ON THE EVE of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Board of Governors’ annual meeting, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow, preparations are well underway.
This is according to Minister of Finance and the Bank’s current Governor, Dr. Ashni Singh. “Guyana is proud to be hosting this important annual meeting of the economic leadership of the Region,” Minister Singh said. “There is much expectation that this gathering provides the opportunity to confront some of the pressing economic challenges faced by the countries of the Caribbean.”
The Board of Governors is the highest policy making body of the CDB and meets once a year in one of the member countries to set the bank’s agenda and oversee its implementation.
The meeting will see economic leaders, Finance Ministers and some Prime Ministers, who also hold the portfolio of Finance Minister, from within the region. The meeting aims to facilitate the 27 member states to discuss issues confronting its members and to forge a plan for the coming year to address those needs and concerns.
Another highlight of the meetings is the release of the Bank’s annual report which provides an overview of the Region’s economic development and sector performance. The Bank will also host a number of seminars to discuss a range of topics of relevance to the socio-economic development of the Region. Among the topics to be discussed are agriculture and climate change, public /private partnerships in the Caribbean, transitioning to a green economy and mainstreaming multi-dimensional approach to poverty assessment.
Special guests of the meeting include representatives of multilateral financial institutions, development agencies, central banks, private banks and other stakeholders.
“The presence of these regional leaders should also be seen as an opportunity for us to showcase Guyana to the rest of the Caribbean,” said Minister Singh.