Monday
June
09 - 12
2025
Time zone
-03

Location
Brasilia, Brazil
Events

55th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors

Jan 23, 2025

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will hold the 55th Annual Meeting of its Board of Governors (BOG) Meeting (the Annual Meeting) and supporting events from June 9-12, 2025, in Brasília, Brazil. 

The Meeting serves as the premier forum for the Bank’s leadership to address the Caribbean’s most pressing development challenges, and harness collective expertise, partnerships, and collaboration to devise impactful solutions. The event brings together government leaders from member countries, representatives from International Financing Institutions, technocrats in sectors critical to sustainable development, international development professionals, and influential private-sector stakeholders to shape the future of development in the Caribbean.

The theme of the 2025 Annual Meeting is, Building the Future: Resilient Institutions for a Greener, Stronger, and Inclusive Caribbean”. This focus underscore the “rebirth” of the Bank, as the institution transforms to meet the evolving needs of its member. it also highlights the need for strong institutions to drive implementation of high-impact initiatives that facilitate economic growth, foster empowering societies and enable the best possible future for the people of the Region. It also signals the Bank’s commitment to responding to the critical challenges facing the Caribbean by taking action to make the Region’s institutions more fit-for-purpose. 

With Brazil as host, the Bank seeks to leverage the opportunity to expand collaboration, tapping into Latin America’s wealth of experience and innovation to support the Caribbean’s development agenda. The discourse in Brasília will advance shared regional priorities, addressing climate change, deepening private sector engagement, and enhancing multilateral cooperation. It will also explore the impact and avenues for transformation to ensure growth, resilience and sustainability even under rapidly changing conditions.  

Beyond high-level discussions, the 55th Annual Meeting will facilitate knowledge-sharing, capacity building and the conveyance of critical information to targeted audiences, particularly in Borrowing Member Countries to drive policy development, advise decision-making and develop solutions to the region’s development challenges. Consequently, the public sessions on the agenda are informative forums. These sessions are streamed live, ensuring global accessibility to these critical discussions. 

Agenda

1:30pm - 2:30pm

Brazil-hosted Panel Discussion 1 – Improving Physical Connectivity between Brazil and the Caribbean 

This panel discussion convenes key stakeholders from the Brazilian government, financial institutions, regulatory agencies, and the private sector for a targeted discussion on developing actionable solutions to enhance the movement of goods, services, and people between Brazil and the Caribbean.

7:00pm - 9:00pm

25th William G. Demas Memorial Lecture

The Lecture Series seeks to honour the thought leadership of CDB’s second President, William G. Demas, by bringing into the spotlight issues and initiatives of significance to the economic development of the Bank’s member countries.

This year’s William G. Demas Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund.

He will speak on the topic, "The Caribbean Challenge: Fostering Growth and Resilience Amidst Global Uncertainty." The Lecture will explore how policymakers can unlock the Region’s potential, boost productivity, and foster resilience. It will further expound on Dr. Clarke’s views of what policies should be prioritised to meet people’s aspirations and the areas in which the Region can collaborate to achieve common goals.

9:00am - 10:00am

55th Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony

Chairperson of the CDB Board of Governors and Brazil's Acting Secretary for International Affairs and Development, Ms. Viviane Vecchi Mendes Muller will address the Opening Ceremony. In addition, CDB President, Mr. Daniel M. Best will deliver a keynote statement.

4:00pm - 5:30pm

Seminar 1 Accelerating Project Implementation to Reduce Poverty

The seminar will highlight common factors influencing the success or failure in the implementation of development projects across various sectors and Regions and identify additional challenges and practical solutions for improving project implementation. 
 

8:00am - 9:00am

Financial Times Global Food Security in a Changing Climate: Ensuring Fairer Food Systems to Meet Global Supply and Demand Pressures

The Financial Times Expert Panel on "Global Food Security in a Changing Climate," will address the pressing challenges facing global and Caribbean food systems amid climate change and market volatility. With a focus on the Caribbean's agriculture sector—characterised by low productivity, high import dependency, and vulnerability to climate impacts—the event will explore strategies to transform agriculture into a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient system. Panelists, including policymakers, agri-tech innovators, and stakeholders, will discuss climate-smart technologies, inclusive policies, and market reforms to enhance productivity and food security. The session will highlight best practices and actionable solutions to bridge the gap between policy, science, and implementation, ensuring a brighter future for the region’s food systems.

9:15am -10:45am

Seminar 2 – Fintech: Finding the Balance Between Disruption and Creation

This seminar will increase awareness and advocacy for a regional strategy and roadmap for the implementation of digitalisation strategies and the advancement of Fintech within the Caribbean. It will further highlight the opportunities that Fintech provides for the Region, including to reduce poverty, increase market connectivity and regional trade, and improve the marketplace for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and marginalised communities.

2:30pm - 4:00pm

Brazil-hosted Panel Discussion 2 – COP30 and the Caribbean 

In recognition of the pressing need for coordinated action, this panel discussion will bring together policymakers, international organisations, private sector representatives, and climate experts to discuss COP30 outcomes and the Caribbean's role in the global climate dialogue, with special focus on climate finance.

The panel discussion will also provide a platform for fostering regional collaboration on climate dialogue and sharing Brazil's experience with climate finance.

5:00pm - 5:30pm

55th Annual Meeting Closing Ceremony

Chairperson of the CDB Board of Governors, Ms. Viviane Vecchi Mendes Muller, and CDB President, Mr. Daniel M. Best will deliver closing statements.

Speakers

Ms. Viviane Vecchi Mendes Muller
Acting Secretary for International Affairs and Development, Ministry of Planning and Budget, Government of Brazil
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Mr. Daniel M. Best
President, Caribbean Development Bank
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Dr. Nigel Clarke
Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
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Mr. Timothy Antoine
Governor, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
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Mr. Isaac Solomon
Vice-President (Operations), Caribbean Development Bank
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Ms. Christine Dawson
Director (Ag.), Economics Department, Caribbean Development Bank
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Mrs. Lilia Burunciuc
Country Director for Caribbean Countries, World Bank Group
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Ms. Allison Hunte
CEO and Co-Founder, Fintech Islands
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Mr. Angelo José Mont Alverne Duarte
Chief of Staff, Deputy Governor for Licensing and Resolution’s Office, Banco Central do Brasil
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Mr. Dindial Ramrattan
Statistician, Caribbean Development Bank
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Dr. Wayne Henry
Chairman and Director General, Planning Institute of Jamaica
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Mr. Cecil Harris
Project Manager, Strengthening Health System Resilience Project, Economic and Planning Division, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology, Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Dr. Alexander Budzier
Chief Executive Officer, Oxford Global Projects
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Dr. Ana Euler
Executive Director of Innovation, Business, and Technology Transfer, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
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Mr. Cavon C. J. White
Portfolio Manager, Economic Infrastructure Division, Caribbean Development Bank
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Dr. Ismahane Elouafi
Executive Managing Director, CGIAR
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Mr. Pedro Corrêa Neto
Secretary for Innovation, Sustainable Development, Irrigation, and Cooperativism, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Government of Brazil
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Ms. Susannah Savage
Commodities Correspondent, Financial Times
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Mr. L. O'Reilly Lewis
Director (Ag.), Projects Department, Caribbean Development Bank
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Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy
Regional Manager for the Caribbean, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
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