by Linda Straker
- 54th CDB annual meeting in Ottawa, Canada
- Minister Andrews scheduled to present on “The future of the CDB”
- Kendall Alexander, member of CDB Board of Directors also attending
Economic Development and Planning Minister Lennox Andrews is among ministers of Government from Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) member states who are attending the 54th annual meeting of the bank which opened in Ottawa, Canada on 17 June.
Besides Minister Andrews, the other participant from Grenada is Kendall Alexander, a senior public officer who is a member of the CDB Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for the general policy and direction of the operations of CDB. The board takes decisions concerning loans, guarantees and other investments by CDB, borrowing programmes, technical assistance and other operations of the bank.
The meeting opened with a forum which focused on the rights of Indigenous People. A press release from the CDB communications unit said that Indigenous leaders from across the Caribbean and Canada called for greater economic empowerment, participation in decision-making, and robust protection of rights at an Indigenous Peoples Forum which opened the CDB’s 54th annual meeting.
Entitled “Catalysing Caribbean-Canada Collaboration on Indigenous Peoples Affairs for Resilient Prosperity,” the forum represented a key step in the bank’s ongoing efforts to tackle issues impacting the region’s Indigenous communities and promote their upliftment through cross-national collaboration.
The event provided a platform for representatives to advocate for addressing systemic challenges facing their communities. Attendees included political leaders, community elders, and indigenous rights advocates representing communities such as the Kalinago of Dominica, Garifuna of Belize, and First Nations across Canada.
Besides the Peoples Forum, there are several seminars and panel discussions on various topics of regional importance as well as the 242th Williams G Demas Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, 18 June 2024.
Minister Andrews is scheduled to make a presentation on the topic, “The future of the CDB,” on the final day of the meeting which concludes on 20 June.
