The UNDP Accelerator Lab for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean hosted its second “Coffee Morning” event on March 13, 2020 at TEN Habitat, a local co-working and entrepreneurial space. The gathering was a part of the Lab’s Coffee Morning series – an ongoing community outreach initiative in which various members of the public, private and tertiary sectors are invited to discuss important issues in the blue economy sector in an informal, conversational setting.

At last week’s forum, a group of blue economy innovators and stakeholders were paired up for an “Innovator Speed Dating” exercise. During the rotating, 10-minute networking sessions, topics discussed included wave energy, sustainable potable water and legal frameworks surrounding our oceans. This activity aimed to connect stakeholders in order to scale up innovative ideas in need of support. Given this, participants have been encouraged to grow the connections fostered during the meeting and to continue having conversations in future.

Participants included:

• Daeyoung Kim, Consultant, Inter-American Development Bank, Focal Area: Renewable Energy
• Karyl Pivott, Student, University of the West Indies, Focal Area: Renewable Energy
• Alana Lancaster, Law Lecturer, University of the West Indies, Focal Area: International and Caribbean Environmental and Energy Law
• Nick St-Georges, Vice President, Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd., Focal Areas: Water, Waste and Energy
  
• Mr. David Bynoe, National Coordinator for the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme
•  Mr. Selwyn Cambridge, Founder of TEN Habitat.

Commenting on the event, Consultant with the Inter- American Development Bank Daeyoung Kim noted “I enjoyed speaking with other innovative stakeholders and practitioners. The Coffee Morning event was a passion-filled atmosphere which provided for direct questions and answers as we forged relationships and found practical solutions for each other. Hopefully, this will be another steppingstone for the development of the maritime sector in Barbados.”

UNDP is committed to fostering relations with and between stakeholders and innovators in the blue economy and views them as imperative to the sustainable development of the sector.

Each Coffee Morning will feature a different theme and focal area, stay tuned to the UNDP website to find out more.