After two tumultuous years, 2023 remains characterized by headwinds facing countries across the world. Just as the pandemic’s effects began to dissipate in 2021, a new series of shocks emerged to test Caribbean economies’ fragile recoveries and resilience in 2022, linked in large part to residual impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on supply chains and demand conditions, rising inflation and tightening financial conditions, as well as new global shocks — particularly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. To learn more about the topics discussed, please:Visit this blog: https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/headwinds-facing-the-post-pandemic-recovery-in-the-caribbean/Download the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-economics-quarterly-volume-11-issue-3-headwinds-facing-post-pandemic-recovery#Caribbean #improvinglives #development #economy #recovery #COVID19 #pandemic

Should corrections reform continue during the pandemic and how? From The Bahamas, hear how they are strengthening corrections reform amid the circumstances, which includes training of inmates in various skill areas, training of corrections officers, and addressing other key issues under the Citizen Security and Justice Program (CSJP).Inderia Saunders, IDB Communications Consultant The Bahamas, speaks to Dr. Valerie Knowles, the CSJP Rehabilitation and Reintegration coordinator, Alexander Darville, dean of Construction Trades and Workforce at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and Natalie Bethel, IDB Operations Analyst in The Bahamas. If you have questions or comments about this podcast, you can email podcast242@iadb.org.To learn more about our work in the Caribbean region, visit https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/.Read more about corrections reform and rehabilitation in The Bahamas https://www.iadb.org/en/improving-lives/pandemic-paves-virtual-path-rehabilitation.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, road traffic injuries are the second-leading cause of death among young adults (15-29 years old) and almost half of the fatalities are among vulnerable road users – Motorcyclists (23%), pedestrians (22%) and cyclists.Joining Golda Lee Bruce, our podcast host and Development Storyteller for the IDB Caribbean Department, to talk about the importance of road safety and what more can be done in the Caribbean to reduce crashes and the associated social and economic costs, are Alana Fook, Transport Focal Point - IDB Country Office in Jamaica, and Christopher Persaud, Senior Transport Specialist - IDB Country Office in The Bahamas.Also highlighted in their discussion are three free online courses on Road Safety in Caribbean region that are available now. They are Safe Urban Mobility, Institutions and Data Management and Safe Infrastructure. You can register for one, two or all three free online courses here https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/idbx-road-safety-in-the-caribbean-region?utm_campaign=idbx&utm_medium=partner-marketing&utm_source=organic&utm_content=road_safety_podcastIt is possible to obtain a Professional Certificate if you complete the 3 courses. The cost is $USD25.To join the conversation about Caribbean development, visit https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/

Small businesses are said to be the lifeblood of an economy, but they struggle even during the best of times – listen in on how the pandemic is affecting micro, small and medium sized enterprises in The Bahamas as the country struggles with curfews, lockdowns and fluctuating COVID-19 infection rates.Together, with Nicholas Higgs from the IDB-funded Access Accelerator, Small Business Development Center, small business owner Santina McKinney (Media Box Bahamas) and Maria Eugenia Roca – the Chief of Operations for Country Office Bahamas, we explore the context and the steps being taken to mitigate MSME challenges.Inderia Saunders, Communications Consultant for IDB in The Bahamas, hosts this episode of Improving Lives in the Caribbean.If you have questions or comments about this podcast, you can email podcast242@iadb.org.To learn more about our work in the Caribbean, visit https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.

In our second discussion about the new flagship publication by the Inter-American Development Bank, From Structures to Services: The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, we take a deeper look at energy, transport and water services. Tomas Serebrisky, Economics Principal Advisor in our Infrastructure and Energy Division and Michelle Carvalho, Economics Senior Specialist, also from the Infrastructure and Energy Division discuss changing the focus of the infrastructure agenda when dealing with these services in this podcast hosted by Golda Lee Bruce, Caribbean Development Storyteller.To access the publication 'From Structures to Services The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean', visit https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-services.To explore more of our work in the Caribbean https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

In 2019, our country office in Jamaica launched the Project Executing Units' Challenge to promote sharing and learning from each other as well as improve execution results. The Challenge had 4 main goals:1.encourage excellence in project management; 2.serve as a platform for knowledge exchange;3.identify best practices; 4.recognize the commitment to development results.In this podcast, our host Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller at the IDB, has a conversation with this year's winning team, the Project Sector Transformation Program, represented by Maria Thompson Walters and Richard Panton. Additionally, Adriana La Valley, IDB Chief of Operations in Jamaica, also shares the importance of the challenge and key lessons on project management from her 3 years in the country. To learn more about the winning PEU, visit: https://publicsectortransformation.gov.jm/Discover more about our work in the Caribbean region: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for the Caribbean region to rethink tourism. In this third podcast in the series, IDB Group Country Representative for Barbados, Juan Carlos De La Hoz Viñas, speaks with Graham Watkins, Chief of the IDB’s Climate Change and Sustainability Division, as well as two key stakeholders in Barbados’ ecotourism sector: Ian McNeel, social entrepreneur and founder of Walker’s Reserve; and Mahmood Patel, hotelier and owner of Coco Hill Forest, an agro-tourism and agroforestry project.Listen as they explore:
• What can be done to re-ignite economic growth in the tourism-dependent Caribbean?
• What are the benefits of moving beyond sustainable tourism to regenerative tourism?
• What are the ways in which agriculture and tourism can be better integrated?To learn more about development trends in the Caribbean, please visit our Caribbean regional hub: www.devtrends.iadb.org/en.This podcast was produced by Yajaira Archibald, Communications Consultant, IDB, and Terry-Ann Coley-Graham, Social Media Editor, IDB.To explore more of our work in tourism and other issues of impact throughout the Caribbean region visit: https://devtrends.iadb.org/enhttps://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/how-can-we-use-innovation-to-transform-post-pandemic-tourism/https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/5-ideas-to-create-a-sustainable-tourism-sector-from-barbados-to-the-galapagos/

This episode of Improving Lives in the Caribbean is a recording a webinar that took place on August 12, 2020.The Blue Economy has the potential to be a key driver of a sustainable and inclusive recovery in the Caribbean given the vast coastal and marine space in the region. As countries develop emergency response plans to recover from COVID-19, a core element of these plans should be the development and expansion of sustainable ocean opportunities. Moderator: Graham Watkins, Division Chief, Climate Change Division, IDB Panelists: -Cletus Springer, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development, OAS -Una May Gordon, Principal Director, Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Jamaica -Kirk Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Barbados -Michael Pintard, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Bahamas To access our blogs on sustainability visit: https://blogs.iadb.org/sostenibilidad/en/To explore our work in the Caribbean region, check out our Caribbean DevTrends hub: https://blogs.iadb.org/sostenibilidad/en/

To close its infrastructure gap, the Latin American and Caribbean region needs more than investment in new structures. It needs to become more efficient at investing in infrastructure and regulating a new range of services that have the potential to disrupt the energy, transport and water sectors. These are some of the key points of the new IDB report - From Structures to Services: the Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean (https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-services.Infrastructure is way more than light, water, roads and other concrete structures. Investment, planning, transparency, efficiency and negotiations are all significant ingredients for achieving sustainable infrastructure. Andrew Powell, Economics Principal Advisor at the IDB's Research Department, talks about the relevance of these issues for the Caribbean context and its post-pandemic recovery, as well as the technological revolution coming to the sector. Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the IDB Caribbean Department moderates the conversation. To download the report, From Structures to Services: the Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean:https://flagships.iadb.org/en/DIA2020/from-structures-to-serviceshttps://publications.iadb.org/en/from-structures-to-services-the-path-to-better-infrastructure-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-executive-summaryTo learn more about our work in the Caribbean:https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

The labor market has been in constant transition, adapting to new technologies and responding to the quickly changing demands of consumers. COVID-19 has only been a spark to speed this transition along. Laura Ripani (Principal Specialist and Coordinator of the Future of Work Agenda) and Fernando Pavón (Skills Development Specialist for the Caribbean) share their views on the labor market in the Caribbean and how it is impacted by COVID-19. What can the region do, or do more of, to adapt its workforce to the current situation and the future we are facing? Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the Caribbean Department, hosts this discussion.To learn more about the “Future of Work” and labor market trends in the region, visit: https://www.iadb.org/en/labor-and-pensions/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbeanhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-great-opportunity-region-interactive-versionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-education-and-health-sectors-future-interactive-versionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-work-latin-america-and-caribbean-what-are-most-demand-occupations-and-emerging-skills-regionhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/the-future-of-work-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-what-will-the-labor-market-be-like-for-women-interactive-versionExplore more content from our work in the Caribbean region here:devtrends.iadb.org/en

It is no secret that Caribbean Tourism has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. Further, the decline in tourism activity has negatively impacted the region’s growth prospects and led to unprecedented spikes in unemployment. Economists in IDB’s Caribbean department have described the COVID-19 shock to tourism as an “unprecedented extreme outlier event,” and it’s believed that government interventions to support the sector and their citizens must be equally unparalleled.In this second podcast in the series "Tourism in the Caribbean: Stories from the field during COVID-19," IDB Group Country Representative for Barbados, Juan Carlos De La Hoz Viñas, explores what it will take to reactivate the Tourism industry in the Caribbean. Viñas is joined by Vanessa Ledesma-Berrios, Chief Operations Officer, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Neil Walters, Acting Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), and Sylvia Dohnert, Executive Director, Compete Caribbean, and Private Sector Lead Specialist, IDB. To access resources from this podcast please visit www.onecaribbean.org, www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com, www.competecaribbean.org and our Caribbean regional hub https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.This podcast was produced by Yajaira Archibald, Communications Consultant, IDB, Terry-Ann Coley-Graham, Social Media Editor, IDB, and Ariel McCaskie, Economics Consultant, IDB.

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, given the region’s dependence on tourism and travel, are highly exposed to the economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The tourism sector’s contribution to GDP will be severely impacted by the restrictions implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus. We'll explore what initiatives are in place to support tourism organizations, governments and related actors in the industry to prepare the workforce for the sector’s accelerated digital transformation, and review how countries are incorporating eco-friendly measures to preserve natural resources and biodiversity. Could this crisis be the catalyst to revitalize the tourism sector? In this podcast, IDB Group Country Representative for Barbados, Juan Carlos De La Hoz Viñas, speaks with IDB Lab's Dora Moscoso and Ruth Houliston and Compete Caribbean's Sylvia Dohnert on the research and work being undertaken in this area, including IDB Lab’s ongoing #BeyondTourismChallenge (convocatorias.iadb.org/en/beyondtourism) – A Caribbean call for proposals to re-envision the tourism sector. The deadline to submit is July 31 and offers financing up to US$2 million.This podcast was produced by Yajaira Archibald (Communications Consultant), Terry-Ann Coley-Graham (Social Media Editor) and Ariel McCaskie (Economics Consultant).Check out our blog: Check out our blog, How can we use innovation to transform post-pandemic tourism? https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/how-can-we-use-innovation-to-transform-post-pandemic-tourism/To access the resources mentioned in this podcast, please visit our websites at www.idblab.org, www.competecaribbean.org and www.devtrends.iadb.org.

Research has shown that violence against women and children (VAWC) - particularly intimate partner violence (IPV) and severe punishment of children - tend to increase during times of stress and restriction of movements, such as during epidemics. In this podcast, experts from the region discuss why periods of high stress can cause violence to increase and what can be done at the individual and policy level to address the problem. In our Webinar on April 29, 2020, Laurence Telson (Operations Senior Specialist, Gender and Diversity Division, IDB), Dr. Peter Weller (Clinical Psychologist) and Professor Opal Palmer Adisa discuss, while Golda Lee Bruce (IDB Caribbean Development Storyteller) moderates.Find out more about tackling the escalating family violence during COVID1-19 lockdown.https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/home-not-so-sweet-in-times-of-covid19/Explore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

The coronavirus pandemic has caused several 2020 Caribbean festivals carnivals to be canceled or postponed. Festival stakeholders are being forced to rethink their offerings to maintain their appeal and remain profitable. Listen to our conversation with Caribbean cultural and entertainment leaders on the future of festivals in the region (this was originally recorded during a webinar on June 9, 2020). Kamal Bankay (Chairman - Jamaica Sports and Entertainment Network), Valmiki Maharaj (Band Leader - The Lost Tribe, Tribe Carnival Group), Carol Roberts-Reifer (CEO – Barbados National Cultural Foundation) and Vashtie Dookiesingh (Senior Specialist – IDB Lab) answer the question how can Caribbean celebrations adapt to the changing world?, moderated by Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the IDB Caribbean Department.To learn more about policies that support creative industries read our publication here: https://publications.iadb.org/en/public-policies-creativity-and-innovation-promoting-orange-economy-latin-america-and-caribbean.Further, you can see our work promoting creative industries in the Caribbean and other issues related to the region's development by exploring our new website: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.Interested in more of the Bank's resources on creative industries check out our recent publications below.Video gameshttps://publications.iadb.org/en/video-games-more-just-game-the-unknown-successes-of-latin-american-and-caribbean-studiosTechnocreativeshttps://publications.iadb.org/en/technocreative-entrepreneurships-creativity-and-technology-allies-or-enemiesLaunching an Orange Futurehttps://publications.iadb.org/en/launching-orange-future-fifteen-questions-getting-know-creative-entrepreneurs-latin-america-and50 innovhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/orange-economy-innovations-you-may-not-know-were-latin-america-and-caribbeanFuture Landscape of the Orange Economyhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/future-landscapes-orange-economy-creative-pathways-improving-lives-latin-america-and-caribbeanThe Orange Economyhttps://publications.iadb.org/en/orange-economy-infinite-opportunityExplore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

We were joined in a webinar on April 20, 2020 by Allison Peart, Managing Director of A. Peart Advisory Services Ltd of Jamaica, Zulfikar Ally, President of The American Chamber of Commerce in Guyana and Vincent Vandepool-Wallace, Founder of The BedfordBaker Group. Our panelists held a wide-ranging discussion on the impact of the economic slowdown on businesses, options for adaptation and diversification as well as retaining staff. Options included the exploration of COVID-free corridors for Caribbean tourists to spark a revival of the region’s tourism sector. This podcast is moderated by Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller and Caribbean Communications Coordinator at the IDB.For more information on development in the Caribbean visit our website: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.

What is a risk and how do you manage them in projects? What are positive versus negative risks and how do you stay on top of them? What is the difference between a problem and a risk and how do we apply this to the coronavirus outbreak? Sheries Ruddock, Operations Associate at the IDB, discusses with Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller and Communications Coordinator at the IDB, how critical risk management is to projects and how this applies to development work and today’s world. Risk Management in projects is not a methodology but a change of mindset, focusing proactively on managing risk that includes stakeholders, more than problem-solving in a reactive and individual way.To gain further knowledge and skills in risk management, you can enroll now in our massive open online course (MOOC) Risk Management in Development Projects. The course is designed for project management practitioners and introduces them to basic knowledge and practice of risk management in development projects. What’s more, is that it's self-paced, offered in three languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish) and provides 30 PDUs for those with project management professional certification. We encourage PMP and CAPM certified persons to participate!Here are the links to enroll in the course:English - https://www.edx.org/course/risk-management-in-development-projectsPortuguese - https://www.edx.org/course/gestao-de-riscos-em-projetos-de-desenvolvimentoSpanish - https://www.edx.org/course/gestion-de-riesgos-en-proyectos-de-desarrolloYou can find more about MOOCs on our DevTrends blog:https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/learning-for-caribbean-development/.Finally, make sure to check out all our work in the Caribbean region here.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

Government transactions like requesting a birth certificate, registering a property, or opening a business, are how citizens and companies connect with the government. Efficient government transactions enhance the business climate, citizen perception of government and access to crucial public programs and services. In the Caribbean, however, government transactions are often headaches. On average, they take more than 4 hours to complete, and more than 30% of transactions require 3 or more visits to public offices. Angela Reyes, Digital Government Consultant, IDB, and Benjamin Roseth, Modernization of the State Specialist, IDB, discuss these issues and the solutions with Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller and Communications Coordinator. IDB.Want to know more about this subject, please visit: https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/wait-no-more-improving-government-services-in-the-caribbean/https://publications.iadb.org/en/wait-no-more-citizens-red-tape-and-digital-government-caribbean-editionExplore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

Finding and fostering talent for growth in the Caribbean is important to us, that’s why we held a conversation with Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller and Communications Coordinator, IDB, and Paola Holst, Senior HR Business Partner, IDB, to discuss opportunities at the Bank and how to break-in.If you’re interested in improving lives with us, you can check out the following links.-https://jobs.iadb.org/en-https://jobs.iadb.org/en/our-stories-https://iadbcareers.referrals.selectminds.com/-https://jobs.iadb.org/en/our-cultureExplore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

Healthy environments equal better lives. Jamaican superheroes and finalists in the IDB's Superheroes of Development pitch competition, Loúreene Jones and Andre Reid, share with Golda Lee Bruce how the Yallahs Hope Project fights to preserve invaluable ecosystem services (biodiversity, water, etc.) of 2 key watersheds in the country and strengthen their resilience to climate change. A pivotal part of the project was their work with farmers and communities to utilize sustainable land practices and to even prevent and control forest fires that can be severely damaging.https://blogs.iadb.org/sostenibilidad/en/bringing-ecosystem-valuation-environmental-accounting-on-the-public-balance-sheet-the-case-for-the-yallahs-hope-river-watersheds-in-jamaica/Explore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

Guyana's Sustainable Housing for the Hinterland Program was selected for the IDB's annual Superheroes of Development pitch competition. Development partners Donnel Bess-Bascom and Cy Rodrigues discuss with Golda Lee Bruce how housing conditions, family dynamics and community culture improved for people who live in the Hinterland of Guyana and how the people themselves were leaders in this process of change. For more visit: https://www.iadb.org/en/improvinglives/fourteen-people-one-room-housing-and-hope-guyana.Further, explore more content from our work in the Caribbean region.https://devtrends.iadb.org/en