by Curlan Campbell
- Cameron Philbert, Rehanna Warren, Lynessa Griffith, and Jonathan La Crette are OECS Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) ambassadors
- SDM summit carded for Thursday, 19 August 2021, at 6:30 pm via Zoom
- Developing Grenada’s human resources in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals for Small Island Development States
Following his appointment as a Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) ambassador by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission, Cameron Philbert of Grenada will facilitate the upcoming virtual discussion as the Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) 2021 Summit draws near.
Philbert is among 3 other Grenadians, namely Rehanna Warren, Lynessa Griffith, and Jonathan La Crette, who received the appointment as official event ambassadors by the OECS Commission together with 23 other leaders from across the region and internationally.
According to the OECS Commission, the new cohort of SDM Ambassadors is responsible for growing the network of Movers for the SDM Summit while planning and implementing local programmes geared towards spreading awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and facilitating discussion forums that will unearth innovative solutions that are positioned to accelerate the development of the Large Ocean Developing States of the Caribbean. They were selected from a total of 254 applications received, following a rigorous selection and due diligence process.
The Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) 2021 Summit is carded for 22-23 September 2021. Prior to the event a virtual session will be held under the theme “Creating Tomorrow’s Economy.” It will also feature Grenadian entrepreneur Chad Fraser, a software technology expert and Co-founder of Sonover Inc, alongside other business professionals including Jerrod Best Mitchell of Trinidad and Tobago and Brian Reid of Barbados.
Philbert is a business professional with a combined 11+ years of leadership experience in Finance, Customer Service, Marketing and IT. He is currently the founder and Chief Problem Solver of InnovinC Marketing Agency & Digital Solutions. He indicated that his appointment will afford him the opportunity to be a part of a discussion geared towards finding solutions to regional problems and help businesses within Grenada and the OECS create sustainability to promote economic growth. “Firstly, I must state that I am extremely honoured to represent Grenada in this capacity, along with my fellow colleagues. In terms of representation, you can expect me to use this platform to challenge the way people think of sustainability and empower individuals to take actionable steps. Primarily when individuals hear sustainability, 2 things come to mind, the environment and volunteering. The aforementioned, however, conflicts with the actual United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were chartered in September of 2015. Overall, there are 17 goals based on varying intertwined topics with some 230+ indicators; for us to achieve those goals we need to challenge the narrative and empower individuals and organisations to take actionable steps to create sustainability,” he said.
Philbert is passionate about developing Grenada’s human resources which are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals for Small Island Development State.
“The pillars of sustainability that I am most passionate about are the Economy and Human Development, these can be translated to SDG’s #4 and # 9; Quality Education, and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure respectively. Ultimately, my goal during this ambassadorship programme is to use this platform to engage the leadership community in Grenada, to understand the sustainable development solutions available for their businesses through embracing the use of technology and the benefits for our overall economy”, he said.
The young SDM ambassador outlined his vision of what tomorrow’s economy should look like especially regarding job creation and entrepreneurship.
“From my personal perspective, the economy should be one that is directly intertwined with technology and driven by a strong small business community that has garnered experience and knowledge through an educational system designed to support multifaceted entrepreneurship. To create this economy there needs to be a higher degree of urgency placed on education; education focused on skills such as agrotechnology and robotics, education focused on technologies such as A1 and software development and education focused on entrepreneurship and leadership. Teaching someone “How to use a computer” is no longer an accolade, we’re in 2021, it’s the equivalent of using pen and paper. We need to grow!”, he explained.
Philbert suggested that small island developing states like Grenada should focus more attention on creating the enabling environment that will see the creation of small business owners. This he said will help to create robust economies for the future.
“Today, we need to start with Small Businesses owners (Startups and established businesses) and our education system. In Grenada and the OECS, Small Businesses are the engine that drives our economies. If we want to create a robust and thriving economy, we need to empower small business owners to embrace sustainability. This comes through providing the necessary training and financial support (traditional and non-traditional) to drive real change in all sectors. To build resilience within our economy we need to look closely at our education system with a focus placed on the development of technical skills in emerging areas, traditional vocational skills as well as leadership skills”, Philbert said.
The Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) 2021 Summit event is carded for Thursday, 19 August 2021, at 6:30 pm via Zoom.
