Kingston to host climate and philanthropy forum

Kingston will host a high-level international summit next month as the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance (CARIPHIL) brings global, regional and diaspora leaders together to rethink how capital and partnerships can support climate-resilient development across the Caribbean.

The Future Forward Forum, to be held from February 9 to 12, will convene funders, development institutions, private-sector leaders and civil-society organisations at a time of growing pressure on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The agenda spans climate resilience, food security, gender equity, sustainable finance and systems change, positioning Kingston as a hub for regional policy and financing conversations.

“Future Forward Forum is designed to mobilise philanthropic and blended finance for Caribbean-led climate and development solutions as well as shift global funding models toward equity, local leadership, and intersectional impact,” said Anthea McLaughlin, chief executive officer of CARIPHIL.

The forum aims to strengthen partnerships between global funders and Caribbean implementers and position the Caribbean as a co-creator of solutions, not only a recipient of aid, she added.

Featured speakers and participating institutions include Denise Bradley Tyson, executive chairperson of the American Heart Association Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund; Benjamin Bellegy, executive director of Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS); the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. International, regional and local foundations, diaspora investors, social-impact leaders and women-led climate and community organisations are also expected.

Together, participants will develop a forward-looking agenda aimed at strengthening Caribbean philanthropic infrastructure and accelerating collaboration at scale. Key issues include persistent climate finance gaps facing Caribbean SIDS, support for women-led resilience initiatives, and strategies to improve food security and sustainable livelihoods.

Additional themes include mobilisation of diaspora capital, blended finance and innovative funding models, alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and philanthropy’s role in systems-level change ahead of major global meetings, including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-31).