THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, WEST INDIES OFFICE OF THE CAMPUS PRINCIPAL Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Clement Sankat, BSc (UWI), MSc (UWI), PhD (Guelph), FIAgrE, CEng, FAPETT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Opening Remarks by the Campus Principal Forum on the Future of the Caribbean “Disruptive Thinking. Bold Action. Practical Outcomes” Teaching & Learning Complex, UWI St. Augustine Campus Tuesday 5th May, 2015 | 8.30am •All Protocol having been observed, good morning, ladies and gentlemen! ******* Entering a New Chapter in Caribbean Development •Today marks a defining moment in the history of our Region as we initiate a new dialogue and begin a novel journey that challenges the status quo and philosophical paradigms of traditional Caribbean development. Our aim is to create a fresh dispensation of ideas, thoughts and actions that will help our Region re-position itself as an important player on the international stage and secure sustainable development in an ever-evolving and competitive world system. Using this Forum on the Future of the Caribbean as a platform for discussion, debate and dialogue, we are therefore breaking new ground and entering an 1 exciting new chapter of Caribbean Development in the second decade of the 21st century! We are re-charting our course to economic growth and social empowerment, with a bold spirit of radical thinking and resolve! The UWI – The Intellectual Centre of our Region •Before I continue, I must tell you how thrilled I am that this transformative and mould-breaking forum is taking place right here on the grounds of our University! It brings to memory the vision of our founding fathers captured in the Irvine Commission Report of 1944. This report envisioned the regional UWI, and I quote, “…… to be something more than the best possible institution for production of our graduates. It should be ‘The Intellectual Centre of our Region’. It is precisely within this context that I say - that there could have hardly been a better place for such a conversation to emanate, given the long and enduring involvement and prominent role of The University of the West Indies in Caribbean development. The hosting of this important Forum therefore bears witness that The UWI is indeed re-positioning itself at the centre of thought, being a catalyst and driver for the development trajectory of our Region! And let me thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNDP in particular, and all the other supporting agencies for collaborating to host this Forum. And most importantly, let me thank all of you, our distinguished guests and stakeholders from various sectors for taking time out of your busy schedules to be present with us today. 2 Forum on the Future of the Caribbean – Committed to the Success of the Region •I would like to emphasize, that the significance of this Forum is much larger than any one of our co-hosting individual institutions. This Forum is really about our commitment to the success of the peoples of the wider Caribbean Region, and by extension other developing nations and the global South; it is about working together to stimulate radical ideas, rethink the future of the Caribbean and taking bold actions with the aim of achieving sustainable development; it is about unlocking our potential as one Caribbean people; it is also about ensuring that people and human imagination are at the centre, with a focus on our youth! Our youths are the ones that will inherit this space we call the Caribbean Region, and therefore we need to hear the freshness of their thoughts so that they too can help shape their destiny! New Thinking-New Paradigms-New Solutions – An Imperative for the Region •Bearing this in mind, it is imperative that as a Region, we shift gears and look towards the future. The time in which we live demands new thoughts and new paradigms which will result in new solutions. We need to create a new vision for our Region, our countries, our institutions and ourselves. As I reflected upon the future of the Caribbean myself, I could not help but think of some of the 3 possibilities……… this morning, I think aloud and share some of my thoughts with you …….. What if…….. we removed every barrier to trade for manufactured and agricultural goods within the Caribbean region that have been certified by their States of origin? What if…….. we ensured the free movement of people within the Caribbean region?... or what if we created a Union of Caribbean States? What if…… we brought together the resources of the Caribbean including capital, technology, labour, energy, manufacturing, production and distribution knowledge, our land and marine assets etc. to build a robust production capability within the region – a matter which the late Professor Norman Girvan passionately advocated for since the 1960s, but a matter that has never materialized up to today, much to our Region’s loss? What if……. Trinidad and Tobago utilized its geographic location and became a trans-shipment hub for goods going to South America…., would this not open up the Latin America market of over 350 million people to Caribbean and global exporters? What if…. we build a bridge from Trinidad to Venezuela? What if…… the regional UWI becomes the leading University not only for the English-speaking Caribbean, but also for the Spanish, French and Dutch speaking Caribbean, thereby serving great numbers of students from 4 these countries; What if….. the Regional UWI introduces a liberal fee regime that opens itself up to the wider world, including the sons and daughters of the West Indian Diaspora and those from our Ancestral Origins? What if…. all our State funded higher education institutions, universities, colleges and technical institutes are brought together to form one Regional Collegiate System anchored in quality, technology, mobility and efficiency? What if…. all the countries of our Region implemented legislation with structured funding for research at 1% of our GDP? Or what if….. there was a Regional Research Funding Agency (funded also as a percentage of each country’s GDP)…..could we imagine how this may propel problem solving, creativity, innovation and knowledge generation for our societies? What if..… University funding was guaranteed and enshrined in the constitutions of our countries in the Region and as a percentage of GDP, as it is in some Latin America countries… could we imagine how this will remove all publicly funded Universities from the financial challenges of the day? What if…. the countries of our Region implemented long/medium-term visions, strategies, direction and major capital development projects which 5 CANNOT be changed through the electoral cycle (apart from exceptional circumstances)? •I ask you distinguished ladies and gentlemen, to ponder upon some of these questions, and I hope that more of these will be generated today……… for although probing these questions may be seen in some quarters as ‘radicalism’ at work, I say that in the context of an ever evolving world system, bold solutions to our present challenges and building an exciting future for our peoples will not reside in past thinking! In moving forward, I am therefore of the firm belief that we must speak about fresh ideas, concepts and models; pursue new perspectives and paradigms; while discarding inappropriate old approaches! This is the spirit and philosophy behind this Forum on the Future of the Caribbean. Bold thinking must no longer be on the periphery, it must now be at the center! This is not to say that we must forget our past, our rich history and the significant strides we have made postindependence…… but the time has come for us to begin to think outside the box, to be creative, innovative and industrious if our Region is to achieve sustainable development! Hopefully, this forum will begin to interrogate some of these issues, remembering that The UWI must always remain a space for critical thought. 6 Concluding Remarks – A Call to Action/Execution •Let us not allow our new ideas and practical solutions to perish on the shelves of libraries across our Region. Rather, our ideas must be brought to life! We must THINK today; STRATEGIZE tomorrow; and on Thursday – COMMIT TO ACTIONS that must be taken to get us to a desired destination! I have said on previous occasions that Vision without Execution is just mere words. Execution is tangible! We must therefore entrench in our thinking that ‘shared vision’ which does not translate into execution is a recipe for continued failure. Let us therefore focus on EXECUTION, as this has bedeviled us in the past! In so doing, history will record this Forum on the Future of the Caribbean, as a turning point in the trajectory of Caribbean development. While the road ahead may be full of trials, I believe that it holds significant promise. As we summon the will to execute with commitment, diligence and not being distracted, we will deliver the change needed to unleash our Region’s full potential which will redound to the benefit of our peoples. •In closing, I thank my staff at The UWI St. Augustine Campus for managing today’s event on Campus as well as our partner organizations; I thank you the presenters and audience for participating; and I do look forward to a very productive, memorable and impacting Forum for positive change! 7
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