Change is coming to our Caribbean.

A Caribbean Climate-Smart Zone

The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator combines the capacity and development experience of Caribbean countries with world-class innovation and delivery capabilities.

BREAK BARRIERS

Clearing impediments to implementation of climate-smart initiatives in the Caribbean region.

PACKAGE

We identify and package a pipeline of projects that are ready for immediate funding and implementation.

ADVOCATE

We raise awareness and ensure that the Caribbean’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) receive assistance to become more resilient.

MONITOR

We monitor the implementation of activities to ensure solutions are more rapid, sustainable and deliver a higher positive impact.

The Accelerator

The CCSA accelerates priority initiatives toward a Climate-Smart Zone, delivering resilience, social development, and broad-based economic growth for the Caribbean. We raise awareness and ensure that the Caribbean’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) receive assistance to become more resilient.

Our central objective is to help transform the region’s economy by fast-tracking sound public and private investment opportunities that support climate action and economic growth through sustainable development.

Drawing on the deep experience of our nations and institutions, a group of twenty-seven visionary Caribbean Governments, alongside some of the largest global companies, financial institutions, and foundations have joined the Accelerator to make the Caribbean a beacon of climate-smart development.

Our goals

Create a roadmap detailing the key milestones with costs, implications, and timelines for moving at pace to our desired state

Place the region on an irreversible path to generate 90% of electricity from renewable resources and electrify the transport sector by 2035

Place the region on a firm path to protect 30% of our ocean and land by 2030

Strengthen the region’s economic resilience against exogenous shocks by building climate action as an economic industry

Our approach

Convening and creating economies of scale to strengthen the ability of projects to attract resources and best practice

Structuring, implementing, and fundraising for blended financial facilities to deliver new sources of capital and increase funding available for climate action across the region

Applying innovation to the most difficult-to-solve challenges, working with technology developers and through collaboration with other accelerators

Engaging the private sector to execute through cross-sector partnerships and other mechanisms, further enabling national governments to focus on policy development

THE CARIBBEAN CLIMATE-SMART ACCELERATOR PILLARS

Climate-Smart Map

A roadmap detailing the key milestones with costs, implications and timelines for moving at pace to our desired state.

90% Renewable Energy for All

A path to generate 90% of electricity from renewable resources and electrify the transport sector by 2035

Protecting 30% of Ocean and Land

A strong governing framework and secure required investment to protect 30% of Caribbean land and water by 2030

1.5% Green Jobs

Strengthen the region’s economic resilience against exogenous shocks by building climate action as an economic industry.

Board of Directors

UnaMay Gordon

Co-Chair Board Member
UnaMay Gordon is a climate change and environmental management professional and agribusiness specialist with over 35 years of experience in the field, working on successful national, regional and international development projects.

UnaMay Gordon is a climate change and environmental management professional and agribusiness specialist with over 35 years of experience in the field, working on successful national, regional and international development projects. She has extensive involvement in Climate Change policy-making, crafting adaptation strategies, disaster risk assessment, analyses, design, management and implementation of multi-stakeholder, inter-sectoral technical assistance and capacity development projects. An advocate for gender equality and is also a board member of the Caribbean Institute of Women in Leadership.

Dr. Joy St. John

Board Member

Dr. Joy St. John is dedicated and reliable, with a track record of achievements in public health systems management and development and health diplomacy

Dr Joy St. John is dedicated and reliable, with a track record of achievements in public health systems management and development and health diplomacy. Her firm but fair style has assured her a place in networks of practise across the world.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of CARPHA from July 2019
The Executive Director provides leadership and Direction to CARPHA in executing the functions laid out in the Inter- Governmental Agreement. Along with the CARPHA team, Dr St John has led the public health response in the CARICOM region.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the World Health Organisation from October 2017 to April 2019, with direct responsibility at the World Health Organization for Climate and other Determinants of Health (CED) (first Barbadian to be Assistant Director General)

Former Chief Medical Officer of Barbados (first Barbadian to hold that office) for over 12 years-Top Public Health Advisor to the Minister of Health and responsible for the oversight of the management of the Health Sector

Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (first Caribbean person to do so) from 2012 -2013

Jean Oelwang

Board Member and Senior Advisor to The Accelerator

Jean Oelwang is the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, an entrepreneurial foundation that builds collectives, incubates ideas and re-invents systems for a better world.

Jean Oelwang '87 is the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, an entrepreneurial foundation that builds collectives, incubates ideas and re-invents systems for a better world.

Over the last 15 years, she has worked with partners to lead the incubation and start-up of several global initiatives, including: The Elders, The B Team, The Carbon War Room (successfully merged with the RMI), Ocean Unite, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, 100% Human at Work, The Virgin Unite Constellation and The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship. She also played a key partner role in the incubation of many other initiatives such as The Audacious Project.

As part of her work over the last three decades, Jean has helped corporations put the wellbeing of people and the planet at their core, including working with over 25 Virgin businesses across 15 industries to help embed purpose in all they do. Jean also served as a Partner in the Virgin Group leading their people strategy.

Jean spent eighteen years living and working on six continents to start and help lead mobile phone companies in South Africa, Colombia, Bulgaria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the US. She was the joint CEO of Virgin Mobile in Australia prior to starting Virgin Unite.

Jean has long explored the overlap of the business and social sectors and has been involved in both, having worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia, and in numerous volunteer roles, including a year-long stint as a VISTA volunteer where she worked with – and learned from - homeless teens in Chicago. She is also the co-founder of Plus Wonder, a not-for-profit to inspire partnerships of purpose.

Jean holds a number of advisory board roles, including The Elders, The NewNow, the Sara Blakely Foundation, Last Mile Health Advisory Council, The Vatican’s Humanity 2.0, Penn State Board of Visitors, Vintro and the boards of RMI, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, Ocean Unite, AID Live, Unite BVI Foundation, and Just Capital. She is also honored to be a B Team Leader.

Jean has been on the TED and TEDx stages as a host and speaker and has been the recipient of a number of awards including Bernie Glassman Trailblazer Award, the FilmAid Philanthropic Leadership Award, the Susman Sustainability Award and the 2021 Beta Gamma Sigma International Honoree Award.

Dr. Didacus Jules

Board Member
His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules assumed the post of Director General, of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in May 2014.

His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules assumed the post of Director General, of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in May 2014. In this capacity he is responsible for driving the regional integration thrust towards a single economic and social space involving 10 Eastern Caribbean States.

Dr. Jules has had extensive regional and international experience, most of it focused on education, social policy and organisational transformation. He served as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council (2008-2014) leading a thorough modernization of the Council.

He has also served as Vice President Human Resources, Cable and Wireless, St. Lucia (2005-2008); Permanent Secretary for Education & Human Resource Development St. Lucia (1997-2008), as well as Permanent Secretary for Education and Chief Education Officer in revolutionary Grenada from 1981-1983.

He has provided consultancy services to national governments, regional and international organizations in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and North America. He chaired the World Bank’s Vision 2020 Committee on Education in the Caribbean and has served on numerous private sector, educational, and philanthropic boards.

Racquel Moses

Board Member
Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what’s next.

Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what’s next.

As the newest UN Global Ambassador in the Race to Zero, Racquel has become a critical advisor for driving the shift to digital, process automation, and implementing key turnaround projects that heighten customer engagement and strengthen organizational performance.

Known for her ability to build coalitions, Racquel’s success in the public and private sectors has allowed her to drive important advancements on world-changing topics that require regional consensus, such as climate change, sustainability and building resilience.

Daniel Best

Board Member
As Director of the Projects Department of the Caribbean Development Bank, Daniel Best is accountable for the management, pipeline development, appraisal and implementation of the Bank’s lending and Technical Assistance programmes in all the sectors in which the Bank operates.

As Director of the Projects Department of the Caribbean Development Bank, Daniel Best is accountable for the management, pipeline development, appraisal and implementation of the Bank’s lending and Technical Assistance programmes in all the sectors in which the Bank operates.
Since becoming Director in 2015, Daniel has consistently led the Department in delivering strong results which formed the majority contribution in the Bank achieving its critical Approval and Disbursement targets. Before being promoted to his current position, Daniel held various management positions within the Projects Department including that of Acting Division Chief in the Economic Infrastructure Division where he was responsible for all infrastructure interventions including those in the Water and Sanitation and Energy Sectors.
Prior to joining CDB, Mr. Best was the Regional Project Manager for a multinational commercial financial institution where he successfully led the implementation of the organisation’s regional infrastructure development mandate. Mr. Best is a Civil Engineer with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Durham and a Project Management Professional with over 24 years’ successful experience building, leading and functioning within multidisciplinary and multicultural project teams and work environments.
Daniel has a passion for acting and has become central figure within the Barbadian Performing Arts scene appearing in a number of local stage, television and movie productions.

Lilia Burunciuc

Advisor
Lilia Burunciuc is the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean countries. Ms. Burunciuc, a Moldovan national, is responsible for maintaining the partnership with the countries to address their development challenges.

Since joining the World Bank in 1996, she held a range of increasingly challenging positions: Director for Central Asia; Manager in Operations Policy and Country Services; Country Manager for Macedonia; Country Program Coordinator for Southern Africa and Central Asia; and Senior Country Officer for Ukraine and Belarus.

She has extensive experience on leading policy dialogue with governments on various aspects of development.

Prior to joining the Bank, Ms. Burunciuc was a Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, the country’s central bank.

She has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from George Washington University (USA) and a Master’s level degree in Economics, Management and Planning from the Technical University of Moldova.

Musheer Kamau

Advisor
Musheer Kamau is a Regional Operations Advisor and Strategy and Innovation Leader at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C.

He joined the IDB in 2007 as a Country Economist, focusing on Guyana and Suriname. He was promoted to Chief of Operations and Senior Operations Specialist for Suriname in 2014, and promoted again to his current position, taking broader responsibility for the Caribbean region, in 2017. Currently, he is serving as technical lead on a program between IDB and the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator to provide and implement the additional $1 billion of funding for climate-smart investments in the Caribbean region pledged at the Paris One Planet summit in 2017.

Mr. Kamau was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Baylor University in 2005, studying economics, international development, and political science in the University Scholars program. He completed a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University in 2007, with concentrations in quantitative methods in economics, and international trade. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate at Oxford University, studying applied economic growth, driven by innovation and technical change.

Our Team

Racquel Moses

UNFCCC Global Ambassador &
CEO Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator

Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what’s next.

As the newest UN Global Ambassador in the Race to Zero, Racquel has become a critical advisor for driving the shift to digital, process automation, and implementing key turnaround projects that heighten customer engagement and strengthen organizational performance.

Known for her ability to build coalitions, Racquel’s success in the public and private sectors has allowed her to drive important advancements on world-changing topics that require regional consensus, such as climate change, sustainability and building resilience.

Cheryl Senhouse

Finance Innovation Director

Cheryl assumes the role of Finance Innovation Director with the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator Inc. with responsibility for the fundraising, finance, administration and technology portfolios.

Her career includes fifteen years’ experience in progressively complex senior management roles, providing financial management and strategic leadership for operations across several industries. She has extensive experience with business financing for operations, capital projects and investments and has provided successful leadership of related business functions specifically procurement, technology, human resources and administration with a focus on leveraging technology solutions to build operational efficiency and improve process management.

She has completed graduate and postgraduate education in business and financial management and is currently pursuing additional post graduate studies in financial and commercial law.

Kiesha Farnum

Director, Public Sector Projects

Kiesha is an experienced organizational and project management professional with over 15 years of experience, focused on innovation for growth across a variety of sustainable development sectors.

An adept project manager, Kiesha’s work has traversed several thematic areas including climate change, eco-agritourism, regenerative agriculture, active labour market stimulation, education and leadership development for the public sector.

She has also managed projects in the areas of social safety net protection, poverty alleviation, vocational training and advocacy for persons with disabilities, food security, health, and water & sanitation.

Kiesha has worked in 17 countries across the English and non-English speaking Caribbean with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the former Department of Foreign Affairs and Development (DFAT-D) of the Government of Canada and the former Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

She also gained extensive experience in program management and organizational leadership for NGOs during her tenure at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Trinidad & Tobago. A firm believer in volunteerism, she has committed her time and expertise to various NGOs.

Most recently as Managing Director, her energies have been focused on the establishment of the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education and Design (WIRRED). WIRRED is a not-for profit think tank, research centre and consultancy dedicated to climate change and regenerative agroforestry practices. The organization is committed to the implementation of climate-smart strategies which demonstrate that ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation offer tremendous opportunities in achieving climate resilience. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors of WIRRED working with a talented team to offer nature base solutions geared towards building habitat, increasing biodiversity and sequestering carbon, while reconnecting people to nature through eco-agritourism and educational experiences.

Kiesha firmly believes that holistic partnerships are at the heart of climate-smart regenerative development and she continues to work to catalyze a multi-sector network that includes the private sector, public sector, academia, various industry sectors & economies and the community.

Kiesha holds a M.Sc. in Project Management, with a specialization in the Economics of Oil and Gas (& Renewable Energy) from the University of Liverpool, a BSc. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology & Management, from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has trained as an Executive Coach with Erickson Coaching International.

Gynelle Findlay

Digital Impact Strategist

Gynelle Findlay, New Media Visionary, Web/App developer, Graphic Artist, writer. Masters in Computer Science & a Bachelors in Political Science and Economics at the University of the West Indies. Ms. Findlay is also an innovative tech entrepreneur who has assisted the establishment of many successful companies and organizations having experience working in communications for seventeen years.

Tiffany Bryan

Chief of Staff

Tiffany has more than 20 years of establishing operational excellence in business administration and project management. Her diverse experience includes human resource management, industrial relations, information technology, finance, customer relationship management, and entertainment.

Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of West Indies and a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute. Being an avid learner, Tiffany also holds several certificates from short executive courses.

She loves the outdoors and believes accountability is a part of humanity. Our actions have an impact on living things and the more knowledge we have, the better choices we make in our actions

Tiffany views her role of Chief of Staff as a unique opportunity to merge professional and personal interests to help Caribbean entities sharpen their competitive advantage in an increasingly global world thus propelling the Caribbean region into the First World.

Alliance, Coalition Countries & Partners

THE ALLIANCE

  1. 8 Minute Energy
  2. Algas Organics
  3. Bill Gates
  4. BMR Energy
  5. Breakthrough Energy Coalition
  6. Bridgeway Foundation
  7. Cave Shepherd & Co. Ltd.
  8. Clinton Foundation
  9. Committee on Sustainability Assessment
  10. Chris Hohn, TCI Fund Management
  11. CCRIF SPC (formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility)
  12. Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
  13. Environmental Services Inc.
  14. Envision Energy
  15. Fahr LLC
  16. Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
  17. Government of Canada
  18. Harneys
  19. Ionian Management Inc.
  20. Long Haul Capital Group LLC
  21. LowCarbon.com
  22. Mats Granryd, GSMA
  23. Munich Climate Insurance
  24. Organisation of American States (OAS)
  25. PwC
  26. Risk Cooperative
  27. Sutter Securities
  28. Swiss Re
  29. Willis Towers Watson
  30. Writing Legends
  31. TBWA\Melbourne

COALITION TERRITORIES

  1. Anguilla
  2. Antigua and Barbuda
  3. Aruba
  4. Commonwealth of The Bahamas
  5. Barbados
  6. Belize
  7. Bonaire
  8. Bermuda
  9. British Virgin Islands
  10. Cayman Islands
  11. Republic of Costa Rica
  12. Curaçao
  13. Dominican Republic
  14. Commonwealth of Dominica
  15. Grenada
  16. Cooperative Republic of Guyana
  17. Republic of Haiti
  18. Republic of Honduras
  19. Jamaica
  20. United Mexican States
  21. Montserrat
  22. Republic of Panama
  23. Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis 
  24. Saint Lucia
  25. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  26. Republic of Suriname
  27. Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
  28. Turks and Caicos Islands
  29. United States Virgin Islands

PARTNERS

  1. Airbnb
  2. Boston Consulting Group
  3. BITT Digital Inc
  4. Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship, Kingston
  5. Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
  6. Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)
  7. Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
  8. Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR)
  9. Government of Canada
  10. Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  11. Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB)
  12.  Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)
  13. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
  14. PwC
  15. Sir Richard Branson
  16. Source Global PBC
  17. TBWA\Melbourne
  18. Templeton World Charity Foundation
  19. The ELMA Caribbean Foundation
  20. The Nature Conservancy
  21. Tides Foundation
  22. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  23. Rocky Mountain Institute
  24. University of the West Indies
  25. Virgin Unite
  26. Virgin Group
  27. World Bank Group (WBG)
  28. Wyss Foundation