September 3-5 2025 | Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle, Barbados

Perspectives on Country Risk Management to Advance
the Sustainable Development of the WCR

The conference is available for viewing in multiple languages. Select your language in the video player to start viewing now.

Overview

.Hosted jointly by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), CCRIF SPC (the parametric insurance facility for the Caribbean and Central America), and CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean), the conference aims to catalyze concrete action on the most urgent and emerging threats facing the region.

September 3 -5, 2025

9:00 am – 5:30 pm (AST)
Daily

Hybrid Event

In-person in Barbados +
Online Access

Who Should Attend?

Policymakers, Financial Institutions, Development Partners, Academia, Youth 

Conference Agenda

Wednesday, September 3
9:30 am – 11:00 am

Opening Ceremony 

Welcome – Conference Moderator 

  • Introduction to the Conference –
    • Ms. Elizabeth Emanuel, Head, Technical Assistance Manager Team and Development & Corporate Communications Manager Team, CCRIF SPC
    • Mr. Stefano Capodagli Chief Risk Officer, Caribbean Development Bank
  • Remarks – Mr. Daniel Best, President, Caribbean Development Bank
  • Remarks – Mr. Isaac Anthony, Chief Executive Officer, CCRIF SPC
  • Remarks – Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, Regional Manager for the Caribbean, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean 
11:00 am – 11:10 am

Interlude/Entertainment – My Name is Risk

Ms. Cyndi Celeste 

11:15 am – 12:45 pm

Panel 1: Economic Tensions, Uncertainty and Geoeconomic Confrontations: Navigating these new Global Economic Relations

Moderator: Ms. Marla Dukharan, Caribbean Economist and Advisor

Panel Style: Roundtable Discussion

Speakers
•    Ms. Lilia Burunciuc, Director for Caribbean Countries, World Bank
•    Mr. Timothy Antoine, Governor, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
•    Dr. Marlene Attzs, Development Economist & Lecturer, Department of Economics, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
•    Ms. Dilka Escobar, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Investments, Concessions and State Risk, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Panama
•    Ms. Monique French, Chief Risk Officer, CIBC Caribbean
•    Mr. Ian Durant, Vice-President Corporate Services, Caribbean Development Bank

Policy Statement from Panel – Strategic Directions for Caribbean and Central America Governments

1:45 pm – 3:15 pm

Panel 2: Sovereign Risk and Financial Sustainability in the Caribbean: Strategic Financing and MDB Interventions

Moderator: Mr. Stefano Capodagli, Chief Risk Officer, Caribbean Development Bank

Speakers:  
•    Hon. Ryan R. Straughn, M.P., Minister, Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment
•    Dr. Kevin Greenidge, Governor, Central Bank Barbados
•    Ms. Michelle Yan Zhang, Global Head of Sovereign Credit, World Bank
•    Mr. Joydeep Mukherji, S&P Global (Online)
•    Mr. Joshua Grundleger, Director Sovereigns, Fitch
•    Mr. David Rogovic, Vice President and Senior Credit Officer, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Online)

3:15 pm – 4:15 pm

Café Corner #1 – Blended Finance for Caribbean Resilience: Mobilising Public & Private Capital, Concessional and Non-Concessional Funding

Moderator: Mr. Stephen Lander, Coordinator Development Financing, Private Sector Division, Caribbean Development Bank

Speakers:
•    Ms. Lori Kerr, Chief Executive Officer, FinDev Canada
•    Blended Finance Division, IDB Invest
•    Mr. Shimon McIntosh, Vice President-Commercial Banking and Managing Director, RBC Royal Bank (Barbados) Limited
•    Mr. Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
•    Mr. Stefano Capodagli, Chief Risk Officer, Caribbean Development Bank

4:15 pm – 5:40 pm

Panel 3: Demystifying Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake News: How Risky are these to our Region’s Development?

Presentation on Impacts of Misinformation and Disinformation
Mrs. Laleta Davis-Mattis, Former General Counsel, The University of the West Indies

Moderator: Mr. Peter Richards, Senior Editor, Caribbean Media Corporation

Speakers react to the presentation:
•    Ms. Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Advisor on Information Integrity, Office of the Under-Secretary-General, UN Global Communications, 
•    Mr. Al Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, Our Today
•    Dr. Craig Ramlal, Executive Director, Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre, The University of the West Indies

Policy Statement from Panel – Strategic Directions for the WCR

Thursday, September 4
9:00 am – 9:15 am

Welcome and View of Visual Summaries Day 1 

9:15 am – 10:00 am

Café Corner #2 – Exploring Detection and Attribution Science and the Implications for Climate Justice

Led by UWI Climate Studies Group Mona, featuring UNDRR, CCRIF

•    Prof. Michael Taylor, Faculty of Science and Technology; Co-Director, Climate Studies Group, Mona, The University of the West Indies (Online)
•    Dr. Jhordanne Jones, CCRIF-UWI Postdoctoral Fellow, UWI Climate Studies Group Mona, The University of the West Indies
•    Dr. Gabriele Coccia, Senior Risk Management Specialist, CCRIF SPC 
•    Dr. Mario Salgado, Programme Management Officer, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean

10:00 am – 11:30 am

Panel 4 – Loss and Damage and Climate Finance: Emerging Trends, Challenges and Opportunities

Moderator: Dr. Simon Young, CEO, GeoSy LLC

Speakers
•    Mr. Isaac Anthony, Chief Executive Officer, CCRIF SPC
•    Mr. José Ángel Villalobos, Actuary and Senior Underwriter
•    Mr. Isaac Solomon, Vice-President Operations, Caribbean Development Bank
•    Ms. Sasha Jattansingh, Senior Adaptation and Loss and Damage Expert for the Caribbean, Climate Analytics
•    Mr. Crispin D’Auvergne, Executive Director, Caribbean Cooperative MRV Hub

11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Panel 5: Are Nature-Based Solutions Keys to Building A Resilient Caribbean?

Moderator:  Ms. Valerie Isaac, Coordinator Environmental Sustainability Unit, Caribbean Development Bank

Speakers
•    Ms. Karen McDonald Gayle, Executive Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Fund
•    Ms. Virginie Andre, Programme Manager, Disaster Risk Management, Delegation of The European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM
•    Mr. Donald Baldeosingh, Executive Director, Carbon Zero Institute of Trinidad and Tobago
•    Dr. Evangeline Inniss Springer, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction Centre, The University of the West Indies
•    Ms. Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
•    Mr. Oscar Guevara, Principal Executive, Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean

A Call-to-Action – Recommendations to Regional Governments on Scaling up Nature Based Solutions
 

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Panel 6: Has the Global Sense of Societal Fragmentation Trickled Down to the   Region?  The Region’s Response….


Presentation on the Regional Human Development Report
Mr. Rodrigo Barraza, SDG Technical Specialist, Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Development Programme

Moderator: Ms. Elizabeth Emanuel, Head, Technical Assistance Manager Team and Development & Corporate Communications Manager Team, CCRIF SPC and International Development Specialist

Speakers
•    Mrs. Beverly Harry-Emmanuel, Advisor for Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat
•    Mr. Richardo Aiken, Community Development Specialist, Caribbean Development Bank
•    Ms. Isiuwa Iyahen, Deputy Representative and Acting Head of Office with the UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) for the Caribbean
•    Dr. Diana Thorburn, Director of Research, Caribbean Policy Research Institute
•    Mr. Joshua Andall, Prime Minister-elect of the Youth Parliament. Grenada and Grenada’s Youth Ambassador
•    Ms. Letícia Gontijo Furst Gonçalves, Risk Finance Consultant, World Food Programme, Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (Online)
•    Ms. Heather Timothy, Regional Programme Coordinator, Climate Risk Adaptation and Insurance in the Caribbean Project

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Panel 7: Unlocking Private Sector Potential & Risk-Sharing Solutions for Sustainable Development

Moderator: Ms. Lisa Harding, Private sector, Caribbean Development Bank

Speakers 
•    Mr. Berisford Grey, President & Chief Executive Officer, Sygnus Group
•    Mr. Daniel Best, President, Caribbean Development Bank
•    Mr. Darryl White, Managing Director Caribbean Region, IDB Invest

 

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Like a Quilt – Stitching the pieces together.  
 

Policy statements from the panels will be presented and provide for the wrap up of the overall discussions – CDB, CAF, CCRIF as organisers will share commitments possible actions opportunities, innovations and road map.

Closing Remarks/ Next Steps

Townhall - Youth Voices on Development

Thursday, September 4 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Moderators: Ms. Jamala Alexander
                      Mr. Zachary Murray

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Ice Breaker _ Using Mentimeter
    • One Word for the Future – Share one word that describes your vision for a resilient Caribbean.
  • Youth Speak
  • Economic Risks & Opportunities (Covering Panels 1 & 2 of the Main Conference)
    • How do global economic shifts affect youth jobs, entrepreneurship, and education costs?
    • What innovative economies (blue, green, digital) excite/benefit you?
    • What are youth priorities for investment in jobs, skills, and new industries.
    • What new industries should young people push for to build a stronger, more resilient Caribbean economy?
  • Finance & Sovereign Risk (Panel 2, Café Corner 1, Panel 4 Covering Panels 1 & 2 of the Main Conference) – Financing the Future
    • What barriers do young entrepreneurs face in accessing finance?
    • How should governments balance debt and social spending that benefits youth?
    • Share your perspectives on how you would allocate limited funds across climate, education, health, and entrepreneurship etc.
    • When governments face debt and budget pressures, which areas should they prioritize for youth (education, jobs, health, climate action)?
    • How can private banks, international donors, and governments better support youth-led businesses?
    • What financing solutions (crowdfunding, digital finance, youth funds) could unlock youth innovation?
  • Misinformation, Disinformation & AI (Panel 3, Panel 6) – Youth as Truth Detectives
    • How does misinformation affect youth decision-making (politics, health, climate)? Any examples
    • What role should youth play in building digital literacy?
    • Activity: “Truth Detectives” – Analyze two social media posts, decide if they are reliable; discuss solutions.

 

  • Climate, Nature & Resilience (Café Corner 2, Panel 4 & 5) – Defining Resilient Island Futures
    • How are youth experiencing climate disasters?
    • How can youth champion nature-based solutions to advance green jobs and build resilience?
    • Why is climate justice important for young people in the Caribbean?
    • What role should youth play in pushing for climate justice locally and internationally?
    • What role/s does youth want in leading the protection of and restoration of ecosystems?
  • Societal Fragmentation & Human Development (Panel 6) – AI and I
    • What inequalities (education, gender, employment) matter most to youth?
    • How does AI both help and threaten Caribbean youth futures?
    • How do you think AI could improve the lives of youth?

Remarks and Engagement with Leaders: CEOs, CCRIF, ECCB, CDB and CAF
You have 15 mintues with 3 leaders, provide one action that you would ask them to take to improve the lives of Caribbean youth?

5 Youth Asks (Mentimeter) – Based on Consensus towards a Caribbean Future Shaped by Youth
Development of Communique 
Presentation at Plenary