World Bank Caribbean

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

To address the urgent need of shelter, the World Bank Group is supporting the Government of Haiti in building 20 multifunctional safe havens in targeted regions of the country.

“The purpose-built structure is designed to serve communities both in times of calm and in times of crisis”, said Michael Merisier, project coordinator at the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities. “We plan to construct new safe havens across five departments. In addition, five schools in the Nippes department have already been successfully rehabilitated and are operational as emergency shelters”.

Constructed on existing school sites, these facilities function as gymnasiums, homework spaces, community halls, and multipurpose meeting spaces on ordinary days, woven into the daily life of the neighborhoods they serve.

When a hurricane or other hazard threatens, they transform into resilient emergency shelters capable of accommodating several hundred people.

Learn more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/06/08/before-the-storm-how-haiti-is-protecting-lives-and-livelihoods-through-resilient-infrastructure

For communities in Guyana's Greater Georgetown area, heavy rain used to mean days of stagnant floodwater, shuttered shops, and streets you simply couldn't pass through.
Resident Basil Singh remembers it well.

Under the World Bank-supported Guyana Flood Risk Management Project, the new "Bullet" pump station is changing that. Floodwater clears faster, canals stay active during heavy rains, and life — and livelihoods — keep moving.

See the difference infrastructure makes. http://wrld.bg/Rnv150Z94aS

𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬

Barbados has built a solid track record of investing in education, and it has a clear opportunity to ensure that investment translates into the skills students need in the world of work, according to a recently released World Bank Education Public Expenditure Review.

The review finds that Barbados allocates approximately 4.9 percent of GDP to education—broadly aligned with international benchmarks, and the education budget has remained relatively stable and protected during economic shocks. This has helped the country to achieve near-universal enrollment at the primary and secondary levels.

Yet, the system has struggled to translate that investment into workforce-relevant skills, with employers citing the quality of education and training as a key reason for skills shortages. Foundational skills deficits emerge as early as primary school. In 2023, around 30 percent of students did not demonstrate acceptable mathematics performance on end-of-primary national exams — and widen through secondary education.

Read: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/05/27/barbados-can-translate-strong-education-access-into-skills-for-the-future-world-bank-group-review-finds

Learn more about the World Bank in Barbados: https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/barbados

Barbados Can Translate Strong Education Access into Skills for the Future, World Bank Group Review Finds The review finds that Barbados allocates approximately 4.9 percent of GDP to education—broadly aligned with international benchmarks, and the education budget has remained relatively stable and protected during economic shocks. This has helped the country to achieve near-universal enrollment at th...

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡

When a farmer gets connected to a market, to a reliable buyer, or to financing for efficient operations, the difference shows up in income, stability and whether children stay in school or families have enough food. That connection, however, remains out of reach for most smallholder farmers worldwide.

In April, the World Bank Group and the Government of Jamaica officially launched AgriConnect Jamaica, part of a global initiative designed to transform smallholder farming, create jobs, and strengthen global food security.

Why Jamaica?

Jamaica was selected as one of the first movers for AgriConnect because of the sector's demonstrated potential and the government's commitment to agricultural transformation. Agriculture here is not a marginal activity — the agrifood system, from farming to food processing and trade, accounts for nearly 30% of Jamaica's total employment, according to FAO estimates. It is a path to stability and food security.

Learn more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/05/19/jamaica-joins-agriconnect-putting-smallholder-farmers-at-the-center-of-agricultural-growth

When a hurricane or volcanic eruption strikes a small state, the economic damage outlasts the headlines by years. Government debt rises steadily — reaching 6% of GDP above pre-disaster levels three years on. That's borrowed money that crowds out investment in jobs, infrastructure, and public services. It's the bill that arrives long after the cameras leave — and it falls hardest on the communities least able to absorb it. http://wrld.bg/s17Z50Z92UR

𝐈𝐅𝐂 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝟏𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

The Fund will focus on seven priority sectors critical to the region's long-term development and resilience: energy, water, agriculture, housing, transportation, financial services, and information and communications technology.

Investments will support businesses and projects that strengthen economic resilience, improve productivity, expand access to essential services and create sustainable employment opportunities across participating countries in the following countries:

🇦🇬 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘢
🇧🇸 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘴
🇧🇧 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘴
🇧🇿 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦
🇩🇲 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢
🇬🇩 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢
🇬🇾 𝘎𝘶𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘢
🇯🇲 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘤𝘢
🇰🇳 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴
🇱🇨 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢
🇻🇨 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴
🇸🇷 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦
🇹🇹 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘰

The Fund will focus on seven priority sectors critical to the region's long-term development and resilience: energy, water, agriculture, housing, transportation, financial services, and information and communications technology.

This initiative aligns with the World Bank Group's Small States Strategy, which focuses on strengthening resilience, expanding economic opportunities and mobilizing private capital in small and vulnerable economies.

IFC Invests in Caribbean Debt Fund to Strengthen Resilience, Support Job Creation across 13 Countries The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will invest up to US$15 million in the Caribbean Community Resilience Fund (CCRF) Debt Sub-Fund, a regional investment vehicle managed by Sygnus and established in partnership with the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF). The....

In the Dominican Republic, rural jobs are a vital part of families’ livelihoods: park rangers, guides, coffee farmers, and forestry technicians work while caring for natural resources.
Swipe to read more on our blog: http://wrld.bg/ZEJl50ZbjLw

📚 A generation that doesn't understand what it reads: Evidence and solutions for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Nearly 7 in 10 students in the region finish primary school without being able to read well. The good news: science already knows what works to teach children to read. A new report from the World Bank, UNICEF, and other partners sums it up. In this webinar we'll talk with the report's authors and with education leaders from England, Colombia, and Brazil, along with a regional perspective.

🗓️ Monday, June 15, 2026
🕚 11:00 a.m. (EDT)
🇲🇽 9:00 · 🇨🇴🇵🇪 10:00 · 🇨🇱 11:00 · 🇦🇷🇧🇷 12:00 noon
💻 Via Zoom · In Spanish (with interpretation into English)
👉 Register here: http://wrld.bg/evYF50Z8VIc