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High-Level Conference on Building Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in the Caribbean

November 26, 2018

IMF HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC

MULTIMEDIA

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  • The Caribbean region’s already high vulnerability to natural disasters is likely to be exacerbated as the frequency and severity of disasters increase from climate change effects. But for several reasons, countries in the region invest little in building resilience and rely heavily on ex-post external assistance to recover from such disasters. Reducing the human and economic costs of natural disasters and climate risks requires a greater shift in policy focus towards ex-ante resilience building and a broad disaster risk management strategy. The conference brings together key stakeholders, including senior policymakers, public, private, and multilateral development partners, to explore incentives to shift the focus of policies towards building resilience and innovative disaster risk financing policies and instruments that would help in this regard.

  • 9:00am – 9:10am: Opening Remarks Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

    9:10am – 9:20am: Remarks by Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer, the World Bank Group (WBG)

    9:20am – 9:30am: Remarks by Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

    9:30am – 9:40am: Remarks by the Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development, Canada

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    9:45am – 12:30pm:  SESSION I. SHIFTING FOCUS TO BUILDING RESILIENCE – ENHANCING INCENTIVES AND CATALYZING FINANCIAL SUPPORT

    Investing in preparedness for natural disasters and climate change is a key step in establishing resilience and reducing the large economic and human cost of natural disasters to the Caribbean economies. Significant progress is being made in many countries in developing risk management strategies, and the multilaterals and bilateral partners are playing an active role. Still, international financing remains concentrated on post-disaster relief and reconstruction, with resources for building ex-ante resilience limited and somewhat difficult to access due to cumbersome processes and eligibility criteria. This session focuses on what constrains the countries in the Caribbean to invest more in building resilience; take stock of and learn from ongoing resilience building efforts; and explore ways to shift policy focus and financing towards greater ex-ante resilience-building within an appropriate underlying macro-fiscal framework

    9:45am – 11:00am: TAKING STOCK OF EFFORTS TO BUILD RESILIENCE

    Moderator: Alejandro Werner, Director of Western Hemisphere Department, IMF

    Lead Speakers:

    • Hon. Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada
    • Hon. Mia A. Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
    • Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, QC, Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat
    • Dr. Warren Smith, President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

    11:00am – 12:30pm: SHIFTING THE FOCUS TOWARD BUILDING EX ANTE RESILIENCE

    Moderator: Alexandre Meira da Rosa, Vice President, IDB

    Lead Speakers:

    • Hon. Allen M. Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
    • Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica
    • Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Head of Strategic Planning, Green Climate Fund
    • Ms. Mafalda Duarte, Head, Climate Investment Fund

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    12:35pm – 12:45pm: Introduction of the Keynote Speaker, by Ms. Louise Levonian, Executive Director, IMF

    12:45pm – 1:45pm: Keynote Speech, Hon. Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica

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    2:00pm – 4:30pm: SESSION II. FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

    Financial protection—through a multilayer risk approach that combines different instruments for different layers of risk (self-insurance; contingent financing; catastrophe insurance and bonds)—can help countries better manage the fiscal cost of disasters, ensure timely resources when disasters strike, and mitigate the long-term growth and fiscal impact of disasters. Nevertheless, experience suggests that, despite the benefits, countries underinvest in risk reduction and mitigation due to fiscal, political, or cost/benefit considerations. This session explores innovative disaster risk financing solutions for Caribbean countries, the scope for regional solutions, obstacles to their implementation, and appropriate remedial measures. It also explores options to promote climate resilience, including to enhance the sovereign’s ability to meet debt service obligations in the aftermath of natural disasters and create additional fiscal space for recovery.

    2:00pm – 3:15pm: IMPROVING RISK TRANSFER

    Moderator: Jorge Familiar, Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, WBG

    Lead Speakers:

    • Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Prime Minister of Bahamas
    • Hon. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and Public Service of Jamaica
    • Hon. Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
    • Mr. Isaac Anthony, CEO Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF)
    • Mr. Stefan Kossoff, Head of DfID for the Caribbean

    3:15pm – 3:30pm: Coffee Break

    3:30pm – 4:30pm: FURTHERING EXISTING AND DEVELOPING NEW INSTRUMENTS TO TRANSFER RISK

    Moderator: Manuela Ferro, Vice President, Operational Policy and Country Services, WBG

    Lead Speakers:

    • Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten
    • Mr. Timothy Antoine, Governor of Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)
    • Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, CARICOM
    • Mr. Nikhil Da Victoria Lobo, Managing Director of Public Sector, Swiss Re.

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    4:30pm – 5:30pm: Panel Discussion on The Way Forward

    Moderator: Tao Zhang, Deputy Managing Director, IMF

    • Hon. Allen Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
    • Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
    • Mr. Alejandro Werner, Director, Western Hemisphere Department, IMF
    • Ms. Manuela Ferro, Vice President, Operational Policy and Country Services, WBG
    • Mr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Head, Strategic Planning, Green Climate Fund

    5:30pm – 5:45pm: Key Takeaways and Next Steps

    • Mr. Alexandre Tombini, Executive Director, IMF
    • Ms. Christine Hogan, Executive Director, WBG
    • Ambassador Selwin Hart, Executive Director, IDB

     

  • Christine Lagarde

    Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

    Christine Lagarde is a French lawyer and politician who has been the Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 5 July 2011. Previously, she held various, senior ministerial posts in the French government: she was Minister of Economic Affairs, Finance and Employment, Minister of Agriculture and Fishing and Minister of Trade in the government of Dominique de Villepin. An anti-trust and labour lawyer, Lagarde was the first female chair of major international law firm Baker & McKenzie, between 1999 and 2004.

    Ms. Kristalina Georgieva

    Chief Executive Officer, the World Bank Group (WBG)

    Kristalina Georgieva is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank. Her role is to build support across the international community to mobilize resources for poor and middle-income countries and to create better opportunities for the world’s most vulnerable people. Previously, Georgieva, a Bulgarian national, played a leading role in shaping the agenda of the European Union, first as Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and later as Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, in charge of the European Union's €161 billion budget and 33,000 staff around the world. Before joining the European Commission, Georgieva held multiple positions at the World Bank, including, most recently, Vice President and Corporate Secretary (2008-2010), and from 2007 to 2008, Director for Sustainable Development in charge of 60 percent of the World Bank’s policy and lending operations.

    Luis Alberto Moreno

    President, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

    Luis Alberto Moreno assumed the presidency of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in October 2005 and was reelected on September 14, 2015 for a third term. Moreno is the institution's legal representative and Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for the Bank’s day-to-day business and manages its operations and administration with the assistance of the staff of the Office of the President. Moreno also chairs the Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) and the Donors’ Committee of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF).

    Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau

    Minister of International Development, Canada

    Marie-Claude Bibeau is Canada’s Minister of International Development. She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Compton—Stanstead in October 2015 and served as a minister since then. Before entering politics, she began her career at the Canadian International Development Agency, and went on postings to Morocco and Benin. As a minister, she has helped refocus Canada’s international assistance on helping the poorest and most vulnerable people and on supporting fragile states. In June 2017, after several months of consultations, Marie launched Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy to make Canada a leader in the fight against poverty by prioritizing gender equality in the country’s international assistance programming. She is also at the heart of Canada’s strategy for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development objectives both at home and around the world.

    Alejandro Werner

    Director of Western Hemisphere Department, IMF

    Alejandro Werner assumed his current position as Director of the Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in January 2013. A Mexican citizen, Mr. Werner has had distinguished careers in the public and private sectors as well as in academia. He served as Undersecretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico (December 2006–August 2010) and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at BBVA-Bancomer (August 2011 until end-2012). Previously, he was Director of Economic Studies at the Bank of Mexico and Professor at ITAM, Instituto de Empresa, and Yale University. He has published widely. Mr. Werner was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007. Mr. Werner received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994.

    Hon. Keith Mitchell

    Prime Minister of Grenada

    Keith Mitchell is the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. He is the longest serving PM in Grenada, holding office now for over 17 years in total. Leader of the New National Party, he was leader of the Opposition from 2008-2013. He holds a PhD in math and statistics from American University. He was Captain of the Grenada national cricket team in 1973.

    Hon. Mia A. Mottley

    Prime Minister of Barbados

    Mia Amor Mottley is the current Prime Minister of Barbados. Trained as an attorney, she is the first woman prime minister and leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Mia has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Saint Michael North East since 1994. From 1994 to 2008, she held a succession of ministerial portfolios including the post of Attorney-General of Barbados, becoming the first woman to be appointed in the position. In 2018, Mia led the BLP to win an historic landslide victory in the May 24 general election, securing all 30 seats in the House—making them the first party to accomplish this feat—in addition to winning 72.8% of the popular vote, which is the highest share ever achieved by a party in a general election.

    Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland

    QC, Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat

    Baroness Patricia Janet Scotland is the current Commonwealth Secretary-General. She assumed office on April 1, 2016, being the first woman to hold the Secretary-General position. She has served in ministerial positions within the UK Government, most notably as the Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland. She was named a Millennium Commissioner on February 17, 1994, and was a member of the Commission for Racial Equality. She received a life peerage on a Labour Party list of working peers and was created Baroness Scotland of Asthal, in the County of Oxfordshire on 30 October 1997. From 1999 to 2001, she was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where she was responsible, among others, for the UK Government's diplomatic relations with North America, the Caribbean, Overseas Territories, Consular Division, British Council, administration and all Parliamentary business in the House of Lords.

    Dr. Warren Smith

    President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

    Dr. William Warren Smith is the current President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), a regional development finance institution based in Barbados. He was first elected at a special meeting of the CDB Board of Governors held on October 29, 2010, and assumed office on May 1, 2011. On November 6, 2015, Dr. Smith was re-elected to serve a second five-year term as President, beginning on May 1, 2016. Dr. Smith first joined CDB in 1985 and was seconded by the Bank in 1987 to set up the corporate planning function at the regional airline, LIAT Limited. He subsequently served as Chief Executive Officer of LIAT, before returning to CDB in 1998. He has also held high-level positions at a number of other institutions in the Region including Director of the Economics and Planning Division at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica; and Vice-President, Investments at Life of Jamaica Limited.

    Alexandre Meira da Rosa

    Vice President, IDB

    Alexandre Meira da Rosa, a Brazilian citizen, was appointed Vice President for Countries in July 2014. Before he served as Manager of the IDB's Infrastructure and Environment Sector. During the last decade before joining the IDB, Mr. Rosa held different positions in Brazil’s Federal Government. Until May 2010, Mr. Rosa was Vice-Minister in charge of International Affairs at the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, a position through which he represented his country on the IDB Board of Governors as well as in five other multilateral development institutions, serving as the main Brazilian officer responsible for the formulation of policies in said institutions. In that capacity, he also headed the Committee on External Financing (COFIEX), the Brazilian government body responsible for the approval and monitoring of execution of all development projects—at the three levels of government—financed with foreign resources, totaling an active portfolio of more than $15 billion. As a member of the Financing and Guarantee Committee (COFIG) between 2004 and 2010, Mr. Rosa participated in the structuring of loans and guarantees provided by Brazil to overseas infrastructure projects through the National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and participated in numerous bilateral negotiations on loans and investment projects in Latin America and Africa. Mr. Rosa was also a member of the Board of Furnas Centrais Elétricas S.A and of the Board of Banco Popular do Brasil, a micro-finance subsidiary of Banco do Brasil.

    Hon. Allen M. Chastanet

    Prime Minister of Saint Lucia

    Allen M. Chastanet is the current Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, since June 2016. He was Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation and a member of the Saint Lucian Senate from 2006 to 2011. He is a former vice president of marketing and sales for Air Jamaica. Under his guidance, Air Jamaica achieved unparalleled growth both in leisure and Caribbean Diaspora markets. In 2001, he was named Travel Agent Magazine’s “Caribbean Destination Person of the Year”. He also holds a Master of Science Degree in Development Banking (American University, Washington D.C.) and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science (Bishops University, Quebec).

    Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit

    Prime Minister of Dominica

    Roosevelt Skerrit is the Prime Minister of Dominica since 2004. He is also the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency since 2000, and has served regionally as the chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and most recently as Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2010. He is currently the political leader of the Dominica Labor Party. In addition to being the Prime Minister, he has served as Minister for Finance, Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

    Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna

    Head of Strategic Planning, Green Climate Fund

    Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna is currently Head of Strategic Planning at Green Climate Fund (GCF). He was previously in charge of the UN Economic and Social Commission for East and North-East Asia (UNESCAP-ENEA), where he also serviced the North-East Asian environmental cooperation (NEASPEC). He was a lead author of the Fifth Assessment Report (and several others) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His experience includes five years with UN Environment, as well as with the Woods Hole Research Center, a leading scientific policy institute on climate change. Dr. Ramakrishna taught at various law schools, including Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Harvard Law School, Boston University and College Law Schools, as well as at Brandeis and Yale. He is an elected life member of the US Council on Foreign Relations. Rama holds bachelor's degrees in sciences and law, and master's and Ph.D. degrees in international law.

    Ms. Mafalda Duarte

    Head, Climate Investment Fund

    Mafalda Duarte is currently Head of Climate Investment Fund (CIF). Under her leadership, the $8.3 billion CIF has doubled on work to accelerate global action on climate change, from investments and innovative pilot approaches to a strong emphasis on learning and sharing of knowledge and technical expertise. She is currently leading the strategic and policy efforts to take the tried and tested CIF model to the next level, including through new mechanisms to mobilize finance from capital markets. Prior to taking the helm at the CIF in 2014, Mafalda led policy and corporate work, and managed climate-related portfolios at the African Development Bank and the World Bank.

    Ms. Louise Levonian

    Executive Director, IMF

    Louise Levonian is the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development, since May 2016. In addition, she serves as the chair of the Labour Market Information Council, which identifies pan-Canadian priorities for the collection, analysis and distribution of labor market information. She has helped shape the Blueprint 2020 exercise and ensured an engaged public service that is world-class and equipped to serve Canada and Canadians. now and into the future. Prior to joining Employment and Social Development, Ms. Levonian served as Associate Deputy Minister for the Department of Finance. She graduated from Queen’s University in 1990 with a Master of Arts in Economics, majoring in Public Finance and Industrial Organization.

    Hon. Andrew Holness

    Prime Minister of Jamaica

    The Most Honourable Andrew Michael Holness was first elected as Member of Parliament (MP) to represent the Constituency of West Central St. Andrew in 1997, at the age of 25. Now in his fourth consecutive term as MP, Mr. Holness became Jamaica’s ninth Prime Minister after the Jamaica Labour Party defeated the People’s National Party at the polls on February 25, 2016. Mr. Holness has pledged to build real partnerships with the Private Sector, Civil Society, the Diaspora, the Opposition and International Partners in order to achieve the vision of shared prosperity for all Jamaicans through inclusive economic growth and meaningful job creation. Mr. Holness first served as Head of Government from October 2011 to January 2012 having succeeded former Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding.

    Jorge Familiar

    Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, WBG

    Jorge Familiar is Vice President of the World Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean since 2014, and is the first Latin American to hold the position in the last 30 years. Familiar previously served as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the World Bank Group, beginning in August 2010. Prior to this, Familiar devoted his efforts to financial inclusion as Chief Executive Officer of Mexico’s Instituto del Fondo Nacional para el Consumo de los Trabajadores (Instituto FONACOT). He began his career at the National Banking and Securities Commission of Mexico (CNBV in Spanish), where he became Vice-chairman of Securities and Derivatives Markets Supervision and served as a member of the Governing Board. Familiar also lectured on finance at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and was a member of the Advisory Board of the university’s Accounting and Strategic Finance Program.

    Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis

    Prime Minister of Bahamas

    Hubert Alexander Minnis is the fourth Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas since May 2017. He is the leader of the Free National Movement and the Member of Parliament for the New Providence constituency of Killarney. He was first elected to the legislature in the 2007 election. Dr. Minnis graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, UWI Mona, in 1980 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree and completed his specialized studies in Jamaica in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1985.

    Hon. Nigel Clarke

    Minister of Finance and Public Service of Jamaica

    Nigel Clarke is Minister of Finance and the Public Service of Jamaica. He is a Jamaican Member of Parliament, company director, business executive and statesman. He has served as Chairman or director of over 20 Jamaican public and private sector economic enterprises, including the Bank of Jamaica; Port Authority of Jamaica, National Housing Trust, and HEART Trust NTA (Jamaica’s largest tertiary level vocational training and certification institution). In 2016, he was appointed as Jamaica’s Ambassador-at-Large for Economic Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister. He has also served as a Senator in the Upper House of the Jamaican parliament between 2013 and 2015.

    Hon. Camillo Gonsalves

    Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

    Camillo M. Gonsalves is Finance Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines since 2017. He was the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2007 until 2013, and since then was appointed a member of the House of Assembly. He is the son of Ralph Gonsalves, current Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In September 2013, he was appointed a Senator in the House of Assembly.

    Mr. Isaac Anthony

    CEO Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF)

    Isaac Anthony is currently the CCRIF Chief Executive Officer, having been appointed on January 1, 2013. Prior to this appointment, he served as Permanent Secretary, Planning and National Development in the Government of Saint Lucia. He also has served his country in key positions such as Accountant General, Registrar of Insurance, Director of Finance and Permanent Secretary, Finance. Mr. Anthony brings many years’ experience as a senior finance and planning official with the Government of Saint Lucia coupled with service on the boards of key regional financial institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.

    Mr. Stefan Kossoff

    Head of DfID for the Caribbean

    Stefan Kossoff is Head of Profession for Governance, Department for International Development (DFID) in the United Kingdom Government. His role includes technical oversight and leadership of the DFID’s Governance Advisers. He joined DFID in 1999 and has provided governance advice to many DFID country programs, including long-term postings in East Africa and the Middle East. His areas of specialism include political economy analysis; democratic governance; public sector reform; and security and justice policy.

    Manuela Ferro

    Vice President, Operational Policy and Country Services, WBG

    Manuela V. Ferro is Vice President of Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), overseeing the World Bank’s corporate policies on financing and analytical services. Ferro has 25 years of hands-on and leadership experience in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. An economist and an engineer by training, Ms. Ferro worked in technical and corporate positions at the World Bank. She previously served as the Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in the Middle East and North Africa. Most recently, she served as the World Bank’s Director for Strategy and Operations for Latin America and the Caribbean. Ferro holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Applied Economics from Stanford University in California and an MSc./Engineering Degree from the Technical University of Lisbon.

    Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo

    Prime Minister of Sint Maarten

    Leona Marlin-Romeo is Prime Minister of Sint Maarten since January 2018, selected in the coalition agreement between the United People's Party, the Democratic Party and an independent member of Parliament. Previously, she served as a Member of Parliament (2014-16). Ms. Marlin-Romeo holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. She received the highest award of Toastmasters International as Distinguished Toastmaster and held several positions in the Soualiga Corporate Toastmasters club.

    Mr. Timothy Antoine

    Governor of Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)

    Timothy Antoine is The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) Chairman since 1 July 2018, after serving on the CCRIF Board since 2014. He is the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. Previously, he was the Permanent Secretary in Grenada’s Finance Ministry for 14 years. From 2005 to 2007, he served as an Advisor to the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean at the World Bank, working on behalf of the Caribbean and played a significant role in the establishment of CCRIF in 2007. Mr. Antoine is an economist and development practitioner by training. He holds a B.Sc. Degree in Economics with Management from the University of the West Indies and an M.Sc. Degree in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics.

    Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

    Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, CARICOM

    Ambassador Irwin LaRocque is the current Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 15 August 2011. His service at the CARICOM Secretariat began in September 2005, when he assumed the position of Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration. In that post, he provided strategic leadership for the continuing implementation and further development of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary-General, he served as Permanent Secretary in various Ministries in Dominica for more than fourteen years, including in the Ministries of Trade, Industry, Enterprise Development, Tourism, and Foreign Affairs where he headed the diplomatic service. He also served as the principal advisor to the Government of Dominica on all matters pertaining to economic integration and regional and international trade. He has served on several Boards, including the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, Caribbean Export, the Dominica Agricultural, Industrial and Development Bank, and the Dominica National Development Corporation.

    Mr. Nikhil Da Victoria Lobo

    Managing Director of Public Sector, Swiss Re.

    Nikhil Da Victoria Lobo is Swiss Re’s Regional Leader Americas, Global Partnerships. He leads Swiss Re’s dialogue with governments, development banks and non-governmental organizations in the Americas on customized solutions to help the public sector manage and transfer their risk to the (re)insurance and capital markets. Global Partnerships has successfully helped public sector clients address such complex risks as natural catastrophes, agriculture production, infrastructure financing and longevity risk, and leverages Swiss Re's broad product offerings. These range from traditional risk transfer to insurance-linked securities and advisory services. Prior to his current role, Nikhil was an underwriter for Swiss Re’s corporate insurance business, focusing on the Latin America Fortune 500 companies.

    Tao Zhang

    Deputy Managing Director, IMF

    Mr. Tao ZHANG assumed the role of Deputy Managing Director at the IMF on August 22, 2016. He brings extensive international economic expertise andexperience in policymaking, including with international financial institutions, from his previous appointments as the Deputy Governor of the People’s Bankof China and IMF’s Executive Director for China from 2011 to 2015. Prior to his position as the Deputy Governor, Mr. Zhang held a number of high-level positions in the People’s Bank of China: Director-General of the LegalAffairs Department; Director-General of the International Department; and, Director-General of Financial Survey and Statistics Department. Mr. Zhang alsoworked at the World Bank from 1995 to 1997 and at the Asian Development Bank from 1997 to 2004. Mr. Zhang holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in International Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as a B.S. in Electrical Engineering andan M.S. in Finance from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

    Mr. Alejandro Werner

    Director, Western Hemisphere Department, IMF

    Alejandro Werner assumed his current position as Director of the Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in January 2013. A Mexican citizen, Mr. Werner has had distinguished careers in the public and private sectors as well as in academia. He served as Undersecretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico (December 2006–August 2010) and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at BBVA-Bancomer (August 2011 until end-2012). Previously, he was Director of Economic Studies at the Bank of Mexico and Professor at ITAM, Instituto de Empresa, and Yale University. He has published widely. Mr. Werner was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007. Mr. Werner received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994.

    Mr. Alexandre Tombini

    Executive Director, IMF

    Mr. Alexandre Tombini, originally from Brazil, is currently the Executive Director of the Board at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Brazil, Cabo Verde, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Timor-Leste and Trinidad and Tobago. Before arriving at the IMF, Mr. Tombini was with the Central Bank of Brazil, where he served as Governor, and also previously in the roles of Deputy Governor for Financial System Regulation and Deputy Governor for Economic Research. Mr. Tombini also held distinguished positions as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Budget Resources (SCBR) of the Financial Stability Board (FSB). During the time Mr. Tombini was the Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil, he was also the acting Brazilian representative at the IMF and World Bank Group under the capacity of Alternate Governor for both institutions. Mr. Tombini holds a PhD in Economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

    Ms. Christine Hogan

    Executive Director, WBG

    Christine Hogan is the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean at the World Bank Group since November 2016. Before that she was the Deputy Minister for International Trade and prior to this position the Foreign and Defense Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada in the Privy Council Office. She has held several positions in the Government of Canada including: Director of International Affairs at Environment Canada, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Environment, Senior Advisor on Science and Technology at Industry Canada, Director of Operations and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet in the Privy Council Office, and Vice President of Strategic Policy and Performance at the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada). She holds a Bachelor of Public Administration (Honours) from Carleton University and is a Yale University World Fellow.

    Ambassador Selwin Hart

    Executive Director, IDB

    Mr. Selwin Hart was appointed by the Government of Barbados as Ambassador of Barbados to the United States of America and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the Organization of American States on 1 November 2016. Prior to his appointment Mr. Hart served as the Director of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Change Support Team (CCST) where he played a key role in the historic adoption and entry into force of the Paris Agreement on climate change. As a Senior Advisor, Mr. Hart provided substantive advice on climate change to the Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon in his engagements with Heads of State and Government and other senior officials. He was also responsible for providing overall supervision and guidance to the Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team in the implementation of the Secretary-General’s second-term Five-Year Action Agenda. Before joining the United Nations Mr. Hart served as the Climate Finance Advisor to the Caribbean Development Bank. He was responsible for positioning CDB to better mobilize climate finance from international sources to support the Bank’s interventions in the areas of climate resilience and low carbon development.

  • The High-Level Conference on Building Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in the Caribbean will be livestreamed here. 

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