Northern strategy

The Northern Strategy articulated in The UWI's new Ten-Point Plan focuses on the university's relationship with SUNY and Brock through its SUNY UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development (CLSD), and Canada-Caribbean Institute respectively.

Canada-Caribbean Institute

It was an historic event at the Regional Headquarters of The UWI on February 17, 2020 when The UWI and Canada's Brock University finally launched a joint institute to promote, transform, and upgrade two hundred years of solid relations that have facilitated Caribbean development.

There was a celebratory mood at the launch ceremony. Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Laurie Peters, who was a quiet but effective supporter of the project from the beginning, was in attendance, along with officials from both universities. The launch ceremony was followed by a two-day symposium on Canada-Caribbean relations.

Joint founder of the Institute, Vice-Chancellor Beckles, stated in his opening remarks, "The economic history of the region shows that Canada has been CARICOM's leading and most reliable economic development partner in the post-independence era."

"As a result," he said, "the time has come to reengineer and upgrade this very special mutual development bridge in light of the new challenges facing both regions such as the corrosiveness of climate change, instability in the global banking and finance sector, the cultural underpinnings surrounding the movement of labour, diversification of vital tourism products, and new opportunities for participation in cultural industries."

Joint architect of the project, President and Vice- Chancellor of Brock University, Professor Gervan Fearon, a distinguished economist and expert in the economic development theories of Sir Arthur Lewis, spoke of the importance of showing research respect for the historic excellence illustrated in Canada-Caribbean bonding, and how this can stimulate new projects in the future.

Professor Fearon insisted that the integrity that shapes the culture of collaboration which binds these regions should not be taken for granted. Speaking also as a diaspora son of Jamaica, he pledged that his professional commitment to the Institute transcends the specific world of the universities and resides in the broader theme of economic development in the Caribbean and in ensuring that the "gold star" partnering continues to mutual benefit in the next two decades.

High Commissioner Peters perceived that the future world to be found in Canada's technological transformation could have significant implications for the Caribbean in areas like digital transformation, and science and technology applications such as robotics in production and artificial intelligence in planning. These areas, she noted, should inform the work of the Institute.

SUNY-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development

The SUNY UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development (SUNY UWI CLSD) is the pioneering collaboration between The UWI and the State University of New York (SUNY). It was established primarily to focus on the challenges constraining the achievement of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Caribbean and its diaspora in New York, as well as empowering underserved communities through advocacy, providing access to solution-oriented research and academic programmes.

Reaching out to the "man in the street", the Center leverages popular aspects of the culture of the Caribbean and the Diaspora, featuring them as part of the ongoing series of community engagement events that are open to the public at no cost.

On August 19, 2019, a forum titled "The Caribbean Music Industry 2019—What's next for Reggae, Dancehall and breakout artists?", featured keynote speaker Dr. Carolyn Cooper— Professor Emerita of The UWI, who delivered a riveting session to an appreciative audience. Contributing to the catalogue of knowledge about the industry was a group of expert panellists drawn from media, artistes and artist management personnel.

The CLSD also hosted the Caribbean Diaspora Film Series. Five films, including Life and Debt, were shown over the period June to November 2019 at various SUNY Campus sites. Audiences were able to have discussions with the directors of these powerful and stirring films. The selection was based on the films' ability to portray culture and history in ways that examine the political, economic and cultural development of the region and the Diaspora.

Dr. Keith Nurse, one of the pioneers of research in Climate Action for The UWI, and executive producer of Forward Home: The Power of the Diaspora, participated in a lively discussion session with attendees after the showing of his film on October 28 at SUNY University in Albany.

The Center also played a key role in assisting with the organization and staging of the successful Climate Action Summit on September 20, 2019. The gathering was the brainchild of Dr. Stacy Kennedy, Director, The UWI Office of Global Partnerships and Sustainable Futures, who spearheaded this high- level session which brought together in one space at the SUNY Global Center, in New York, an august gathering of development partners from around the globe. Senior representatives hailed from agencies like the UNDP, the World Bank, the IMF, and the CDB.

Coming down the pipeline is the second joint academic programme under the auspices of the SUNY UWI CLSD, a dual Master's programme in Leadership and Sustainable Development to be delivered by The UWI Open Campus and SUNY Empire State College. A strong demand is anticipated for this programme, which has already received approval at the State Board level. It will help to equip leaders and community influencers with key skills needed to analyze and meet the demands of our modern society, employing the science of sustainable development to facilitate optimization of resources, economic growth and social progress.

The operations of the Center are jointly managed by co-directors, Ann-Marie Grant, for The UWI and Dr. La Tasha Brown, for SUNY.