Jamaican economist Dr Warren Smith, a “giant” of regional development and former president of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), died on Friday, the institution has announced. <\/p>\n
“The Caribbean has lost a giant of the development movement. However, the work he began is now ours to carry forward…,” said Daniel Best, the current president of the development finance institution, in a statement.<\/p>\n
\tSmith served as the bank\u2019s fifth president, from May 2011 to April 2021. <\/p>\n
\u201cDuring his decade at the helm, he guided the institution and its borrowing member countries through an era marked by profound global and regional shocks, including two major global crises that heavily impacted the Caribbean,\u201d the CDB said. <\/p>\n
It said Smith strengthened the bank\u2019s role as a trusted development partner, mobilising resources to support sustainable growth, resilience-building, and social and economic transformation across its borrowing member countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis leadership placed renewed emphasis on climate resilience, disaster risk management and innovative development financing,\u201d the bank said, noting that he worked with regional and international partners to design instruments that helped Caribbean states respond to and recover from natural hazards and external shocks.<\/p>\n
The CDB said Smith also championed good governance, sound economic management and strong regional institutions as foundations for inclusive development.<\/p>\n
\u201cColleagues across the Bank remember him as a thoughtful, principled leader whose decisions were always anchored in his deep commitment to the people of the Caribbean,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
meanwhile, the current CDB president has hailed Smith for his \u201cunwavering belief in what the bank could and should represent for the region\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmith was a mentor and a guide to me at many critical junctures during my career. He devoted his life\u2019s work to the proposition that Caribbean people deserve strong, modern institutions that are fully on their side,\u201d Best said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe demanded excellence from those around him because he believed deeply in our collective responsibility to serve the Caribbean with integrity, rigour and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recognition of his contribution to regional and national development, Smith received several honours, including Jamaica\u2019s Order of Distinction (Commander Class).<\/p>\n
The CDB said a condolence book will be opened for public signing at the bank\u2019s Wildey headquarters in Barbados on Monday, February 2.<\/p>\n
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