Vice President Kamala Harris announced more than $100 million, including $98 million from USAID, to address climate, energy, food security, and humanitarian assistance in the Caribbean in Nassau, The Bahamas. The Vice President co-hosted the U.S.-Caribbean Leaders Meeting with Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas, current Caribbean Community chair, following her meeting with Caribbean leaders in June 2022 at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
Caribbean Renewable Energy and Climate Change
USAID plans to provide $20 million in funding to companies through the Caribbean Climate Investment Program to help the region transition to renewable energy and increase energy efficiency. The Barbados government, the Green Climate Fund, and private investors will establish the Blue-Green Investment Corporation with this programming. This public-private “green bank” is expected to unlock up to $210 million over three years to finance climate resilient housing, renewable energy, clean transportation, and water conservation projects in Barbados and other Caribbean countries, including the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Non-U.S. government partners will capitalize it with $30 million.
USAID is investing over $15 million on Caribbean disaster risk reduction, emergency response capacity building, and resilience. USAID has invested approximately $80 million in Caribbean disaster risk reduction and resilience over the past five years.
Vice President Harris also supported the Caribbean Islands’ climate change response. USAID is giving the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre $1.5 million to boost international climate finance and improve CARICOM countries’ decision-making data capabilities.
USAID is also giving $1 million to the Caribbean Islands Higher Education Resilience Consortium and Northeastern University to minimize and adapt to climate change and extreme weather occurrences. Building a resilient blue and green economy will offer economic growth opportunities.
Haiti Food Security
USAID and Congress plan to provide Haiti $10.5 million to boost agricultural and livestock productivity. This financing will improve market system efficiency, private sector engagement, and household and community resilience through market strengthening, research, and innovation. These activities will boost Haitian resilience, food security, and sustainable agriculture.
Haiti Aid
USAID is also donating almost $54 million for Haiti’s humanitarian disaster. Haiti’s high gang violence, including civilian attacks, has blocked access to food, water, and other essentials. This increased financing will offer vulnerable Haitians with essential humanitarian aid, particularly food, as 4.9 million people face acute food insecurity. These monies will also provide safe drinking water, health care, gender-based violence support, and other vulnerable protection services. USAID’s FY 2023 Haiti humanitarian response funding exceeds $110 million.
The US will continue to aid Caribbean people with humanitarian aid, climate adaptation and resilience, renewable energy, and food security. USAID’s Caribbean climate work supports Biden-Harris Administration policies and advances PACC 2030’s aims. PACC 2030 is the U.S. government’s flagship Caribbean collaboration to improve climate adaptation and resilience and renewable energy cooperation through 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
