The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) will conduct its 21st Annual Invest Smart Caribbean 2019 Forum, which focuses on “Enabling Climate-Smart Resilient Investments: The Food-Energy-Water Nexus,” Nov, 21-22 in Washington, DC.
Among this year’s speaker is Minister Marsha Caddle, Barbados Minister of Economic Affairs and Investment.
Caddle is an economist, Member of Parliament and Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment in Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s administration of Barbados.
Her specialties in Economics are financing for development, macro-fiscal governance, and inequality, social protection and labour. Prior to joining the Cabinet of Barbados, Caddle worked as Governance Specialist with the Caribbean Development Bank, and Programme Manager with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She was also Programme Specialist, Economic and Rights with the then United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
She received a Masters in Economic from the Universidad Catolica Santo Domingo in 2002, and has since continued her training in International Economics with the University of Utah, and in Poverty Analysis and Measurement with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
Caddle has written and spoken extensively on issues of economic justice, providing advice to governments and international organizations on inclusive growth, macro-fiscal governance and inequality.
Invest Smart Caribbean is the only event in the U.S. that focus on the Caribbean climate change ecosystem. The two-day forum will bring together a group of US-Caribbean policy makers, business leaders, Caribbean diplomatic corps, and financiers to exchange up-to-date, relevant information and discuss opportunities for delivering inclusive and sustainable growth. SMART Caribbean is the only event in the US focused on the Caribbean agribusiness ecosystem, and it is both an educational event to engage in policy dialogue, and an important venue for developing business prospects.
The Forum begins on Thursday with a half-day forum on US legislative agenda and trade and development assistance policy. Caddle will open Thursday’s forum, “Ecosystem for Climate-Smart Islands Future,” with Anton Edmunds, Ambassador of St. Lucia and a US State Department Representative. Other speakers expected on Capitol Hill includes: Isaac Anthony of Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility, Kate Brown of Global Local Island Partnership Alliance, Jerry Butler of Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum and Gregory Guannel of the University of the Virgin Islands.
In the afternoon, the Office of the Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank will play host a half-day Forum on Disaster Recovery, Relief and Resilience. Some of the invited organizations for the Roundtable Forum include: Young Americas Business Trust; Organization of American States; and Island Innovations.
Friday’s Roundtable Forum will focus on Business Opportunities and Challenges and Financing available to address the investments. Speakers invited include: the World Bank; CARICAD; and the Caribbean Agribusiness Association.
Immediately following the Invest SMART Caribbean program of activities, the 26th annual hosting of the Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards will be held at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The awards will highlight the contributions of Caribbean Americans to the United States of America. The evening ends with a Red Carpet Dessert Soiree with dancing to Washington’s leading Caribbean band, ‘Image Band’, at the JW Marriott in Washington DC.
