News Releases

UWI and CAF Development Bank of Latin America sign USD 10M Grant Agreement for Flood Mitigation

For Release Upon Receipt - November 18, 2022

St. Augustine


 

  From left Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Senator the Honourable Dr Amery Browne, Pro Vice Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Prime Minister Dr The Honourable Keith Rowley, CAF’s Regional Manager for the Caribbean, Dr Stacy Richards Kennedy, Executive President of CAF Mr Sergio Diaz-Granados and Corporate vice President Strategic Programming Mr Christian Asinelli.

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. Friday 18 November 2022 – Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St Augustine Campus, was a signatory to a Grant Administration Agreement with the CAF Development Bank of Latin America, at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s on November 15. Also signing was Mr. Sergio Diaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF Development Bank. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Honourable Dr Keith Rowley - Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Colm Imbert - Minister of Finance, Senator Dr Amery Browne - Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy - Regional Manager of CAF Bank for the Caribbean, and other Representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Development Bank of Latin America. 

Funding of US$10 million was provided by the Adaptation Fund for the Trinidad and Tobago: Multisectoral Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in the South Oropouche River Basin for Flood Relief project. This project was conceptualized at the Conference of Parties (COP25) in 2019, by a team led by Kishan Kumarsingh of the Ministry of Planning and Development. CAF is acting as the accredited Regional Implementation Entity. The technical cooperation will support the Ministry of Planning and Development of Trinidad and Tobago with resources for financing the Flood Mitigation Project. 

The UWI is the Executing Entity, responsible for receiving the funds and implementing the project. Specifically, The UWI Engineering Institute of the Faculty of Engineering is the Technical/ Project Management arm for this project, while the St. Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (STACIE) will provide administration and contract management. Dr. Vincent Copper, lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department will provide technical leadership while Mr. Navneet Boodhai – Manager of The UWI Engineering Institute will provide administrative oversight for a maximum of 48 months. 

The Project’s specific objectives are to: 

Strengthen territorial planning and risk management

Strengthen grey and green infrastructure to increase resilience of vulnerable population due to floods, sea level rise, and droughts

Enhance the vulnerable coastal and wetland ecosystem of the South Oropouche River Basin (SORB) with EbA measures to restore key habitats such as mangrove areas on the coast and wetlands in the Godineau Swamp

Increase adaptive capacity and diversity livelihoods of vulnerable fisherfolk and farmers to respond to increase climate risks like flooding, saltwater intrusion, and drought

Raise awareness and build capacities of the stakeholders of SORB to promote knowledge management among government institutions, community members, vulnerable groups, private sector in climate resilient solutions.

END 

About The University of the West Indies 

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region. 

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. 

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world. 

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

 The UWI is the only Caribbean-based University to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action. 

For more, visit www.uwi.edu. 

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