ECLAC Deputy Executive Secretary to participate in Forum on the Future of the Caribbean, May 5-7

The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Antonio Prado, will participate in the Forum on the Future of the Caribbean from 5-7 May 2015 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Forum is co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the United Nations system in Trinidad and Tobago. Sessions will be held at the UWI St Augustine campus and the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain.

During his first visit to the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Prado will deliver opening remarks on the first day of the Forum on the topic “Disruptive thinking for development: the role of the academy and development organizations”, at the UWI St. Augustine campus.

He will also serve as Chairperson and Moderator for a plenary session organized by the ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean on the final day of the Forum, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This session will focus on identifying and advocating innovative financing solutions for the Caribbean amid the challenges of high debt, reduced aid and stricter loan concessionalities.

The ECLAC plenary session will also build on the ongoing discussions on financing for development, in light of what is anticipated to be the forging of a new financing for development architecture, that will culminate in the third United Nations conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, in July 2015.

The emphasis will be on new and innovative approaches for development financing for Caribbean small island developing states. The session’s focus on stimulating original and inventive thought will respond to the Forum’s call for “disruptive thinking, bold action and practical outcomes.”