By: Staff Writer
November 5, 2025
The inaugural Caribbean Sustainable Infrastructure Conference (CSIC), 2025 being held in Bridgetown Barbados brought regional leaders to the table to discuss the region’s shared challenges with infrastructural development amid climate change risk.
Marc Dubernet, regional director of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), said in his opening remarks at the Caribbean Sustainable Infrastructure Conference 2025, held in Bridgetown, Barbados that: “
The inaugural CSIC 2025, emphasized the urgent need for sustainable infrastructure investments to balance economic growth, social inclusion, environmental resilience, and institutional strength. Key speakers highlighted the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which caused significant damage in Jamaica, underscoring the necessity of climate-resilient infrastructure.
The conference focused on four themes: tackling climate risk, promoting equity and gender inclusion, advancing innovation-led economic development, and fostering strong governance. Various projects, including the Sandy Bay Sea Defense Resilience Project and the Kingston Port Modernization Project, were showcased to illustrate sustainable infrastructure solutions.
Dubernet also said: “AFD is a French Development Agency which supports France’s ambition to build a fairer, more united and more sustainable future, together with its international partners such as the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) in the world facing climate change, growing inequalities and geopolitical tensions.
“AFD invests in concrete, human, centered and responsible solutions with local partners.”
Dubernet also said: “Our teams are currently engaged in over 4,000 projects in 160 countries and territories.
AFD has developed a strong partnership with the CDB since 20,016 through credit lines and grants for sustainable projects.
“Thanks to European Union funds, we also finance studies proposed by our partners, CDB. Among these, we are very pleased to present during this conference two studies. One is development of sustainable public transport system project. The second is application of the climate resilience index in the road transport sector project.
“I would like to thank all participants, especially our pilot countries, St Lucia and Grenada, for their commitment to building a more resilient Caribbean.”