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  September 18 - 19, 2023 Miami, Florida

Agenda

CARIF delivers two days of dynamic debate and networking, via a mix of high-level interviews, panel discussions, community polling and roundtable conversations. Leading players will debate the most pressing topics in the Caribbean infrastructure space including:

  • How to incentivize the flow of private finance to sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects?
  • Building grid infrastructure for the future of the Caribbean power sector
  • Mobilizing capital for food security
  • Next generation climate-smart construction
  • Caribbean Cities: municipal development and revitalization; what does urban resilience look like in the Caribbean context?
  • Digital Infrastructure Revolution: How to prioritize investment
  • How can we deliver the necessary infrastructure to support the decarbonization of the Caribbean shipping industry?
  • Is waste-to-energy the right way to address the Caribbean’s waste management challenges?
    Plus, sector updates and opportunities: transportation, ports and airports, water, healthcare, and more

Away from the CARIF Main Stage, we invite attendees to meet the market through numerous structured and unstructured networking opportunities, including the fountain-side cocktail reception, networking-enhanced thematic roundtables, and sunrise yoga and fun-run offerings.

Monday

September 18
8:00-8:45

Registration Opens

8:45-9:00

Welcome Remarks and CARIF Stage Setter

Dynamic Warm Up/Caribbean Infrastructure Investment by the Numbers/Sustainability Report

  • Stephen Beatty

    KPMG International
    Global Head of Infrastructure and Head, Global Cities Center of Excellence

9:00-10:00

Ministerial and Multilateral Leaders: Delivering on Island Infrastructure Ambitions

Island leadership detail the key pillars of their infrastructure strategies

  • National Infrastructure Plans detailed, opportunities presented
  • What developments and progress have we seen since CARIF 2023? Are governments delivering on their stated commitments?
  • How is climate adaptation cross-cutting sectors in infrastructure planning long-term?
  • To what degree is technology being integrated into infrastructure planning and design, to increase resilience and reduce costs? Are island administrations sufficiently supported in this effort?
  • How are relationships with project sponsors, operators, and investors developing and what can be done to encourage increased investment in island infrastructure?

  • Joseph Cox

    CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) SECRETARIAT
    Assistant Secretary-General, Economic Integration, Innovation and Development (EIID)

  • Hon. William Duguid, M.P.

    Government of Barbados
    Senior Minister with Responsibility for Infrastructure

10:00-11:00

Stimulating the Flow of Private Finance to Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Projects

  • Considering the impact of recent regulatory changes on the availability of private capital for sustainable infrastructure projects
  • What is the landscape of private finance organizations active in funding sustainable infrastructure projects? (in green finance, transition finance, impact finance, etc.)
  • How can Governments create policy and regulatory environments that stimulate the flow of private finance to sustainability, resilience, and growth initiatives?
  • Are multilaterals and DFIs key to demonstrating project viability to the private sector? How to better leverage their participation to get projects off the ground
  • How to leverage private capital in blue/green bond issuances in island economies
  • Improving impact measuring and reporting as a means to stimulate investment appetite
  • Best approaches to mitigate increasing climate risk in transaction design
  • Blended finance trending up and what this means for the project pipeline

  • Adam Carter

    CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
    Managing Director, Head - Investment Banking

  • Dustin Delany

    Dentons
    Chair and Regional Managing Partner Moderator

11:00-11:30

Networking

11:30-12:15

Building a Better Project Pipeline: Collaborative Solutions to Deliver on Clean and Resilient Infrastructure

  • How do project sponsors perceive the outlook for development in the Caribbean? How does it compare to other regions?
  • Expanding PPPs to support the project pipeline
  • What are the key challenges sponsors face when executing projects in the region? How can PPP use be expanded into less traditional infrastructure sectors?
  • What key actions from island governments would stimulate developer and investor appetite?
  • How to increase the use of PPPs as a tool to create more bankable projects? How can PPP use be expanded into less traditional infrastructure sectors?

12:15-12:35

Country Focus: Jamaica’s Economic and Infrastructure Development Strategy In the Spotlight

12:35-2:00

Lunch

2:00-2:45

Meeting the Evolving Infrastructure Needs of the Cruise Tourism and Shipping Industries

  • Is there a trend towards smaller, lower volume cruise ships? How does this impact port and related infrastructure demand?
  • How can policymakers and private stakeholders develop a more holistic approach to infrastructure planning,  in order to streamline the flow of goods and passengers?
  • How can the stakeholders support the decarbonization of the Caribbean shipping and cruise tourism industries and what infrastructure investments must be programmed and funded in order to do so?

  • Hon. Minister Kenneth V. Bryan

    Cayman Islands Government
    Minister for Tourism and Ports

2:45-3:15

Presentation: Building Grid Infrastructure for the Future of Caribbean Power

As regional administrations strive to meet ambitious NDCs, are governments and utilities doing enough to firm and expand the grid?

  • Where are the vital investment points and are these included in national infrastructure plans?
  • What is best practice in the island context, to manage community push-back on grid infrastructure development?
  • Managing EV-charging integration into grid planning and development

3:15-4:00

Mobilizing Capital for Food Security, and Improving Distribution Networks

  • What food security technologies deliver viable solutions in the island context and present attractive investment opportunities?
  • What are the priority infrastructure developments needed to reduce inefficiencies and loss in distribution networks?
  • How to integrate resilience into food security, and function within land-restricted countries?
  • What is the outlook for impact and how can this translate into investment returns?
  • What are multilaterals and DFIs doing to mobilize private capital for priority projects and innovations in the sector?

  • Carlos E. Palacious

    Bron Ltd.
    Managing Principal

  • Codi Whittaker

    Primitive Greens
    Co-Founder and Operator

4:00-4:30

Coffee Break

4:30-5:15

Health Infrastructure: Building Healthy Hospitals

  • How are hospitals responding to the impacts of events and what lessons can we learn from having to build back stronger? 
  • To what extent can ESG initiatives deliver value and long-term sustainability for hospitals?
  • What are the challenges in delivering sustainable care and how can we mitigate them?

  • Dr. Anna van Poucke

    KPMG
    Global Head of Healthcare

5:15-6:00

Critical Infrastructure Investments to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change on Caribbean Tourism

  • Where are the critical investment points to mitigate the impact of human activity-enhanced natural phenomena such as coastal erosion, sargasso, plastics, etc?
  • Is it economically viable to convert this burden to an opportunity, for example as fertilizer or fuel? What technology and financing would be needed?
  • How can real impact be measured and who derives the benefits and bears financial responsibility?
  • How can a collaborative regional mitigation infrastructure be developed, financed, and implemented?

  • Hon. Minister Kenneth V. Bryan

    Cayman Islands Government
    Minister for Tourism and Ports

  • Donald Thompson

    CRDC Global
    Founder and CEO

  • Alfonso Guzman

    President
    K&M Advisors LLC Moderator

6:00-6:20

CARIF Awards 2023: Presentation

6:20-8:00

CARIF Networking Reception

Tuesday

September 19
Additional Enrollment Required
8:15-9:30

CARIF Roundtables

Bring your questions, comments, and ideas, then grab a coffee and join these networking-enhanced thematic roundtables. Conclusions and priorities will be identified, then shared with the broader New Energy community in a follow up report.

Advanced sign-up recommended.

Additional Enrollment Required
8:15-9:30

Transportation Infrastructure Rethink: How to Deliver Greener, More Resilient and More Cost Effective Transport

CARIF Roundtables

– Incorporating infrastructure to support the decarbonization of road transport

– National planning strategies for more effective connectivity and efficiency

– Planning for long-term EV charging infrastructure

Next Generation Climate Smart Construction

CARIF Roundtables

- How can climate smart construction contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change?

- Enhancing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in buildings?

- Integration with other sustainability initiatives

- Ensuring accessibility and affordability for all communities

- Enhancing education and training

- Does/should climate smart construction fall under any regulatory framework?

- R&D review

- What are the economic benefits of climate smart construction, short and long-term?

Additional Enrollment Required
8:15-9:30

Social Infrastructure: Designing and Delivering Better In-Line with Population Needs

CARIF Roundtables

– What does education infrastructure look like in a post-Covid world? 

– Digitization to design better social infrastructure, and drive down costs

Delivering Better Connected and More Efficient Networks and Gateways

CARIF Roundtables

- What trends are we seeing now in regional air/ferry travel between islands and where are the key gaps to address?

- What are the priority investments to better connections and what could be the knock-on impact on local economies?

- How can these projects be structured to maximize investment and revenue, taking a holistic view of traveler patterns and

-Rethinking entry point processes to streamline the customer experience and drive down costs

Additional Enrollment Required
8:15-9:30

ESG

CARIF Roundtables

New Approaches to Water and Waste

CARIF Roundtables

9:30-9:35

Chairperson Welcome

  • Isabel de Caires

    CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
    Director, Investment Banking

9:35-10:00

Country Interview: Bahamas: The Next 50 Years

10:00-10:45

Making Caribbean Airports More Sustainable, Bankable, and Adaptable to Traveler Needs

  • Facts and figures on Caribbean development and pipeline
  • Building, expanding, and retrofitting airports in line with sustainability objectives: How will projects be financed and delivered?
  • Can we start planning for the integration of SAF Fuels, H2, and Electric Aviation? 
  • How to incorporate technology to maximize the functionality of existing regional airports? What infrastructure and operational shortcomings can be identified and addressed?
  • Re-imagining airport design to reduce project costs
  • How can we drive investment toward these projects? 
  • Review of regional airports under development or in the pipeline: What obstacles have/are being encountered in terms of approvals/financing and how can these be overcome?

  • Dr. Rafael Echevarne

    ACI-LAC Airports Council International, Latin America & Caribbean
    Director General

  • Filipe Pereira dos Reis

    IATA
    Regional Director, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, The Americas

  • Dr. Kenneth Romer

    The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
    Director of Aviation & Deputy Director General

  • Gemel Sobers

    CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
    Director, Corporate & Investment Banking (Cayman, BVI, Dutch Caribbean) Moderator

10:45-11:30

Building Better Urban Infrastructure: Investments to Increase Resilience, Revitalize Cities, and Meet the Need for Affordable Housing

  • What does urban resilience look like in the Caribbean?
  • House can infrastructure best be designed to address housing deficits in a sustainable way?
  • Addressing challenges related to coastal city climate risk and shifting population trends
  • How do urban revitalization and housing projects appeal to ESG investors? How can this  appetite be increased?
  • How can local and national governments best cooperate with the private and multilateral sectors for development projects?

11:30-12:00

Networking

12:00-12:45

Digital Infrastructure Revolution: How to Prioritize Investment and Create Viable Market Conditions

Exploring key priorities to securing critical digital infrastructure in support of regional growth. How these can be executed and financed?

  • Visions to grow the digital economy in the region: How should government and business leaders prepare for next-generation technology to increase the region’s competitiveness?
  • Investing in emerging digital technologies to tee up growth In business, services, and economies
  • How can challenges of shifting demand, OTTs, and regulation be addressed to support competitive and reliable service?
  • How can government leaders support a pro-investment environment?
  • Is infrastructure sharing helping or harming the industry and customers?
  • How can we maximize capacity building as a region? 
  • How are multilateral organizations leading the effort to create a tech-ready workforce?

12:45-1:30

Water and Waste-Water Management: Innovations in Design, Operations, and Financing of Resilient Projects

  • Waste management rethink: Why, and how, are some islands prioritizing waste-to-energy in support of sustainability goals
  • In the face of increasing risk of interval droughts/floods due to climate change, how must islands increase resilience to guarantee sufficient safe water supply?
  • What innovations in project design are making systems more sustainable and cost-effective?
  • Exploring approaches to project structure and operation: What can we learn and replicate from recent transactions?
  • How can we change perceptions of waste facilities to be seen as energy generation solutions?

  • Nick St. Georges

    Integrated Sustainability
    Vice President of International pursuits

1:30-1:45

CARIF Conclusions and Takeaways: Making Commitments for CARIF 2024

  • Gillian Charles-Gollop

    CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
    Executive Director, Corporate Banking & Sustainable Finance

1:45-2:30

Lunch

Additional Enrollment Required
2:30-4:00

The Future of Financing: Exploring the Sources, Structures and Innovations That Could Supercharge the Delivery of Caribbean Infrastructure

CARIF Workshops

Additional Enrollment Required
4:00-5:30

Creating and Implementing Effective National Development Strategies

CARIF Workshops

5:30

Close of CARIF

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