BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL – The Bahamas has assumed the Chairmanship of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) board of governors, committing to champion climate resilience and strengthen regional disaster response systems throughout its one-year term.
The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the bank’s 55th Annual Meeting, held last week in Brasília, Brazil. Delivering remarks on behalf of the new chair, Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs and CDB Governor for The Bahamas, parliamentary secretary, for the ministry of economic affairs, Wayde Watson affirmed The Bahamas’ commitment to advancing sustainable development across the region.
“We are particularly pleased to work with the Bank on ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster response systems and build sustainability in the face of climate change,” Watson stated, highlighting The Bahamas’ alignment with the bank’s strategic focus on building resilient institutions for a greener, stronger, and more inclusive Caribbean.
With firsthand experience confronting climate-related disasters, The Bahamas brings a critical perspective to the Bank’s climate agenda. Watson underscored the leadership of prime minister Philip Edward Davis, a prominent regional advocate for climate adaptation and finance, as further evidence of the country’s deep commitment to this priority.
“The Caribbean is among the regions most affected by climate change, facing adaptation challenges that individual countries cannot—and I repeat, cannot—adequately address alone,” Watson stressed. “Multilateral institutions like the CDB are crucial in coordinating and funding solutions tailored to the region’s needs.”
The annual meeting of CDB’s board of governors is the Bank’s highest decision-making forum, comprising representatives from its 28 member countries. The 2025 meeting was chaired by Viviane Vecchi Mendes Muller, deputy secretary for international affairs and development at Brazil’s ministry of planning and budget and CDB Governor for Brazil. It convened senior government officials, development finance institutions, private-sector actors, and technical experts to address the region’s most pressing development challenges, including economic resilience, poverty reduction and climate action.
The Bahamas will host the bank’s 56th annual meeting in Nassau in June 2026.
