Former President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith has died.
The CDB announced that its fifth president passed away on Friday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the institution’s leadership and staff.
Dr Smith led the regional financial institution from May 2011 to April 2021, a decade-long tenure that coincided with what the bank described as a period of profound global and regional shocks, including two major global crises that significantly affected the Caribbean.
The CDB said that under Dr Smith’s stewardship, the institution strengthened its position as a trusted development partner, mobilising resources to support sustainable growth, resilience building, and social and economic transformation across its Borrowing Member Countries.
According to the institution, his leadership placed particular emphasis on climate resilience, disaster risk management and innovative development financing, including the design of instruments to help Caribbean states respond to and recover from natural hazards and external shocks.
In recognition of his service, Dr Smith received several honours, including Jamaica’s Order of Distinction (Commander Class), which was conferred on the country’s 54th anniversary of Independence.
In a statement, the CDB president and staff said they were deeply saddened by the loss of Dr Smith, whom they described as a distinguished Caribbean citizen, development practitioner and proud son of Jamaica. They remembered him as a thoughtful and principled leader whose decisions were guided by a deep commitment to the people of the Caribbean.
Paying tribute, current CDB President Daniel Best said, “Dr Smith was a mentor and a guide to me at many critical junctures during my career. He devoted his life’s work to the proposition that Caribbean people deserve strong, modern institutions that are fully on their side.
“When he assumed office as President of CDB in 2011, he guided the institution through some of its most challenging moments with steadiness, resolve, and an unwavering belief in what the bank could and should represent for the region. He demanded excellence from those around him because he believed deeply in our collective responsibility to serve the Caribbean with integrity, rigour, and purpose. His legacy lives on in the institution he helped strengthen, the people he shaped, and the development path he helped chart for our region.” (PR/BT)
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