The University of Guyana’s Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences hosted the 10th Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) from June 16th – 18th, 2021. Co-hosts of the virtual forum included the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management (CNULM) based at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago; the Central Housing and Planning Authority; the Guyana Planning Association; and other national, regional and international organisations. The event brings together urban planners, environmental experts, municipal managers, policymakers, academics and allied professionals in an effort to address urban issues in the Caribbean region.
The University of Guyana is a long-standing partner of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) who was pleased to participate in the Forum. On day 2 of the Forum (June 17th), GWP-C represented by its Regional Coordinator Ms. Simone Lewis, participated as a panellist in a discussion on “Innovation in the Management of Coastal Communities in the Caribbean.” The panel discussion was largely based on a programme called “Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Support Resilient Settlements on the Coastal Zones of the Caribbean (HIT RESET Caribbean).”
HIT RESET Caribbean began in January 2021 and aims to address these challenges by, inter alia, competitively awarding grants for the development of innovative projects and stimulation of the development of regional and national systems of innovation. The four-year programme is being managed by The University of the West Indies (UWI) through the St. Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (STACIE), in partnership with Anton de Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS) and the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).