining the role which
technology and digitalisation can
play in advancing the Region’s
development agenda.
This will be the fifth time that
CDB’s Annual Meeting will be held
in Trinidad and Tobago, which is
one of the founding members of
the Bank. Previous meetings were
held there in 1977, 1989, 2004 and
2011.
“Our borrowing member countries
are operating in an increasingly
complex global environment. The
challenges are new, different and
becoming increasingly complex
relative to what obtained when
the Bank was founded in 1970.
As a Region and as an institution,
we need to not just keep up
but actually use innovation as
a vehicle to leap ahead in this
changing world. That is what we
are anticipating in Trinidad and
Tobago – a rich exchange of ideas,
approaches and innovation that
places the Region’s development
at the forefront. We extend our
thanks to the Government and
people of Trinidad and Tobago for
hosting this important meeting,”
said Dr. Smith.
BMC can benefit fully from the
transformation process and that
CDB remains agile and relevant in a
transformed Caribbean.
A major highlight of the Bank’s
Annual Meeting is the William G.
Demas Memorial Lecture, held in
memory of the eminent Trinidadian
economic scholar and Caribbean
leader who served as the second
President of CDB from 1974 to
1988.
Now in its 20th year, the lecture
features a distinguished speaker
presenting on a trending economic
and social development topic of
importance to the Caribbean.
Another significant event is
VYBZING, where the Bank engages
directly with young people on
regional development issues and
which is held ahead of the Meeting.
For the first time, the event will
have youth representatives from all
19 of CDB’s BMCs.
Around 400 delegates, including
Government Ministers and officials,
development partners, private
sector representatives, members
of civil society, academia, and
media are expected to attend the
Meeting. During the course of the Meeting,
there will be various interactive
seminars at which thought leaders
and expert panellists will share new
research findings and data on key
topics. This year’s line-up will focus
on agriculture, digitalisation for
development and vulnerability and
resilience.
The event will showcase
the scope and impact of the
Bank’s investments in its 19
borrowing member countries
(BMCs). Participants will also
engage in strategic discussions
aimed at ensuring that every The Bank will also convene its
annual Governors’ Roundtable. This
year, the Roundtable will provide
the platform for discussion of the
strategic direction of CDB as part of
the process for formulating the new
Strategic Plan 2020-2024.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) is assisting Saint Lucia’s Cultural
Development Foundation (CDF) in identifying and
42 SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle
preserving the island’s intangible heritage.
A five-day capacity development workshop was held
earlier this year and focused on the implementation
of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level.
Intangible cultural heritage encompasses the practices,
representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as
well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural
spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups
and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their
cultural heritage.
www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019