Enabling Economies for People With Disabilities

THE STAR BUSINESSWEEK JANUARY 25, 2020

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ENABLING ECONOMIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Those in our communities who live with disabilities often find their voices are not properly heard, and accordingly their professional talents are not fully utilised in business and the workforce. Estimates vary across nations but the Latin American region collectively has some 85 million people who live with a disability.

BY ED KENNEDY, STAR BUSINESSWEEK CORRESPONDENT Continued on page 4

IN THIS EDITION OF

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Is there a Future for the Caribbean’s Sugar Industry?

The sugar industry is woven deeply within this region’s history of slavery.

In more recent decades it has generated a new source of anxiety (albeit not to the same scope as the harrowing period of chains and forced labour), with predictions of its impending collapse and the resultant threat to the livelihood of many in the Caribbean family.

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Caribbean Growth Prospects in 2020 The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released its outlook for the region’s growth in 2019, and what it can expect in 2020.

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NCPD President Merphilus James (centre) alongside beneficiaries of the NCPD prosthetics programme. Photo taken during an organised event marking the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on December 10, 2019 (Photo courtesy NCPD)

Members of ECLAC gather to discuss the Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2019 report. (Photo courtesy ECLAC)

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CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT

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In 2019 Saint Lucia received over 400,000 stayover visitors for the first time ever.

2019 Stayover Arrivals

423,736

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AMERICAN SANCTIONS ARE MAKING CIPs WARY

BY CATHERINE MORRIS, STAR BUSINESSWEEK CORRESPONDENT

Up by 7.3%

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Caribbean passports are in high demand among Iranian investors. (Photo courtesy pixabay)

ran’s murky history of state-sponsored terrorism is well-known and the world is once again watching a dangerous game of geopolitical brinkmanship between the US and the Iranian regime, following the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Soleimani and Iran’s subsequent, but supposedly accidental, shooting down of a passenger plane.

For its part, the Caribbean has an uneasy relationship with Iran. In the past the region has caught the eye of wealthy Iranians looking to acquire a highlydesirable Caribbean passport which would give them a golden ticket into a conflict-free country from which they could enter hundreds of other nations visa-free. But a US Department of Justice investigation in 2017 prompted several islands, including Saint Lucia, to crack down on Iranian CIP applications, banning them entirely or severely restricting the process to entry.

IRANIANS NOT WELCOME CIP countries receive a flood of applications every year and each

applicant must be thoroughly vetted in accordance with both domestic and international regulations. It’s common for countries to outsource this vetting to so-called ‘due diligence’ companies who take on the risk and burden of investigating would-be citizens.

In 2017 US-based ISPA International, a risk mitigation firm that has worked with a number of Caribbean governments, including Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica, was handed a US$259,000 fine by the US Department of Justice for violating sanctions in regards to Iran.

The firm had been carrying out background investigations on Iranian nationals applying for citizenship in unnamed jurisdictions but was outsourcing the work to subsidiaries who in turn made payments to local investigators, thereby violating US sanctions that prohibit importing ‘Iranianorigin services’ into the US and the payment of Iranian providers in USD. Following the settlement, in 2018, Saint Lucia announced that it would no longer accept CIP applications from Iranian Continued on page 6

SUGAR INDUSTRY

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JANUARY 25, 2020

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE CARIBBEAN’S SUGAR INDUSTRY?

BY ED KENNEDY, STAR BUSINESSWEEK CORRESPONDENT

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he sugar industry is woven deeply within this region’s history of slavery. In more recent decades it has generated a new source of anxiety (albeit not to the same scope as the harrowing period of chains and forced labour), with predictions of its impending collapse and the resultant threat to the livelihood of many in the Caribbean family.

In order to understand the dynamics of this business sector there are three key questions that must be answered: What is the state of the Caribbean sugar industry in 2020? Does it really need ‘saving’? And, if so, what might save it? Let’s look at these one by one.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE CARIBBEAN SUGAR INDUSTRY IN 2020?

The Caribbean region has been a longstanding contributor to a marketplace that in 2018-2019 saw approximately 178.93 million metric tons of sugar produced globally. The current landscape has lately seen various quarters of the media detail the crisis in the local sugar industry.

And yes, this present era hasn’t been one of ease and cheer for those who work in that sector. But a proper and fair understanding of this issue does require an initial acknowledgement that, by many measures, the industry is in a state of ongoing crisis, and has been for a number of decades.

In writing of the region in 1971, academic Janet D Momsen stated “ . . . the sugar industry of several traditional cane-growing areas appears to be on the verge of total collapse”. In the 1990s, journalist Jim McNair spoke of how a push towards economic diversification in Barbados and other sugar-producing nations in the region had seen a deliberate shift away from reliance on sugar to deliver a sweet injection to government

The Caribbean has maintained a sugar industry for centuries. Will it end in this decade?

revenue each year. Furthermore, that the decline of global competitiveness in sugar-producing Caribbean nations began centuries ago, and owed to the simple fact that other nations around the world ‘caught up’ as sugar producers.

By no means does detailing this history seek to diminish the current challenges.

What it does do is recognise that the industry has ample experience in clearing hurdles placed in its path.

Now to its latest chapter.

DOES THE INDUSTRY REALLY NEED ‘SAVING’?

In 2017 the Caribbean saw the EU do away with national sugar production quotas. For Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Jamaica – the four remaining sugar-producing nations in the region – this was a savage blow, and it affirmed that action by CARICOM (of which all four aforementioned nations are member states) would be key to the future of the industry.

In this regard, while sugar exporters have long looked abroad with an equal mix of hope and despair when it comes to the future of the industry, the case is now being made that its salvation will be best obtained not abroad, but locally.

The capacity to survive of the four remaining sugar-producing nations will depend on their ability to collaborate and pursue a shared approach within regional

frameworks. In the absence of doing so, the future could be dire.

WHAT COULD SAVE THE INDUSTRY? For William Neal, spokesperson for the Sugar Association of the Caribbean, the 49th Regular Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) late last year was a step in the right direction.

Commenting on the decision at the 49th COTED for the incremental protection of regionally produced sugars when it meets the standards required by regional users of sugar, Mr Neal said: “It recognized that the future of the sugar industry lies in the full regional integration of CARICOM produced sugars into CARICOM supply chains; and SAC agreed to accelerate investment to produce higher quantities of quality, food grade sugar (value-added products) for this purpose, with the confidence that they will have a home in their own regional market.”

Now, a key priority for the SAC is ensuring such commitments are met.

“We need to ensure full implementation of the monitoring mechanism as agreed at the 49th COTED,” said Mr Neal.

Doing so “to enable sugar industry stakeholders (supply and demand) to understand the CARICOM market and create an environment that is mutually

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beneficial and viable.”

From the SAC’s perspective this has been a key challenge, and is perhaps revealing to external observers. As Mr Neal noted, “The SAC dedicated significant time and resources to demonstrate that Plantation White Sugar can and is being used, regionally and globally, in the manufacturing process.”

The success (or otherwise) of the sugar industry going forward is now set to be a measuring stick when it comes to CARICOM’s aspiration to establish a single market economy in the region. Success here means success for local sugar and for those who want to see greater integration, including a single currency among CARICOM nations. Failure would see critics of integration point to this sugar episode as a cautionary tale for the future.

WHEN NEW SEEDS WON’T SOW As new industries and competitors emerge, established ones will be challenged to survive. This is a principle of the free market. But it’s also true that once an industry is gone, it can be all but impossible to resurrect, at least for many decades until consumer trends change and create the conditions for a revival. For example, major breweries now have to contend with a resurgent craft beer industry that’s building new businesses and jobs in local communities.

Some in Caribbean governments who feel that the pursuit of diversification within their economies has been a success, may be tempted to take no further action, mindful that even if the sugar industry further declines, the growth of other industries should offset it. This may ultimately be the course of action, but it’s far from clear that historians will one day judge it as the right one, especially as existing local strengths, such as tourism and financial services, will face greater competition from growing regions elsewhere.

For better or worse, it’s impossible to tell the story of the Caribbean without the story of sugar. We may one day see the local industry end, but losing it now in this modern era could leave a SBW bitter taste.

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WORKFORCE INTEGRATION

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ENABLING ECONOMIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Continued from page 1

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lobally, around 15% of the world’s population – around 1 billion people in all – has some form of disability, and this percentage is expected to grow as more people live to an older age.

So what issues are foremost in enabling economies to accommodate and empower those with disabilities?

And what avenues must we pursue in order to make real progress?

BUILDING A BLUEPRINT FOR INTEGRATION The estimation that 15% of the human race lives with a disability may sound surprisingly high, but the challenge here isn’t the percentage. The real problem is the low conversion rate between those who have a disability yet also the capacity to work, and their participation in the economy.

Addressing this issue requires an understanding of how individuals with a disability live, in order to help them build their ideal life and career.

Chile has made strong inroads in this regard. Via the adoption of the Model Disability Survey devised by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank in 2011, in the past decade the Chilean government has developed a data resource through a national survey of those with a disability. This delivered new data surrounding how many Chileans found their disability severe (in contrast to mild or moderate); how many Chileans with a disability were working, and how other issues, like lack of access to public transport, inhibited their ability to participate in the workforce and wider society.

So once you have the data, in what ways do you implement it to assist those living with a disability?

SOLUTIONS FROM SAINT LUCIA For Saint Lucia’s National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), enabling economies for people with disabilities requires recognition of multiple aspects that make up their landscape. This, in turn, informs our collective approach to problem solving and building bridges.

The NCPD has a strong record in this arena, not only serving as an advocacy organisation, but also maintaining a production component to its activities.

The NCPD’s head office in Castries has a modern, prosthetic leg manufacturing centre where Saint Lucians can obtain durable, high quality prosthetic legs, and at much lower cost than if they had to travel overseas to purchase one. Being able to offer this to Saint Lucians on their home soil is a great point of pride for the NCPD.

Many people living with a disability desire to progress their professional goals but it requires a collective community effort to help forge their path

With the appropriate infrastructure in place, people living with disabilities can be significant contributors to economic growth

The NCPD’s leadership, in serving as a voice for people with disabilities, is well-known, and the organisation is resolute about what steps need to be taken to drive positive change. Merphilus James, President of the NCPD, says that a contemporary key goal is “maintaining public awareness on the diversity of disability in Saint Lucia with emphasis on children and youth with disabilities, both intellectual and physical”. So too, the “engagement with policy makers and employers to ensure the greater employment of qualified persons with disabilities and their inclusion in the workforce in light of Saint Lucia’s recent ratification of the United Nations Convention on The Rights of Persons With Disabilities”.

While governmental leadership and innovation is welcome, the NCPD considers that progress will be most effective when pursued in a personal and communal way. “We want to see more implementation of programmes at the grass roots level which will empower

While governmental leadership and innovation is welcome, the NCPD considers that progress will be most effective when pursued in a personal and communal way. “We want to see more implementation of programmes at the grass roots level which will empower persons with disabilities and their families and will enable PWDs to confidently seek employment,” said Mr James

persons with disabilities and their families and will enable PWDs to confidently seek employment,” said Mr James. He wants persons with a disability to “be self employed, to undertake climate resilient agricultural projects such as solar powered aquaponics systems and to be aware of their right to equality and equal access to all public spaces and services”.

Mr James also has an important message for all who support advances but wonder how critical it is to one’s own daily life, and those nearest and dearest, if nobody in your personal network has a disability.

“At any moment, anyone anywhere can become a person with a disability through an accident, illness or violence. From the innocent baby to the elder with disabilities, this sector is so diverse and can be visible or invisible. No one is immune”.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST, SEIZING THE FUTURE This can be a challenging arena in which to achieve constant steady progress. The diversity of disabilities means that the capacity to create a job market or workplace where all possible accommodations are already available is a utopian idea.

It has been this way, in part, because of the failure by previous generations to properly understand and seek to effectively empower those with special needs. In this regard, the current effort of pursuing equality for people with disabilities is in a similar spirit to the work of generations prior in the economy and society, who sought to ensure equality of opportunity for all, regardless of race, gender, religion or other similar identifier. Where people with a disability have the capacity and the desire to work, we must act alongside them to break down outdated and unacceptable barriers.

With the global reach and technological capacity of this generation, advances are being made that can be easy to implement, but significant in impact. For example, wheelchair access to buildings can now be complemented by the installation of sensory LED lights. These are inexpensive and easy to install, but can be a great way to help employees with autism disorders deal with light sensitivity issues.

For those who have disabilities that limit their movement but not their enthusiasm and desire to work, the rise of remote work via the internet offers an opportunity to work at home, or at least free of the requirement to make a daily commute to the office, that could limit their capacity to participate.

Supporting changes big and small today won’t transform an economy overnight but, for someone with a disability who desires a job, it could mean the difference between being able to take it up, or not. That’s why any support for any measure of change in this area is worthwhile.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

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JANUARY 25, 2020

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CARIBBEAN GROWTH PROSPECTS IN 2020

BY CATHERINE MORRIS, STAR BUSINESSWEEK CORRESPONDENT

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he Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released its outlook for the region’s growth in 2019, and what it can expect in 2020.

Here STAR Businessweek breaks down the top ten takeaways from ECLAC’s Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2019.

(1) BY THE NUMBERS ECLAC is predicting 0.1 per cent growth for the region in 2019, and forecasting 1.3 per cent growth for 2020. Acknowledging that growth is not where it needs to be, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena blamed a reduction in GDP across the region, declines in investment, falling exports and a deterioration in the quality of employment. Other contributing factors included slack domestic demand and fragile international markets.

(2) A PESSIMISTIC VIEW The numbers paint a discouraging picture.

Last year, 23 out of the 33 countries in the region reported a slowdown. Furthermore, during 2014-2020, Latin American and Caribbean economies experienced the lowest growth period in seven decades. In that time, GDP contracted by 4 per cent and the number of unemployed people in the region grew to 25.2 million.

The region’s decline is in keeping with a subdued global outlook. The report states: “This comes in a global context of low growth and increasing vulnerability, with no significant positive catalysts expected.

Coordinated, expansionary domestic economic policies are therefore needed to boost countries’ growth. The main economic policy challenge is preventing the region from falling into economic and social stagnation, while maintaining progress on macrofinancial stability and debt sustainability.”

(3) CARIBBEAN STRENGTH The Caribbean outperformed Latin America in 2019 and is expected to do so again in 2020 with average sub-regional growth of 5.6 per cent, in comparison with Central America expansion of 2.6 per cent and South America’s 1.2 per cent.

Dominica was the biggest grower in 2019, seeing its economy expand by 9 per cent. Antigua and Barbuda followed with 6.2 per cent growth and the Dominican Republic and Guyana rounded out the top positions with growth of 4.8 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively.

(4) TOP PERFORMERS IN 2020 Thanks to its uptick in oil production, Guyana is expected to boom this year with 85.6 per cent growth in its economy.

Antigua and Barbuda continues to rise with anticipated 6.5 per cent growth

ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena presents findings from the Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2019 report (Photo courtesy ECLAC)

and Dominica should see a 4.9 per cent expansion.

(5) SAINT LUCIA TRENDS UP Saint Lucia came middle of the pack in 2019 with a 2 per cent growth in GDP, but the country continues to trend upward, from 1.5 per cent in 2018 to a projected 3.2 per cent bump in 2020.

(6) FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY Public debt rose in Latin America throughout 2019 but fell in the Caribbean, from 71.7 per cent of GDP in 2018 to 69 per cent by mid 2019. Saint Lucia fit the encouraging trend, reducing its public debt from 62.2 per cent in 2018 to 59 per cent in June 2019.

ECLAC predicts that fiscal policy in the Caribbean is likely to become even more complex in the coming year as governments try to balance the need to address inequality and gaps in social spending with debt reduction.

The organisation highlights the public sector’s “insufficient capacity to mobilize resources for development, weak redistributive muscle, shortcomings in the provision of public goods and services, and a limited institutional framework for countercyclical measures.”

(7) CONSISTENT PUBLIC SPENDING Public expenditure in the Caribbean

has hovered at around 28 per cent of GDP for the past three years. ECLAC predicts there will be little variation in the sub-regional average as slight increases in primary expenditure in the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are offset by decreases in Grenada, Saint Lucia and Suriname.

international outlook for 2020 is no better than it was in 2019, and it is not possible to rule out new bouts of greater volatility and deteriorating financing conditions, which may go hand in hand with a further slackening of economic activity in various regions, including Latin America and the Caribbean.”

(8) MAINTAINING THE PUBLIC PURSE The Caribbean’s public revenue also saw little change in 2019 with just a slight jump from 27 per cent of GDP in 2018 to 27.2 per cent in 2019, the majority of which came from tax collection.

(10) SOLUTIONS While the outlook is muted in the short to medium-term, ECLAC suggests that the region can tax its way to prosperity.

Strengthening revenue collection must be a priority for governments, according to the UN organisation which recommends a progressive tax structure that reduces tax evasion, re-evaluates tax expenditure and introduces new taxes covering the digital economy, the environment and public health.

To reactivate economic growth and increase productivity, ECLAC indicates that there should be greater public spending in the areas of investment and social policies, in addition to providing better quality public goods and services.

Bárcena commented: “The current conditions require that fiscal policy be centred on the reactivation of growth and on responding to growing social demands.”

(9) CHALLENGES AHEAD 2020 will bring no relief from uncertainty, according to ECLAC. Trade tensions will remain, increasing small nations’ vulnerability and dampening investor confidence. Commodity prices are expected to fall further in 2020 and the US and China are also facing sluggish growth. Rising global debt, driven partly by low interest rates, will negatively affect balance sheets and present significant risk to major economies.

In summary, the coming year offers little relief. As the report states: “The

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CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT

AMERICAN SANCTIONS ARE MAKING CIPs WARY Continued from page 2

citizens, citing concerns over the source of funds and the difficulty of performing due diligence checks.

Saint Lucia was the first and only Caribbean nation to enforce an outright ban although other jurisdictions followed suit by firming up their CIP policies with regard to Iranians. Antigua’s programme can only consider Iranians if they left Iran before coming of age and have obtained permanent residency in certain ‘safe’ jurisdictions such as the UK, US or Canada. St Kitts and Nevis also heavily restricts Iranians – turning away those who live or do business in the country.

In Dominica, citizens of Iran will only be accepted if they have not lived in Iran for the last 10 years, have no substantial assets there and are not performing any business in the country.

US SANCTIONS For some Caribbean countries, limiting Iranians is about limiting their exposure to scandal. Dominica and Grenada in particular have been embroiled in controversy, following investigations from Al Jazeera which revealed that politicians in both nations were trading diplomatic passports in exchange for secret campaign contributions.

Undercover filming by the news agency shows senior politicians in Dominica willing to take large sums from wealthy ‘donors’, including Iranian businessmen, in return for plum ambassador positions.

According to Al Jazeera, a similar scheme was underway in Grenada. The politicians in question on both islands strenuously denied the allegations.

For other islands, such as Saint Lucia, the problem of Iran is primarily a due diligence issue. Following the IPSA case, international due diligence providers are extremely wary of violating the growing list of US sanctions and often respond by simply cutting off operations in high-risk areas. As Prime Minister Allen Chastanet told media shortly after introducing the CIP Iranian ban: “We cannot do [the due diligence] ourselves and the agencies that would normally do the third party background checks for us are themselves

struggling with that.”

The US operates a long and broad list of sanctions on countries around the world including Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, Syria, Venezuela, Libya and Turkey.

For all Caribbean CIP schemes, there is a substantial overlap between those red-listed countries and applicants for passports.

Saint Lucia’s CIP granted citizenship to 288 foreign nationals in 2018-2019 for a EC$ 61.9mn pay day. Of those 288, China took the largest share with 60 applicants, followed by 27 Russians and 22 Syrians.

Other nationalities on the approved list included Turkey, Yemen, Venezuela and Iraq.

STRENGTHENING DUE DILIGENCE CIP is a high-risk business, open to financial fraud, money-laundering, terrorist funding and enabling fugitives.

Countries put their credibility and security on the line to welcome new citizens in return for substantial economic gains.

Thorough and robust due diligence processes are the key to maintaining

For some Caribbean countries, limiting Iranians is about limiting their exposure to scandal. Dominica and Grenada in particular have been embroiled in controversy, following investigations from Al Jazeera which revealed that politicians in both nations were trading diplomatic passports in exchange for secret campaign contributions

US issued security alert for Caribbean nationals amid tension with Iran. (Image by The Associated Press)

the system and avoiding reputational damage, but when the providers of these services bow to pressure from the US government and designate certain countries off limits, it can have a dampening effect on the entire CIP industry.

While blanket bans on nationals from US-sanctioned countries may be an effective short-term measure, a more rigorous and harmonised due diligence regime could provide a better long-term solution – one that doesn’t hamper the ability of Caribbean CIPs to take in law-abiding investors from problematic parts of the globe.

A recent report from the Investment Migration Council (IMC) examines the possibility of introducing minimum standards and best practices for the global due diligence industry that would apply to everyone in the chain, from governments to private sector contractors. The IMC suggests a combination of regulatory changes (eg making it easier to determine the ownership of complex assets) and increased use of technology and on-

the-ground resources. With more data available now than ever, and faster, more efficient, ways of analysing that data, it’s becoming harder for undesirable applicants to slip through the cracks. Cost has been a factor in limiting the uptake of available technology, according to the IMC, and many countries and agents fail to maintain the necessary databases or follow through with more advanced checks.

The report highlights another vital component in creating a better vetting system – collaboration. The Caribbean is currently working with the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Association to consolidate its due diligence processes, making them more transparent and encouraging a common standard.

In its final word, the IMC strikes a cautious note, emphasizing that the responsibility for the credibility of a country’s CIP scheme ultimately rests with its government: “It is critical to view due diligence as a tool for decision making, but that decision making remains the responsibility of governments and not third-party providers.”

BLUE ECONOMY

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JANUARY 25, 2020

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BLUE ECONOMY BIZ START-UPS UNVEILED

BY MARLON MADDEN

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According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem”

urning sargassum seaweed into bioplastic and fish offal into fuel are among four maritime industry start-ups to receive backing from the United Nations Development Programme, the UNDP has announced.

The ventures were unveiled at a UNDP blue economy accelerator lab’s Blue Tank session at UN House.

During the Blue Tank, eight innovators pitched their concepts to a panel of judges who provided them with feedback. In the end, four of them were selected for “blue lab funding”.

The quartet of start-ups selected will receive funding of up to $30,000 (US$15,000). They are: Bio Plastic Creation, focusing on making biodegradable products from sargassum seaweed and cassava starch; Bajan Digital Creations Inc. with plans to carry out coral reef mapping using underwater drones; Ten Habitat, which wants to develop a traceable fisheries brand; and NRG, which will develop biogas and fuel from fish offal.

The blue lab is part of 60 UNDP global accelerator labs working to

re-imagine development in several areas for the 21st century, according to UNDP officials. The lab for Barbados is focused on the blue economy and is aimed at supporting innovative solutions to some of the problems.

Magdy Martinez-Soliman, UNDP resident representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, gave the participants the assurance that they would receive the necessary backing throughout the life of their projects. He said that while there was a need for fresh ideas, he believed some old concepts could be dusted off and tweaked in order to solve some of the region’s problems.

Adding that Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean could come up with their own solutions by creating a “culture of innovation”, Martinez-Soliman said the blue economy was one area that could do with some innovative ideas.

Ahead of the presentations, he said: “I do think business-as-usual has a place in some sectors of the industry. I think that repeat of tested and travelled pathways has a place and can be presented as an economically viable alternative, so I don’t see it necessarily as something that is wrong. But I do value it as something that is wrong in the knowledge management sector. In the knowledge

management sector, the new idea needs to supersede the old idea. The new ways of doing things need to somehow get rid of the old ways that are obsolete, and that is why our blue lab encourages innovation.”

Martinez-Soliman said the UNDP was keen on providing support for local, grassroots innovators because it believed that the power of local knowledge is important to developing solutions to “intractable problems”.

The UNDP Blue Lab issued a call

The blue lab is part of 60 UNDP global accelerator labs working to re-imagine development in several areas for the 21st century, according to UNDP officials.

for solutions in November last year.

After receiving 35 proposals, officials then narrowed down the field to eight.

During Monday’s session, all the groups were given five minutes to make their pitch, which was then followed by questions from the audience and the judges.

Nikola Simpson, head of Exploration for the Blue Lab UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, said she was pleased with the steps being taken by local authorities to develop and protect the blue and green economies. She added that the UNDP was pleased about the new initiatives that were being developed by the young people in the Blue Tank. “We are really excited about the level of innovation that we are seeing from innovators within the region,” she said.

Pointing out that the region depended heavily on the blue economy for a lot of its revenue, Simpson said all residents had a key role to play in protecting it.

She also gave the assurance that all the project concepts would be monitored and evaluated carefully by both the innovators and the UNDP. Originally published in Barbados Today

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