BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS — How having robust institutions can help Caribbean countries recover more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic and other setbacks will be the focus of the first edition of the 2021 Caribbean Economic Forum, “Resilient Institutions and Why they Matter to Me”, which takes place on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 8pm (7pm in Jamaica).
Cleviston Haynes, governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, which will be hosting the event, asserted: “Even as the region continues to grapple with the economic fallout of this current challenge, we must also focus on how we can mitigate the next one.
“A key element of ensuring our countries and our peoples are able to withstand external shocks is to ensure that we have strong institutions underpinning our economies.”
During the 90-minute forum, a panel comprising of Brian Wynter, former governor of the Bank of Jamaica, and two representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank — Moisés Schwartz, manager of the institutions for development sector, and Diether Beuermann, lead economist in the Caribbean Country Department — will discuss how structural reforms and better debt and financial management can act as guardrails against external shocks.
Haynes said: “We are delighted to return with a new series of Caribbean Economic Forums, especially after the positive feedback we received last year, and we are particularly pleased to be able to kick off this year’s edition with such an experienced and knowledgeable panel.
“We encourage people across the region and beyond to watch it on their local television stations or to follow the livestream on the bank’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.”
The Caribbean Economic Forum was first held in 2014 as part of the Central Bank of Barbados’ Distinguished Visiting Fellowship programme before adopting a new format in 2020. Recent editions have focused on digital transformation, reviving Caribbean tourism and the future of work.
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