From October 28-30, Saint Lucia will welcome global trade, policy, and sustainability experts for two high-level international workshops aimed at advancing a greener and more inclusive Caribbean economy.
Taking place at Harbor Club, Rodney Bay, these events take place under the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project (RTP); a global initiative co-led by Saint Lucian trade expert Dr Jan Yves Remy, director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy, and Services at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus.
Launched in 2023, the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project is designed to realign global trade policy with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following dialogues in Brussels, Washington DC, London, New Delhi, Santiago, Cape Town, and Nairobi, the initiative now turns to Saint Lucia, spotlighting the Caribbean’s leadership in redefining trade for a sustainable future.
“Hosting this workshop in Saint Lucia underscores the Caribbean’s capacity to lead on linking trade, industrial transformation, and environmental sustainability,” said Yves Remy. “We are connecting global expertise with local innovation to ensure that our region’s voices help shape the future of sustainable trade.”
Co-led with Professor Dan Esty of Yale University and Professor Joel Trachtman of Tufts University, and supported by international partners including NatureFinance, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the European Climate Foundation (ECF), and TIDE Oxford, the workshops will bring together more than 70 participants from across the Caribbean and around the world. Attendees will include policymakers, private-sector executives, academics, and civil society leaders, who will gather over three days at the Harbor Club in Rodney Bay.
On October 28, the first workshop will focus on advancing the CARICOM Industrial Policy and Strategy (CIPS), a regionally endorsed framework aimed at developing twelve critical industrial ecosystems such as agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and digital services. Participants will assess how trade incentives, regional value chains, and targeted financing can support the implementation of CIPS and build long-term economic resilience.
Global case studies from Chile, Taiwan, Canada, Japan, and Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will provide insights into how industrial transformation can be driven through strategic trade policy.
The second workshop which will be held on the 29-30, will explore how the Caribbean can capitalise on the rapidly expanding global bioeconomy, which is currently valued at over US$4 trillion and projected to reach US$30 trillion by 2050. Sessions will highlight opportunities for regional growth in key sectors such as sustainable agriculture, marine biotechnology, the circular economy, and eco-tourism.
Experts will discuss eight core themes from food-system resilience and green industrial policy to digital innovation and trade finance, culminating in the development of a draft Caribbean Sustainable Trade and Bioeconomy Action Plan to guide policymakers and industry leaders toward climate-smart, inclusive development.
