Virgin Group Founder, Sir Richard Branson and Jamaican Prime Minister Announce $1bn+ Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator

KINGSTON, Jamaica, August 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

26 countries and 40+ private sector partners create coalition to fast track climate action across the Caribbean 

• Prime Minister of Jamaica, The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Luis Alberto Moreno, Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson and World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jorge Familiar today announced the launch of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator.    
• The Accelerator's ambitious goal is to work with this unprecedented group of partners to make the Caribbean the world's first climate-smart zone.
• The Coalition behind the Accelerator has grown to 26 countries covering a region of 1 million square miles and over 40 million people
• 8 Times Olympic Gold Medal Winner Usain Bolt, an Ambassador of the Accelerator, announced the Caribbean Accelerator's $50,000 'Speed Award' recognizing leading countries, business and individuals working towards a climate smart zone.  
• The Inter-American Development Bank announced that it will partner with the Accelerator to program and implement the $1 billion in funds that it pledged at President Macron's Paris One Planet summit.
• Global music superstar Sean Paul was announced with Bolt as Accelerator Ambassadors. They will be promoting the Accelerator's call for climate-smart action in the region and globally.

A ground-breaking partnership to support the Caribbean's ambition to become the world's first 'climate-smart zone' launched today. 8 Times Olympic Gold Medal Winner Usain Bolt was in attendance to help fire the starting pistol for the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, which will be led by the Caribbean leaders to create the world's first climate-smart zone.

The Accelerator has created an unprecedented coalition including 26 countries and over 40 private and public sector partners which will implement climate solutions for resilience, renewable energy, development of sustainable cities, oceans and transportation. This climate-smart zone will not only protect the region but create jobs and a new economy in climate-smart infrastructure.

Speaking at the event today Sir Richard Branson said: "Our goal is ambitious and bold: we are creating the world's first climate-smart zone.  We have a vision of a Caribbean which is greener, stronger and more resilient than ever before - built on innovation, powered by clean, sustainable energy and accelerated by public and private investment."

The coalition was first announced in Paris last December (https://www.caribbeanaccelerator.org/).

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE, IMAGES AND VIDEOS FROM TODAY'S EVENT ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD: http://www.image.net/caribbeanaccelerator

Contacts: Daniella Posner, Daniella@eighty4red.com, +44-(0)7779-034-543. Julian Gregory, Julian@eighty4red.com, +44-(0)7980-952-183.