BRIDGETOWN (BARBADOS), 27 July 2026.— Global Affairs Canada and UNOPS have signed an agreement to establish the Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility, a new Caribbean regional initiative designed to help governments deliver resilient infrastructure investments more effectively.Funded by the Government of Canada and hosted by UNOPS, RIISE is a groundbreaking regional mechanism that will initially support Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Anchored by a Secretariat based in Barbados, RIISE combines regional leadership with UNOPS global expertise and operational support—operating in line with UN values and administrative standards. The Secretariat will coordinate requests from participating governments and mobilize specialized expertise to help overcome infrastructure implementation challenges."Canada is proud to support RIISE as part of our longstanding commitment to strengthening climate resilience across the Caribbean. By helping governments deliver resilient infrastructure more effectively, build local capacity and promote specialized expertise across the region, RIISE will generate lasting benefits for Caribbean communities while deepening the strong ties between Canada and the region," said Brenda Wills, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.Across the Caribbean, governments are advancing ambitious infrastructure and climate-resilience investments, yet many projects face implementation bottlenecks. Created to respond to government demand, RIISE provides targeted technical assistance to strengthen implementation capacity and accelerate project delivery."Caribbean governments have clear priorities and an ambitious vision for resilient and sustainable development. RIISE will provide timely access to the specialized expertise they need to overcome implementation challenges and turn those priorities into tangible results for communities. At the same time, it will strengthen national capacities and foster greater regional collaboration," explained Giuseppe Mancinelli, UNOPS Director for Barbados and Caribbean Coordinator.Support may include short-term technical advisory services, the temporary deployment of specialists, and the exchange of practical knowledge and experience across countries. Assistance will be tailored to the needs of each government and assignment.RIISE will complement financing and project-preparation mechanisms already operating in the Caribbean by concentrating on the implementation phase, helping governments translate approved investments and national priorities into tangible results for communities.Participating governments facing implementation challenges with infrastructure projects are encouraged to engage with the RIISE team early as potential opportunities for initial support are explored.The facility will be officially launched on 14 September 2026 on the sidelines of the Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) in Miami. **** ENDS *** Notes to editorsUNOPS Press contact:
Sofía Trejos, UNOPS Communications Senior Officer for the Caribbean, sofiatr@unops.org, +506 8704 2199Global Affairs Canada Press contact:
Denyce Blackman, Political-Economic and Public Affairs Officer, BDGTNGR@international.gc.caAbout RIISE
The Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) is a regional technical assistance facility funded by the Government of Canada and hosted by UNOPS. It will initially support Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by helping governments overcome implementation challenges, strengthen institutional capacity, and promote regional knowledge exchange in resilient infrastructure delivery.About UNOPS
UNOPS offers practical solutions across peace and security, humanitarian and development operations. We help the United Nations, governments and other partners, to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement across the world. Read more: www.unops.org.About Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada manages diplomatic relations, promotes international trade, provides consular assistance, and leads Canada's international development, humanitarian assistance, and peace and security efforts.

BRIDGETOWN, 2 July 2026 – “I want to encourage us to be led by evidence,” Hon. Marsha Caddle, M.P. Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning, Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados, told experts emphatically during the 35th Meeting of the CARICOM Advisory Group on Statistics (AGS). The week-long technical meeting in Barbados is being convened by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) andUNICEF. The Minister made her remarks as she reflected on current  conversations about falling fertility, aging, and immigration occurring in hercountry and in other parts of the world and the anecdotes that appear to be fueling the discourse. “It is also important to establish a single source of truth,” she added, pointing out that it is critical to know why data matters.As she characterized statisticians as the “unsung heroes of evidence-based policymaking in the      Region”, the Minister called for more investment in data gathering.           A wide-ranging agenda at the meeting deals with pressing issues such as the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (RSDS) and reviewing and refining the Draft Regional Census Strategy for the 2030 Population and Housing Census Round. It will also consider the proposed establishment of the CARICOM Regional Population Commission. A key feature will be the Dialogue on South-South Cooperation in Census Readiness, which will bring together CARICOM Member States, development partners, and technical experts of the Government of India to exchange technical expertise and explore innovations in census preparation. The dialogue forms part of the ‘Enhancing Census Preparedness in the Caribbean’ initiative, supported by the UN-India Sustainable Development Goals Country Fund, and is expected to strengthen regional readiness for the 2030 census round.Halim Brizan, Director of the Regional Statistics Programme at the CARICOM Secretariat, said the meeting is happening at a pivotal moment in the development of statistics in CARICOM, highlighting the  Region’s preparation for the 2030 Round of Population and Housing Census, and the assessment of CARICOM’s progress in implementing its RSDS.“The overarching objective of this Thirty-Fifth Meeting of the AGS is to advance the implementation of the RSDS. During this meeting, we will also exchange experiences on the RSDS implementation framework, CARICOM's regional mechanisms for South-South Cooperation and consider the establishment of the CARICOM Regional Population Commission among other important initiatives,” he said in opening remarks.      In his address,  Shohrat Orazov, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area, underscored the importance of reliable, timely and comparable data to effective policymaking particularly as Caribbean countries navigate increasingly complex social and climate-related challenges. “Strong statistical systems not only help us understand these challenges but also enable governments and partners to design more effective responses and measures to progress overtime,” he said.Jenny Karlsen, Deputy Director of the UNFPA Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean      contextualized the meeting as an effort benefitting from cross-country collaboration on statistics. She referred to the importance of demographic data as the foundation of decision-making across government      sectors and acknowledged the unique challenges the Region faces in collecting and disseminating data. She added that 2026 is “a year of urgency and opportunity” in developing new approaches. “As the 2030 Census round begins, the Caribbean Community stands to benefit from the strong technical and strategic relationships that its Member States share, embodied in the Regional Strategy for the Development of Statistics, as well as common initiatives in capacity strengthening. The Advisory Group on Statistics provides a strong platform to leverage ongoing collaboration and to think strategically about how to collect and use population data over the coming years,” she stressed     .     Please watch the opening ceremony of the 35th AGS here. About the Advisory Group on StatisticsThe AGS is the principal subsidiary body of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS). It provides strategic guidance on regional statistical priorities and makes recommendations to the SCCS on the development, adoption and implementation of regional statistical programmes and best practices.

“We welcome the adoption of the new Political Declaration, which serves as a road map to guide the HIV response over the next five years, and which received strong support from governments across our region. This is undoubtedly an important signal that countries remain committed to the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” said Luisa Cabal, UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We recognize the work of all actors in the HIV response—from communities to governments—in helping us reach this renewed commitment.” The meeting brought together governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, and communities, with strong participation from representatives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Their engagement reflected the region’s continued commitment to the HIV response and its determination to keep HIV high on national and regional health and development agendas. The new Political Declaration comes at a critical moment for the HIV response, marked by declining international funding, persistent inequalities in access to health services, and the impact of stigma and discrimination on the populations most affected by HIV.The Political Declaration, which will guide the global HIV response for the period 2026–2031, sets out new targets and commitments to expand equitable access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention; address funding gaps; protect human rights and promote gender equality; expand access to HIV medicines and related technologies; and strengthen the role of communities and civil society in the AIDS response. During the meeting, representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean agreed that the progress achieved in the HIV response must be protected and accelerated in the face of financial challenges, persistent inequalities and barriers that continue to limit access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services. “The adoption of this Political Declaration sends a strong message that the world remains committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, and that the tools and knowledge needed to achieve this goal are within our reach. While the Caribbean has made significant progress, those gains remain fragile in the face of financial challenges, persistent inequalities, stigma, discrimination and barriers to access,” said Leslie Wade, Permanent Observer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to the United Nations. “CARICOM continues to call for renewed global solidarity, sustainable financing and equitable access to HIV prevention, treatment and innovation. What is needed now is renewed political leadership and collective action to turn commitments into action and ensure that no one is left behind.”“Brazil expresses its deep appreciation for the strong support shown for this Political Declaration on HIV, which reflects our shared recognition of the progress achieved to date while acknowledging that important challenges remain,” said Mariângela Simão, Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance at Brazil’s Ministry of Health. “In this regard, we also wish to highlight the valuable role of UNAIDS in supporting countries in the implementation and monitoring of these commitments, helping to ensure that our collective efforts translate into meaningful and sustained impact.” “Communities have been at the heart of the HIV response and must continue to support the implementation of the commitments made. Our role has been essential in ensuring that these agreements translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives,” said Mariana Iacono, representative of ICW Latina. “Community experience has helped bring public policies closer to people living with HIV, key populations and all those who continue to face structural barriers to fully exercising their human rights. We stand ready to work alongside governments to turn the 2030 targets into reality and end AIDS as a public health threat.” The interventions by governments, regional organizations and community representatives underscored that achieving the 2030 targets will require strengthening multilateralism, reinforce national responses and ensure the meaningful participation of communities. They also emphasized that the commitments made in New York must be translated into concrete action that responds to people’s needs and helps reduce the inequalities that continue to hinder progress. At the close of the meeting, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said that governments around the world, with the support of communities, had reaffirmed that multilateralism remains alive and that international cooperation continues to be an essential tool for accelerating progress towards 2030. “The fact that so many Member States voted in support of this Political Declaration at this moment is recognition that our progress remains worth protecting and that there is a willingness to sustain the actions needed to achieve the 2030 goal,” she said. *** End ***
Contact UNAIDS LAC | Jaevion Nelson | nelsonj@ unaids.org 
UNAIDS LAC | Josué Valera | valeraj@unaids.org | communications@unaids.org UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. 
 

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, [8 June 2026] — Latin America and the Caribbean remains the most democratic developing region in the world. Yet the future of democracy increasingly depends on the State capacity to deliver inclusive human development, build resilience, and guarantee security amid growing uncertainty. These are among the findings of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2026 Regional Human Development Report, Democracies Under Pressure: Reimagining the Futures of Democracy and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, presented today in Santo Domingo alongside President Luis Abinader and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Michelle Muschett.In this first presentation of the Report in the Caribbean, UNDP Regional Director emphasized that “the future of LAC depends on our collective ability to transform the pressure on our democracies into progress without sacrificing human agency and freedoms. This launch in the Dominican Republic advances a broader regional conversation—one that recognizes both the Caribbean’s remarkable democratic resilience and the complex pressures testing them. The gap between belief in democracy and unmet expectations calls for renewing the nexus between democracy, development and the State. UNDP will continue supporting governments and societies across the region to reimagine and build their own future”.  The Report examines both the strengths and weaknesses of democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the factors that are reshaping and, in many cases, straining their functioning, such as organized crime, political polarization, misinformation, and climate crisis. Its central message is a call to action: to protect democracies against the risk of erosion, while renewing them to respond to evolving citizens demands and expectations. The document incorporates Caribbean perspectives throughout and includes a dedicated chapter examining its distinctive democratic and development dynamics, while respecting the heterogeneity across the region.  While Latin America has become one of the most polarized regions in the world, the Caribbean stands out for its notable social cohesion and democratic stability in the face of political division.  However, growing security challenges, greater vulnerability to external shocks, and tighter fiscal constraints, putting state capacity and democratic resilience to test. Homicide rate reaches 27.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in the Caribbean – above the regional average--with 59 percent of cases linked to organized crime.  At the same time, extreme climate events have doubled, rising from 5.2 per year (1960-1990) to 10.7 per year (2000-2023).  Public debt exceeds 100% of GDP in some Caribbean countries, undermining state capacity and eroding trust in democratic institutions. While 57% of people in the Caribbean continue to prefer democracy as the best form of government, only around 32% are satisfied with how democracy works in practice, revealing a widening gap between democratic support and institutional performance.The Dominican Republic occupies a unique position as a structural and geopolitical bridge between Latin America and the Caribbean, reflecting many of the challenges identified in the report, but with particular strengths. It shares with Latin America an early experience of state-building and presidential systems of government, while, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), it faces many of the structural vulnerabilities characteristic of the Caribbean, including high exposure to climate shocks and constraints associated with limited territorial scale.In this context, the country has made important advances in electoral democracy and political freedoms, standing out as a case of democratic deepening in times of increasing pressures on democracy. The country has also achieved significant progress in reducing poverty and inequality over the past two decades, although challenges remain in areas such as women’s political participation and ensuring that the benefits of development reach all segments of society. At the same time, digital transformation and artificial intelligence are identified as additional forces reshaping development pathways across the region. While these technologies introduce new risks -- 76 percent of the population perceives that social media contains a significant or moderate amount of disinformation --, they also offer significant opportunities to expand access to services, improve productivity, strengthen civic participation, and promote inclusion, particularly for women and young people.Ultimately, the report concludes that building more resilient, inclusive, and prosperous societies will require strengthening the connection between democratic governance, state capacity, and development outcomes, translating democratic achievements into tangible improvements in people’s lives. Democratic strengths in the Caribbean provide a strong foundation for addressing the complex challenges ahead, but its future will depend on the ability of its institutions to integrate economic resilience, climate change adaptation, and human security in an increasingly uncertain global environment. Learn MoreFor more information and media inquiries, please contact:Sharon Grobeisen, Strategic Communications Advisor – rblac.communications@undp.org For more information, visit UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean or follow us on social media @pnudlac.About UNDPThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the leading United Nations agency on international development. It works with 170 countries and territories to reduce poverty, strengthen governance, and build resilience through integrated solutions so nations can progress. Learn more at UNDP