Crisis prevention and increased resilience is one of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) global signature solutions – a key focal area for channeling resources and expertise with the aim of real impact and promoting sustainable development. Our partnership with The University of the West Indies (The UWI) through the Global Institute for Climate Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD) is built on our acknowledgment that higher education institutions at large, are extremely valuable partners in mainstreaming our signature solutions, around the world, but also here closer to home in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). These developmental solutions include a combination of policy advice, technical assistance, capacity building, finance and programme implementation.

We are very pleased that the targeted outcomes of the GISCRD so closely reflect the UNDP’s bid to help build resilience before adversity strikes. In a conceptual sense it means us strengthening the capacity of national and local entities in the Latin American and Caribbean region. In the more practical sense it is our support for initiatives like the GICSRD which will draw on Caribbean expertise to provide actual study programmes, solutions, innovations and knowledge towards enhanced Climate Action (SDG13) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Particularly as we are a region increasingly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, we must work strategically and jointly to ensure that the LAC region is making its best contribution to the larger 2030 agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. All of which, if successful, will contribute to the wellbeing of the Caribbean citizens and the generations to come.

2030 is less than a decade away. Like never before we need to increase the depth of our collaborations to ensure that we leave no one behind. This partnership between The UWI and its Global Institute for Climate Smart and Resilient Development with UNDP is a key stepping stone towards a more resilient Caribbean.