President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon has suggested that the region adopts a more transformative agenda in its security preparedness plan.
He believes that such an agenda would also lead to improved conditions for economic growth and development for the region.
As the Caribbean countries continue to battle an increase in crime and violence, Dr Leon stressed that urgent action must be taken to stabilise regional security which is at the heart of development.
Addressing the opening of the Regional Security System Council of Ministers’ Meeting in Grenada on Wednesday, Dr Leon said, “This transformational agenda that I speak of is urgent. Let’s start it today, not tomorrow, not next year, today. Why? Because the current socio economic reality in our region is one that is marked with several setbacks, admittedly, consistent with global trends.
“I believe that our region must transform rapidly, without pause and innovate to address inherent structural weaknesses, to support a stronger and more resilient regional ecosystem that is well protected and secured even in times of economic, social and environmental uncertainty and distress,” he said.
“The United Nations estimates that key development anchors in health, in education and standard of living receded to 2016 levels following the overlapping crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, natural disasters and financial market shocks,” he said.
Added to that, Dr Leon said, more than 90 per cent of countries witnessed at least a one-year loss in human development between 2020-2021, compared to 2008-2009 “where one in 10 countries, 10 per cent, lost ground after the global financial crisis”.
The CDB head also told members of the Council of Ministers that their job is under-forecast.
“Because at the root of everything that we do, that we call development, there has to be a security basis to generate the stability that can generate the means of systemic integrity to allow development to actually occur.
“We can and we must do better. While our various regional and international treaties and commitments to the UN 20/30 Sustainable Development Agenda have helped focus our minds on the necessity of preserving and improving the welfare and quality of life for communities, we have not obtained a superlative delivery score.
“Let me equally be blunt, the pursuit of development starts and is maintained with a commitment to implementation. And with that, and only then, will we have delivery on development outcomes,” he said.
Dr Leon noted that though often ignored, both security and development depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The CDB president added that it is the position of the bank that no single entity, individual or group can accomplish sustainable development on its own.
He said the CDB also believes that sustainable development can only be achieved through partnerships in knowledge creation and dissemination, financing, the public and private sectors, within the region, and between the region and the rest of the world.
Dr Leon said security is multi-pronged and encompasses among other things, citizens, economics and food, as well as environmental and climate security.
“Instability in any of these, if not managed appropriately, will lower resilience buffers, weaken systemic integrity and stymie our development efforts,” he said.
(AH)
Dr Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon
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