Improving Lives in the Caribbean

After two tumultuous years, 2023 remains characterized by headwinds facing countries across the world. Just as the pandemic’s effects began to dissipate in 2021, a new series of shocks emerged to test Caribbean economies’ fragile recoveries and resilience in 2022, linked in large part to residual impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on supply chains and demand conditions, rising inflation and tightening financial conditions, as well as new global shocks — particularly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. To learn more about the topics discussed, please:Visit this blog: https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/headwinds-facing-the-post-pandemic-recovery-in-the-caribbean/Download the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-economics-quarterly-volume-11-issue-3-headwinds-facing-post-pandemic-recovery#Caribbean #improvinglives #development #economy #recovery #COVID19 #pandemic

Should corrections reform continue during the pandemic and how? From The Bahamas, hear how they are strengthening corrections reform amid the circumstances, which includes training of inmates in various skill areas, training of corrections officers, and addressing other key issues under the Citizen Security and Justice Program (CSJP).Inderia Saunders, IDB Communications Consultant The Bahamas, speaks to Dr. Valerie Knowles, the CSJP Rehabilitation and Reintegration coordinator, Alexander Darville, dean of Construction Trades and Workforce at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and Natalie Bethel, IDB Operations Analyst in The Bahamas. If you have questions or comments about this podcast, you can email [email protected] learn more about our work in the Caribbean region, visit https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/.Read more about corrections reform and rehabilitation in The Bahamas https://www.iadb.org/en/improving-lives/pandemic-paves-virtual-path-rehabilitation.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, road traffic injuries are the second-leading cause of death among young adults (15-29 years old) and almost half of the fatalities are among vulnerable road users – Motorcyclists (23%), pedestrians (22%) and cyclists.Joining Golda Lee Bruce, our podcast host and Development Storyteller for the IDB Caribbean Department, to talk about the importance of road safety and what more can be done in the Caribbean to reduce crashes and the associated social and economic costs, are Alana Fook, Transport Focal Point - IDB Country Office in Jamaica, and Christopher Persaud, Senior Transport Specialist - IDB Country Office in The Bahamas.Also highlighted in their discussion are three free online courses on Road Safety in Caribbean region that are available now. They are Safe Urban Mobility, Institutions and Data Management and Safe Infrastructure. You can register for one, two or all three free online courses here https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/idbx-road-safety-in-the-caribbean-region?utm_campaign=idbx&utm_medium=partner-marketing&utm_source=organic&utm_content=road_safety_podcastIt is possible to obtain a Professional Certificate if you complete the 3 courses. The cost is $USD25.To join the conversation about Caribbean development, visit https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/

Small businesses are said to be the lifeblood of an economy, but they struggle even during the best of times – listen in on how the pandemic is affecting micro, small and medium sized enterprises in The Bahamas as the country struggles with curfews, lockdowns and fluctuating COVID-19 infection rates.Together, with Nicholas Higgs from the IDB-funded Access Accelerator, Small Business Development Center, small business owner Santina McKinney (Media Box Bahamas) and Maria Eugenia Roca – the Chief of Operations for Country Office Bahamas, we explore the context and the steps being taken to mitigate MSME challenges.Inderia Saunders, Communications Consultant for IDB in The Bahamas, hosts this episode of Improving Lives in the Caribbean.If you have questions or comments about this podcast, you can email [email protected] learn more about our work in the Caribbean, visit https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.

In our second discussion about the new flagship publication by the Inter-American Development Bank, From Structures to Services: The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, we take a deeper look at energy, transport and water services. Tomas Serebrisky, Economics Principal Advisor in our Infrastructure and Energy Division and Michelle Carvalho, Economics Senior Specialist, also from the Infrastructure and Energy Division discuss changing the focus of the infrastructure agenda when dealing with these services in this podcast hosted by Golda Lee Bruce, Caribbean Development Storyteller.To access the publication 'From Structures to Services The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean', visit https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-services.To explore more of our work in the Caribbean https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

In 2019, our country office in Jamaica launched the Project Executing Units' Challenge to promote sharing and learning from each other as well as improve execution results. The Challenge had 4 main goals:1.encourage excellence in project management; 2.serve as a platform for knowledge exchange;3.identify best practices; 4.recognize the commitment to development results.In this podcast, our host Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller at the IDB, has a conversation with this year's winning team, the Project Sector Transformation Program, represented by Maria Thompson Walters and Richard Panton. Additionally, Adriana La Valley, IDB Chief of Operations in Jamaica, also shares the importance of the challenge and key lessons on project management from her 3 years in the country. To learn more about the winning PEU, visit: https://publicsectortransformation.gov.jm/Discover more about our work in the Caribbean region: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for the Caribbean region to rethink tourism. In this third podcast in the series, IDB Group Country Representative for Barbados, Juan Carlos De La Hoz Viñas, speaks with Graham Watkins, Chief of the IDB’s Climate Change and Sustainability Division, as well as two key stakeholders in Barbados’ ecotourism sector: Ian McNeel, social entrepreneur and founder of Walker’s Reserve; and Mahmood Patel, hotelier and owner of Coco Hill Forest, an agro-tourism and agroforestry project.Listen as they explore:
• What can be done to re-ignite economic growth in the tourism-dependent Caribbean?
• What are the benefits of moving beyond sustainable tourism to regenerative tourism?
• What are the ways in which agriculture and tourism can be better integrated?To learn more about development trends in the Caribbean, please visit our Caribbean regional hub: www.devtrends.iadb.org/en.This podcast was produced by Yajaira Archibald, Communications Consultant, IDB, and Terry-Ann Coley-Graham, Social Media Editor, IDB.To explore more of our work in tourism and other issues of impact throughout the Caribbean region visit: https://devtrends.iadb.org/enhttps://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/how-can-we-use-innovation-to-transform-post-pandemic-tourism/https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/5-ideas-to-create-a-sustainable-tourism-sector-from-barbados-to-the-galapagos/

This episode of Improving Lives in the Caribbean is a recording a webinar that took place on August 12, 2020.The Blue Economy has the potential to be a key driver of a sustainable and inclusive recovery in the Caribbean given the vast coastal and marine space in the region. As countries develop emergency response plans to recover from COVID-19, a core element of these plans should be the development and expansion of sustainable ocean opportunities. Moderator: Graham Watkins, Division Chief, Climate Change Division, IDB Panelists: -Cletus Springer, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development, OAS -Una May Gordon, Principal Director, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Jamaica -Kirk Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Barbados -Michael Pintard, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Bahamas To access our blogs on sustainability visit: https://blogs.iadb.org/sostenibilidad/en/To explore our work in the Caribbean region, check out our Caribbean DevTrends hub: https://blogs.iadb.org/sostenibilidad/en/

To close its infrastructure gap, the Latin American and Caribbean region needs more than investment in new structures. It needs to become more efficient at investing in infrastructure and regulating a new range of services that have the potential to disrupt the energy, transport and water sectors. These are some of the key points of the new IDB report - From Structures to Services: the Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean (https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-services.Infrastructure is way more than light, water, roads and other concrete structures. Investment, planning, transparency, efficiency and negotiations are all significant ingredients for achieving sustainable infrastructure. Andrew Powell, Economics Principal Advisor at the IDB's Research Department, talks about the relevance of these issues for the Caribbean context and its post-pandemic recovery, as well as the technological revolution coming to the sector. Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the IDB Caribbean Department moderates the conversation. To download the report, From Structures to Services: the Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean:https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-serviceshttps://publications.iadb.org/en/from-structures-to-services-the-path-to-better-infrastructure-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-executive-summaryTo learn more about our work in the Caribbean:https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

The labor market has been in constant transition, adapting to new technologies and responding to the quickly changing demands of consumers. COVID-19 has only been a spark to speed this transition along. Laura Ripani (Principal Specialist and Coordinator of the Future of Work Agenda) and Fernando Pavón (Skills Development Specialist for the Caribbean) share their views on the labor market in the Caribbean and how it is impacted by COVID-19. What can the region do, or do more of, to adapt its workforce to the current situation and the future we are facing? Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the Caribbean Department, hosts this discussion.To learn more about the “Future of Work” and labor market trends in the region, visit: https://www.iadb.org/en/labor-and-pensions/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbeanhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-great-opportunity-region-interactive-versionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-education-and-health-sectors-future-interactive-versionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-what-are-most-demand-occupations-and-emerging-skills-regionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/the-future-of-work-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-what-will-the-labor-market-be-like-for-women-interactive-versionExplore more content from our work in the Caribbean region here:devtrends.iadb.org/en