The
UWI Regional Headquarters Jamaica. Wednesday,
19 February 2020. It was an
historic event at the Regional Headquarters of The University of the
West Indies (The UWI) on February 17, 2020 when The UWI and Canada’s
Brock University finally launched a joint institute to promote,
transform, and upgrade two hundred years of solid relations that have
facilitated Caribbean development.

There
was a celebratory mood at the launch ceremony. Canadian High
Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Laurie Peters, who was a
quiet but effective supporter of the project from the beginning, was
in attendance, along with officials from both universities. The
launch ceremony was followed by a two-day symposium on
Canada-Caribbean relations.

Joint
founder of the Institute, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir
Hilary Beckles, stated in his opening remarks, “The economic
history of the region shows that Canada has been CARICOM’s leading
and most reliable economic development partner in the
post-independence era.”

“As
a result,” he said, “the time has come to reengineer and upgrade
this very special mutual development bridge in light of the new
challenges facing both regions such as the corrosiveness of climate
change, instability in the global banking and finance sector, the
cultural underpinnings surrounding the movement of labour,
diversification of vital tourism products, and new opportunities for
participation in cultural industries.”

Joint
architect of the project, President and Vice-Chancellor of Brock
University, Professor Gervan Fearon, a distinguished economist and
expert in the economic development theories of Sir Arthur Lewis,
spoke of the importance of showing research respect for the historic
excellence illustrated in Canada-Caribbean bonding, and how this can
stimulate new projects in the future.

Professor
Fearon insisted that the integrity that shapes the culture of
collaboration which binds these regions should not be taken for
granted. Speaking also as a diaspora son of Jamaica, he pledged that
his professional commitment to the Institute transcends the specific
world of the universities and resides in the broader theme of
economic development in the Caribbean and in ensuring that the ‘gold
star’ partnering continues to mutual benefit in the next two
decades.

High Commissioner Peters perceived that the future world to be found in Canada’s technological transformation could have significant implications for the Caribbean in areas like digital transformation, science and technology applications such as robotics in production and artificial intelligence in planning. These areas, she noted, should inform the work of the Institute.

Photo captions

DGP 2729: (L-R) H.E. Laurie Peters, Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica; Prof. Gervan Fearon, President and Vice-Chancellor, Brock University; Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor, The University of the West Indies (The UWI); Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade and Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Practice, Global Affairs, The UWI, celebrate the inaugural Canada-Caribbean Research Symposium hosted by the Canada Caribbean Institute (CCI) and organized by The University of the West Indies and Brock University of Canada at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica on February 17, 2020.

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