Bridgetown, Barbados – September 10, 2024 – The CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) has made a cash contribution of US$100,000 or approximately EC$270,000 from its Emergency Disaster Assistance Facility (EDAF) to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to assist in recovery efforts following the devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, 2024.
The Caribbean Region faces existential threats, including biodiversity loss which continue to be a major challenge for global leaders and conservationists. Many plant and animal species in the Region are critically endangered, including the Grenada dove, the hawksbill turtle, the Antiguan racer, and the Saint Lucian racer—the rarest snake in the world. These are just a few among the over 200 critically endangered species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants in the Caribbean Region.
The Caribbean region is especially vulnerable to the rapid transboundary spread of disease and has experienced numerous infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, Cholera, HIV, Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, Norovirus, SARS, H1N1, which have had profound human, economic, and social impacts.
In response to the recent catastrophic hurricane that struck Carriacou and Petite Martinique of Grenada, and Union Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has purchased essential public health supplies to assist in improving hygiene, sanitation, and the prevention and control of vector-borne and other infectious diseases. The donation to Grenada was made on July 31st and the donation to St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be done on August 7th, 2024.
The President of Guyana is confident that the investments in agriculture, policy formulation and the dedication of CARICOM Heads of Government will lead to success in reducing the Region’s high food import bill.
Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have endorsed a strategy that will guide how the Region navigates the digital landscape.
A major deliverable of the Special Ministerial Taskforce on Food Production and Food Security (MTF) is to assist with the de-risking of the sector through the provision of agricultural insurance for farmers within the CARICOM Region. It has truly been a long, but rewarding effort from all who have been involved in the process which has led us to where we are today. This is a significant milestone in our regional development. - Mr.
Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO), Dr. Patrick Antoine, on 16 July 2024, chaired a high-level meeting between Mr. Jason Dunn, Commercialization Manager of Plant & Food Research (PFR), New Zealand, and Mr. Joe Pires, Managing Director of Caribbean Chemicals & Agencies Ltd, a leading Caribbean supplier of agricultural inputs, headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Mohammad Rafik Nagdee as its new Executive Director, effective August 6, 2024.
Dr. Nagdee, a Barbadian national, emerged as the successful candidate during a rigorous three-stage recruitment process that was initiated in December 2023.
"This forum’s focus on three critical matters - agriculture and food and nutrition security, green economy transition, and digitalization of business – will inform the ongoing narrative and action plans on how strategic investments can be directed towards development, sustainability, and resilience. These are matters of great priority in CARICOM." - Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General