The Governors of Inter-American Development Bank member countries in Central America and the Dominican Republic are holding their 36th annual meeting on San Pedro. The lead attraction was the new IDB President Ilan Goldfajn. And welcoming him today was Prime Minister John Briceno who spoke about the challenges facing countries of this region including higher food prices and climate hazards.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"We have weathered the storm, but for how long. Today, I am comforted by President Goldfajn commitment to making the IDB the most reliable, agile and important development partner for Latin America and the Caribbean. Belize supports its vision for promoting sustainable and equitable growth to address numerous social issues such as combating poverty. The IDB of today must include in its consideration climate vulnerabilities to help members better mitigate the impact of recurring natural disasters."
"It can do so by adapting criteria that include climate change vulnerabilities, allowing countries to access concessionary resources, facilitating investment in climate adaptation and proactively building climate resilient infrastructure."
In his remarks, the new IDB president emphasized that in an era of "more frequent and more severe crises, Central America and the Dominican Republic should prioritize policies that foster resilience, with people's welfare as their core focus."
