On October 14, 2020, the University convened a landmark virtual Development Partner Forum, themed “Investing in higher education to build more diversified and resilient post-COVID economies”, which drew over 100 participants. The discussion revolved around the mobilisation of international resources to support the regional objectives of CARICOM.
The forum, held in conjunction with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), brought together leading international donors such as the World Bank, the IMF, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Union Aid, and agencies from Canada and Australia for a bilateral discussion.
According to Vice-Chancellor Beckles, “This was arguably the first time that The UWI was able to sit down with all the global development partners and speak about the future of the Caribbean.”
Through this multi-partner approach, The UWI seeks to establish a US$600 million trust fund over three years for the Caribbean’s human capital development. It is hoped that this investment will help stem the systemic decline in the region’s higher education and research sector.
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