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Caribbean Development Bank Hosts Youth Fire Forum During 56th Annual Meeting

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – As regional leaders gathered in The Bahamas for the Caribbean Development Bank’s 56th Annual Board of Governors Meeting, young people from across the region also took part in the conversation.

Published

49 minutes ago

June 1, 2026

Denielle Miller

NASSAU , BAHAMAS – As regional leaders gathered in The Bahamas for the Caribbean Development Bank’s 56th Annual Board of Governors Meeting, young people from across the region also took part in the conversation.

Monday’s Youth Fire Forum provided a platform for discussions on key issues, including climate resilience. Our Denielle Miller has the story.

From June 1-5, the Baha Mar Convention Center will host the Caribbean Development Bank’s 56th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors, under the theme, “Forging the Caribbean’s Future: Strategic Solutions for Uncertain Times.”

This event will gather heads of government, presidents of multilateral development banks, global thought leaders, private investors, and young people from the Caribbean.

The meeting is curated as an action-oriented, solutions-focused gathering aimed at enhancing implementation, aligning partners, and generating commitments that will influence Caribbean development for years to come.

To directly engage young people as active co-leaders and decision-makers in regional development policy, the organization is hosting a two-day Youth FIRE Forum prior to the official opening of the event.

On Monday, a room filled with young representatives from various Caribbean nations expressed their concerns regarding community prosperity, the region’s digital future, climate issues, energy, violence prevention, health, and more.

Jamaican representative and the outgoing co-chair of the CDB’s Future Leaders Network, Asha-Gaye Cowell, shared her belief that the forum is not simply a performative effort but rather a means to achieve meaningful results in policy formulation.

Asha-Gaye Cowell – Outgoing Co-chair, CDB’s Future Leaders Network

“I had the opportunity to work on an action and advocacy agenda that came out on education agenda, and we were able to deposit a lot of these youth perspectives that was then put into a larger document that was approved by heads of government, I think.”

The Bahamas Youth Ambassador to the United Nations, Liam Miller, shared that discussions of this nature highlight the common concerns faced as a region.

He described the experience as remarkable.

Liam Miller – National Youth Ambassador to the United Nations

“You’re able to bring young people together, young people who come from different professions, different backgrounds. You’re able to bring these young people together in a shared space, to share ideas, to discuss, to network, to dialog.”