CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, says the late former president of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. William Warren Smith, had a significant impact on the sub-regional grouping’s socio-economic development.
“For the OECS, Warren Smith was more than a regional partner; he was a steadfast ally of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). He possessed a deep, nuanced understanding of the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” Jules said in a statement marking the death of the Jamaican-born economist, who died last Friday.
Jules said Smith’s commitment to the OECS “was evidenced by his relentless support for the geothermal energy potential in the Eastern Caribbean and his instrumental role in securing a $50 million COVID-19 Line of Credit for OECS countries during our hour of greatest need.
“He understood that for the Caribbean to thrive, the OECS must be stable, integrated, and empowered,” Jules said, adding that beyond the balance sheets and policy frameworks, Smith will be remembered for his integrity and his mentorship.
“He demanded excellence because he believed the people of the Caribbean deserved nothing less. He was a “distinguished son of Jamaica” who spent his life’s work ensuring that regional institutions were modern, efficient, and, above all, fully on the side of the Caribbean people.”
Jules described Smith as a “titan of Caribbean development” whose tenure as the fifth president of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) was “defined by a period of unprecedented global and regional volatility.
“From the lingering shadows of the 2008 financial crisis to the cataclysmic impacts of the 2017 hurricane season and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Warren Smith remained a steady, resolute hand at the helm. He was not merely a financier; he was a visionary architect of Caribbean resilience.”
He said that under Smith’s leadership, the CDB underwent a transformative evolution.
“He championed the “building back better” philosophy long before it became a global mantra, ensuring that the Bank’s interventions were anchored in climate adaptation and sustainable infrastructure”.
Jules said that his key contributions include overseeing the approval of over three billion US dollars in regional financing, including significant grant resources for the most vulnerable; establishing the Office of Risk Management and the Office of Integrity, Compliance and Accountability, which elevated the Bank’s standing with international partners; and overseeing the establishment of the Office of Risk Management and the Office of Integrity, Compliance and Accountability, which elevated the Bank’s standing with international partners.
He said Smith also successfully oversaw the expansion of the CDB’s membership to include Brazil and Suriname, broadening the institution’s reach and resources.
“On behalf of the OECS Commission and the member states of our Union, I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his wife and family. We share in your grief and hope that you find comfort in the knowledge that his legacy is etched into the very landscape of our islands: in the roads he helped build, the communities he helped protect, and the regional spirit he helped fortify.”
No date has yet been announced for Smith’s funeral.
and then , Dr. Didacus Jules, says the late former president of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)){kind=link}