Canada to chair Caribbean Development Bank board
Canada’s Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
Sajjan, who succeeds Saint Lucian Prime Minister Phillip Pierre, accepted the chairmanship at the closing ceremony of the bank’s 53rd Annual Meeting on June 21.
The minister said “partnership and inclusion” will be the guiding principles of his chairmanship
“Much of our work together will also be centred on economic resilience and climate finance. Canada recognises that small island developing states (SIDS) are very vulnerable to economic and climate-related shocks. These countries are also particularly at risk of biodiversity loss that, quite frankly, the world cannot afford. Tangible action is needed to address these unique vulnerabilities. That is why Canada advocates for SIDS to gain increased access to financing, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and engagement opportunities,” Sajjan said.
Working with Caribbean countries to promote their development needs is not new to Sajjan said it is something that he has been “amplifying” for several years through his role as a Small States’ Champion under the UN-Commonwealth Joint Advocacy Strategy for Small States.
“Over the coming months, there will be further discussions on these themes at the G20, the UN, the World Bank Group and COP28. We also expect the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to be released in the coming weeks. We can see the momentum building towards refining the international development paradigm, which must include strengthening policies and building partnerships, including between the private sector, governments, and the international community. As CDB chair for the year ahead, I am committed to continuing to engage with the bank and our Caribbean partners to advance this critical work. It’s an exciting time – and we have much work to do together,” Minister Sajjan said.
CDB President Dr Hyginus Leon said the Bank is anticipating effective collaboration with Sajjan on areas critical to the Caribbean’s Development trajectory including climate action, access to finance and strengthening productive, economic and social resilience of Borrowing Member Countries.
“CDB is eager to strengthen our partnership with the Government and people of Canada who have been strong supporters of the Caribbean’s development agenda. We anticipate building on Canada’s active involvement in the region through this Chairmanship and both sides stand to benefit greatly from closer collaboration,” he said.
