Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Entity Work Programme: Four Year Cycle (2020-2023)

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has established a four-year work programme (2020-2023) to scale up climate finance for its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). The strategy focuses on three main areas: public sector investment in water security, renewable energy, and resilient infrastructure; leveraging the private sector through financial sector transformation; and enhancing institutional capacity through GCF Readiness support. The pipeline includes regional programmes for financial transformation, Integrated Utilities Services (IUS) for energy, and water security, alongside single-country projects in The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada. The CDB emphasizes the need for concessional financing to address high public debt levels exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The CDB aims to act as a catalyst for scaling up climate finance in the Caribbean, noting that previous flows have been insufficient to meet regional needs.
• The bank's strategic approach to pipeline management prioritizes multi-country programmes to achieve economies of scale for common challenges, while utilizing single-country projects for unique national circumstances.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the region's fiscal health, with average public debt-to-GDP ratios increasing from approximately 62% in 2019 to around 72%.
• Due to high indebtedness following the pandemic, the CDB argues that the level of concessionality provided by the GCF is critical to making climate investments viable and attractive to borrowers.
• A priority regional programme focuses on transforming the financial services sector in Belize, Jamaica, and St. Lucia to unlock private investment for low-emissions and resilient infrastructure.
• The CDB is developing a regional energy programme using the Integrated Utilities Services (IUS) model in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica to scale up distributed renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Water security is a central focus, with a regional programme targeting leakage reduction in Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Lucia, and a specific project for The Bahamas to enhance water sector resilience.
• The bank is implementing a 'Community Climate Change Adaptation Fund' (CCCAF) to provide grants for nature-based solutions and resilient agriculture in 14 Borrowing Member Countries.
• The CDB is serving as a delivery partner for GCF Readiness projects in Belize (USD 298,000), St. Kitts & Nevis (USD 590,000), and Suriname (USD 318,000).
• The bank identifies a critical need for GCF Project Preparation Facility (PPF) resources because it lacks sufficient discretionary funds to develop concept notes and funding proposals at the required scale.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2021). Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Entity Work Programme: Four Year Cycle (2020-2023). https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/caribbean-development-bank-cdbs-ewp.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Entity Work Programme: Four Year Cycle (2020-2023). 2021. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/caribbean-development-bank-cdbs-ewp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Entity Work Programme: Four Year Cycle (2020-2023) |date=15 January 2021 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/caribbean-development-bank-cdbs-ewp.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2021caribbean, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Entity Work Programme: Four Year Cycle (2020-2023)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/caribbean-development-bank-cdbs-ewp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }