Region working towards becoming first Climate Smart zone

The recent launch of the “Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator” is expected to advance the Region’s efforts to become the world’s first climate smart zone.

The Accelerator is an entrepreneurial engine, which the key partners expect will catalyze and fast-track priority initiatives towards the world’s first “climate-smart zone”, delivering resilience, social development and broad-based economic growth for the Caribbean’. So far, 26 Caribbean countries and more than 40 private and public sector partners have joined the initiative.

#TheCaribbean region is working to increase its #Resilience to #ClimateChange by developing a #PublicPrivate investment framework for investing in #ResilientInfrastructure. #JumpCaribbean https://t.co/3SSCwbcG9D

— IDB Caribbean/Caribe (@IDB_Caribbean) August 14, 2018

University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles hosted the Launch of the Accelerator at the Mona Campus Assembly Hall on 9 August at the Mona Campus Assembly Hall.

Speakers included Sen. Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica; H.E. Dr. Omar Figueroa, Minister of Agriculture of Belize; H.E. Luis Alfonso de Alba, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; H.E. Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the IDB; H.E. Jorge Familiar Calderon, Vice President of the World Bank; Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS; Sir Richard Branson and the Honourable Usian Bolt, OJ. The CARICOM Secretary General was represented by Mr. Neville Bissember, Adviser in the Office of the Secretary General. The keynote address was given by The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica.