As the global community continues to grapple with the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Atlantic Council is open for business. Our business, meetings, and events, however, are occurring virtually. For more information, please read an update from our President and CEO.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Caribbean economies to contract by 3 percent in 2020, with further economic contraction expected due to the effects of climate change. In addition, hurricane season is only a few months away, which means that Caribbean nations, in particular those heavily dependent on tourism, will suffer additional losses in agriculture, livelihoods, and productivity.

Given this important moment, the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center’s Caribbean Initiative, in collaboration with Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law & Policy, is pleased to invite you to participate in the Caribbean Initiative’s first forum, Caribbean Urbanism: Re-Imagining Resilience, which will focus on innovative ways to finance climate change adaptation. The Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, will open the discussion as she is a formidable spokesperson for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the challenges they face as a result of climate change. 

This forum will initiate a multi-stakeholder engagement process between Caribbean and US stakeholders as well as other interested partners in their efforts to develop pan-Caribbean projects that can benefit from new and innovative financial instruments. This financing is essential for disaster preparedness and sustainability in the Caribbean’s new green and blue economies.

Join the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center on Thursday, March 25, 2021, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. EDT, for this special discussion.

This timely event is part of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center’s Caribbean Initiative. Follow the initiative’s recent and upcoming events on our webpage and on social media @ACLatAm.

Agenda

Opening remarks

Vicki Assevero
Senior Fellow, Caribbean Initiative, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Pre-recorded video from His Royal Highness Prince of Wales

Keynote remarks

The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley
Prime Minister
Barbados

Reading of a letter sent by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Secretary John Kerry

Jason Marczak
Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Interlude

Kathy Baughman McLeod
Director, Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Atlantic Council

Eleanor Phillips
External Affairs Director – Caribbean Program
The Nature Conservancy

Panel Moderator

Daniel C. Esty
Professor of Environmental Law and Policy,
Yale University Law School

Panelists

Amy Chester
Managing Director
Rebuild by Design

Ben Goldsmith 
Chair
​​​​​​Barbados Environmental Conservation Trust

Orisha Joseph
Executive Director 
Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. 

Dr. Michelle Mycoo
Professor of Geomatics Engineering and Land Managment
University of the West Indies

Closing remarks

Melanie Chen
Member, Board of Directors
Atlantic Council

The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center broadens understanding of regional transformations and delivers constructive, results-oriented solutions to inform how the public and private sectors can advance hemispheric prosperity.

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