Forum on the Future of the Caribbean

From the website: The University of the West Indies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trinidad & Tobago in conjunction with the United Nations System in Trinidad & Tobago and a wide range of international development partners will host a new forum on The Future of the Caribbean. The forum will be held on Tuesday 5th May 2015 at the St. Augustine Campus UWI, Trinidad and Wednesday 6th -Thursday 7th May 2015 at the Hyatt Regency, Trinidad. The Forum on the Future of the Caribbean brings together political leaders, academia, private sector leaders, youth, civil society and policymakers to engage in a vigorous debate and discussion under the banner of: “Disruptive Thinking. Bold Action. Practical Outcomes”. Caribbean Heads of State, regional and international thought leaders from the Caribbean and Latin America, USA, China, Thailand, Malta, the United Kingdom and Chile will be among those present at the event. The Caribbean Forum is a further supported by the Organization of American States, CAF (the Development Bank of Latin America), the Caribbean Development Bank and the Association of Caribbean States. The Caribbean region has been facing numerous economic, social and environmental challenges that threaten its long term sustainable development. In a world of rapidly emerging global processes, Caribbean competitiveness calls for the creation of a new convergence framework and innovative solutions to tackle these demands. Exciting and unexpected solutions must be found to re-ignite growth and address financial difficulties whilst balancing the social and environmental needs of all constituents. In this scenario, political leaders play a crucial role. Through their vision and decisive action, development goals can become a concrete reality. There are seven main Forum themes: Global Convergence: A Place for the Caribbean Location Strategies for the Caribbean: Convergence of Ideas and of Ideals Building the Resilience of Small States: A Strategic Vision for the Caribbean 2050 Multi-dimensional Progress to Tackle Poverty and Inequality Solutions to Sustainable Development Issues in High and Middle Income Caribbean Countries New Diplomacy for Strengthening Financial Capacities and New Global Compact Global Diplomacy in the Caribbean