As the final event of CARICOM Energy Month 2025, the walk underscores the Region’s unified commitment to accelerating its transition to clean, affordable, and sustainable energy systems. A diverse group of participants is expected to participate including government ministries and agencies, regional organisations, development partners, the private sector, civil society, academia, and youth groups.

Participants will assemble from 5:15 a.m. AST at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Turkeyen for an aerobic warm-up, before starting the walk at 6:00 a.m. AST. The route will take walkers along the Railway Embankment to the Sheriff Street Roundabout before returning to the Secretariat.

The event concludes with a short programme and remarks from regional leaders and partners, including:

· Hon. Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Anthony Phillips, M.S.S. Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana

· Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat

· Shevon Wood, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Guyana Energy Agency

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, 29 November 2025

Time: 5:15 a.m. AST (Assembly)

Starting Point: CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana

Registration: Scan the QR code on the official event poster

Contact: energy.programme@caricom.org

For more information, email: energy.programme@caricom.org or visit caricom.org

Hurricane Melissa, a powerful late-season storm, caused widespread socio-economic disruption across Jamaica. Torrential rainfall, destructive winds, and severe flooding resulted in significant damage to public infrastructure, homes, and essential services. Several parishes experienced major impacts to road networks, utilities, and community facilities, limiting mobility, interrupting livelihoods, and heightening vulnerabilities among at-risk populations. The rapid accumulation of debris and environmental hazards has further strained recovery efforts and heightened public health concerns.

Under the approved intervention, the CDF will provide US$500,000 to support early recovery efforts, with a focus on the rapid and safe management of the extensive debris generated by the hurricane. The support aims to restore access to essential services, reduce public health and environmental risks, and accelerate economic recovery in the most affected and underserved communities. The intervention is being delivered in collaboration with the UNDP Multi-Country Office (MCO) in Jamaica.

Commenting on the approval, CDF Chief Executive Officer Rodinald Soomer said:

“The CARICOM Development Fund stands resolutely with Jamaica in this time of need. Our commitment to supporting Member States during periods of crisis remains unwavering, and this relief package reflects our belief in regional solidarity and shared responsibility. By providing this emergency support, we aim not just to help rebuild what was lost, but to strengthen resilience so that communities emerge stronger and better prepared for future shocks.”

About the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF)

The CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) is an institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) established to provide financial and technical assistance to disadvantaged countries, regions, and sectors within the Community. The Fund supports projects and programmes that promote economic resilience, reduce disparities, and foster sustainable development across Member States. Through its targeted interventions, the CDF contributes to regional integration, building competitiveness, and fostering inclusive growth.

The launch takes place on World Children’s Day 2025 (20 November), under the inspiring global theme: My Day, My Rights. This year’s focus shines a spotlight on STEAM education as a fundamental right and a key driver of the Region’s digital transformation and sustainable future. 

HERizon is all about breaking barriers and building opportunities. Through this campaign, the CGICT Partnership is challenging gender stereotypes in STEAM, boosting digital literacy and skills development, expanding mentorship pathways and inspiring girls and young women across the Caribbean to dream big and pursue careers in technology and innovation.

 Over the next two weeks, HERizon will spotlight the voices and journeys of 56 phenomenal CARICOM women whose achievements prove the power of inclusive access to STEAM. Their stories showcase the diversity, brilliance, and leadership fueling the Region’s digital and creative economies. 

This is just the beginning! HERizon sets the stage for Girls in ICT Day 2026 (23 April), where the CGICT Partnership will continue championing digital inclusion, innovation, and youth empowerment across the Caribbean. 

Learn more about the CGICT Partnership and the HERizon campaign at caricom.org, follow @CARICOMorg on social media.

The Deputy Secretary-General spoke on Thursday, 30 October 2025, at the opening of Caribbean Data Day, which is hosted jointly by the CARICOM Secretariat and the World Bank as one of the series of statistics-related events in Willemstad, Curacao.

In his remarks, he referred to challenges Caribbean countries face in producing data to measure monetary and multi-dimensional poverty and vulnerability, especially those linked to climate change. The DSG emphasised the value of statisticians, policymakers, and international development partners meeting to deliberate and strategise on closing data gaps, and scaling up innovative approaches to improve the statistical landscape in the Caribbean.

The one-day event is aimed at exploring innovative approaches to address persistent data challenges. Its key focus will be on data needed to measure monetary and multidimensional poverty, track Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and provide insights into vulnerability and resilience, especially in relation to climate-related shocks.

There are four sessions: Poverty Analytics and Statistical Performance in the Caribbean; Regional Initiatives for Enhancing Statistical Capacity in the Caribbean; New and Improved Approaches for Measuring the SDG and Resilience; and Making Data Count for Policy: Using, Communicating and Disseminating Data.

Please read the remarks by the CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General:

I am honoured to once again be joining you for this annual gathering of regional Statisticians.  When I assumed office as the Deputy Secretary General of the Caribbean Community in 2021, I took the decision to pay particular attention to the Regional Statistics Programme and to manifest my support by making myself available annually to stand side by side with you at your annual week of Statistics. I am therefore honored to be joining you once again, and in particular to be with you for this the opening of the Caribbean Data Day, a special feature of this year’s Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS).

I begin by expressing solidarity with other Members States of CARICOM, particularly with Jamaica, Haiti, The Bahamas, and, fingers crossed, I will not have to add much more than this. But we all know that the ravages of Hurricane Melissa have brought destruction and devastation to our Member States, causing us to be even more concerned about the impact of the climate crisis on our countries, our people and our Region.

Just as any other successful mission, the desired result of eradicating poverty and inequality in all its forms across the CARICOM Region is better achieved if we join forces with others who share a similar desire. As the old saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.  This adage is manifested in today’s collaborative venture, wherein, together with the World Bank we are providing a platform to you as leaders in Statistics in the Community to reflect on, respond to and shape the relevance of data in addressing some of the basic needs of our citizens.    

You are no doubt aware that data is critical for measuring monetary and multidimensional poverty, tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and providing insights into understanding vulnerability and resilience, and I share your desire to one day see greater value placed on Statisticians as critical cornerstones to an evidence-based, data-driven, knowledge-seeking modern Caribbean society.  I trust that through conversations like that which will be held today, we shall move closer towards building better appreciation for consistent systems to capture and report data that is essential for monitoring progress toward our shared goal of wholesome and comprehensive human development.

The challenges faced by many Caribbean countries in producing the data needed to measure monetary and multi-dimensional poverty and vulnerability, especially those linked to climate change, can never be over emphasised.  I am therefore pleased that we have created this rare and valuable opportunity for statisticians, policymakers, and international development partners to come together, to deliberate and strategise on closing data gaps, and scaling up innovative approaches to improve the statistical landscape in the Caribbean.

The many interventions led by the Regional Statistics Programme at the CARICOM Secretariat contribute to a number of overarching objectives.  As a Community, we remain steadfast to ending hunger and poverty. Our efforts have focused on boosting regional food production to reduce dependence on imports. The Community’s 25 by 25 initiative was designed specifically to reduce our food import bill by 25% by 2025 and though there were factors that mitigated against achieving this target, Member States have redoubled their efforts in the expanded 25 by 25 plus initiative with a new target set for 2030. Our lived reality in CARICOM has brought us face-to-face with the devastating effects of the climate crisis and although we have all committed to the Sustainable Development Goals we see how exogenous variables that we neither contribute to nor have control over, are adversely impacting our ability to meet these goals by 2030. 

Despite the challenges that sometime may appear daunting, it is incumbent upon us to confront some critical questions:

• Are our national plans and policies driving the positive change we seek in poverty reduction, inequality, and sustainable development?
• How do we move from deliberation to action in strengthening our statistical systems to produce these critical datasets?
• How can we leverage our data to shape impactful policies? and
• How do we ensure sustained regional capacity for continuous and reliable production of high-quality data?

It is my sincere hope that today’s discussions will yield concrete recommendations and practical solutions to these pressing issues.

I wish to reiterate what I said in my opening remarks on Monday: that this Caribbean Data Day truly embodies the theme of this year’s meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians, “Improving Lives through Statistics: Strengthening and Innovating Together.”

By promoting the production and use of high-quality data, driven by innovation and technology, we are empowering ourselves to create and implement policies that can sustainably transform the lives of the people of our Caribbean Community, ensuring a better, more prosperous future for all.

The future of how statistics and data usage in decision-making shape our Caribbean Community rests not only in the hands of statisticians.  It is a collective undertaking of which statisticians serve multiple roles including that of champions, advocates, knowledgeable experts, guardians and custodians,  and the more opportunity that is made available for you to lead in shaping a modern society that is driven by data, the closer we as a society will get to building that evidence-based, data-driven, knowledge-seeking future that I referred to earlier. I therefore thank you all for availing yourselves of the opportunity to share in today’s event. Your presence, your insights and your unwavering commitment to advancing the power of statistics in the Caribbean is critical if we are to build a future where no one is left behind.

Thank you for the opportunity to share in today’s experience with you, and thank you to the government and people of Curacao for being such gracious hosts of this week’s series of meetings.  I wish you fruitful deliberations as you embark upon the business before you in today’s programme.

I thank you. 

Drawing on recent macroeconomic data and regional assessments, Mr. Durant highlighted the Caribbean’s persistently low growth trajectory, shaped by deep-rooted structural challenges. These include limited declining productivity and heightened vulnerability to climate shocks. He also underscored the pressing issue of elevated debt levels across many of the Bank’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), which continue to constrain fiscal space and threaten long-term economic stability and the capacity to engage in development spending.

“The Caribbean’s growth trajectory has been constrained by high export concentration, rooted in structural challenges, which has led to low and volatile growth,” said Mr. Durant. “To unlock our full potential, we must invest in building competitive, diversified economies that can withstand external shocks and deliver inclusive growth.”

The Vice-President emphasised that while regional debt ratios have improved since the pandemic, eight BMCs remain above the 60% debt-to-GDP benchmark. He warned that rising global interest rates and slower nominal GDP growth could reverse recent gains, making debt sustainability a critical development priority.

“Debt sustainability is not just a fiscal issue – it is a development imperative,” Mr. Durant stated. “CDB is committed to supporting our member countries through innovative financing solutions, technical assistance, and policy dialogue to help them build resilience and achieve long-term prosperity.”

Mr. Durant also called attention to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) as a platform for trade and growth. However, outdated port infrastructure, limited shipping connectivity, and high logistics costs continue to constrain the full potential of regional integration to deliver development to the people of the Region. CDB’s logistics study revealed inefficiencies such as paper-based systems, outdated fee structures and industrial relations practices, limited operating hours.

To address these challenges, the Vice-President advocated for the enhancement of entrepreneurial ecosystems in a comprehensive fashion, including increased investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, reform and modernisation of the regulatory and institutional frameworks with which the private sector interacts, and expanded access to concessional financing. He also called for coordinated regional action and strategic partnerships to support expansions in logistics infrastructure, innovation, digital transformation, and inclusive growth.

CDB remains a steadfast partner to advance the Region’s development agenda and support its BMCs in navigating complex global challenges. (CDB Press Release)

He was at the time delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 50th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians in Curacao.

Please listen to his address:

His design emerged as the winning entry from among 206 submissions in a competition organised by the CARICOM Secretariat, in collaboration with the SCCS, and with funding from the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) under the Strengthening of the Framework of CARICOM Integration and Cooperation Process (SFCICP) project. The logo competition is one of many activities marking the Year of Statistics, which ends in November. The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Improving Lives through Statistics, Strengthening and Innovating Together’.

The logo embodies the vision, values, and mission of the SCCS, serving as a unifying emblem that reflects its vital role in advancing statistical development, collaboration, and cohesion across the Caribbean Community.

A national of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Thompson was present in Curaçao for the unveiling of the logo during the opening of the 50th Meeting of the SCCS on 27 October 2025. He expressed his hope that the logo “would last for the next 50 years of the SCCS.”

Mr. Thompson shared his reflections with the Communications Unit shortly after the unveiling.

The logo was unveiled at the opening ceremony of the 50th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians in Willemstad, Curacao, on 27 October 2025. Seon Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago is the creative mind behind the design. He was present in Curacao for the reveal.

Mr. Thompson’s submission was selected from among 200 submissions to the regional logo competition, which was organised by the CARICOM Secretariat recently. The competition was funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), Strengthening of the Framework of CARICOM Integration and Cooperation Process (SFCICP).

The logo competition is one of many activities to mark the Year of Statistics which ends in November. The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘Improving Lives through Statistics, Strengthening and Innovating Together’.

The Secretariat recognises all the artists and creatives who took the time to participate in this competition.

Please stay tuned to our digital spaces for more on the logo and its designer.

The Minister of Governance, Planning and Public Service made the call at the opening of the 50th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians now underway in Willemstad, Curacao.

Listen to her remarks:

Statisticians from across the Region are in Curacao for the SCCS and a series of other annual engagements. The events this year, which will be held from 27 – 31 October, are jointly organised by the CARICOM Secretariat’s Regional Statistics Programme (RSP) and the Central Bureau of Statistics, Curacao, with support from the European Union under the 11^th EDF.

The engagements are being held under the theme ‘Improving Lives through Statistics: Strengthening and Innovating Together’, which is also the theme of the Year of Statistics that concludes in November.

See additional information here