Although the UAE Embassy was inaugurated in 2015, relations have been growing steadily with the Caribbean countries. In the region, solid cooperation has taken place in the implementation of projects related to sustainability, solar energy, culture, education, infrastructure, among other fields. Those fields are priorities to the Caribbean countries and they also constitute areas of focus of the UAE Policy for Foreign Assistance.
Some of the most relevant milestones in the overall cooperation are:
- The UAE provided emergency assistance worth Dh36.7 million (US$10 million) to contribute to recovery efforts in the countries affected by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean states.
- Three solar power projects in the Bahamas, Barbados, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have been inaugurated under the $50 million UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF).
- Four grid-connected solar PV power plants inaugurated in various locations in Cuba with a total capacity of 15 megawatts, with a loan of US$15 million (AED55million), as part of the second cycle of the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility. Cuba and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were two of the selected countries in 2015 (Second cycle) and Antigua and Barbuda was selected as part of the third cycle.
- “Pedestrian Access for Village Enhancement” project in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was implemented with financing from “Dubai Cares” and the Government of the United Arab Emirates, to lay 40 miles of concrete footpaths.
- Donation of $500 000 USD by the UAE Government to the Civil Defense in the Dominican Republic, to help building resilience to natural disasters.
- The UAE supported a school feeding program in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a USD 500,000 contribution that would benefit 2,139 school children with monitored school feeding across 12 primary schools. On the same path, the UAE is supporting several projects together with UNICEF, UNDP, PAHO, and WFP which will contribute to children’s wellbeing, health, education, infrastructure and sustainability in Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti.
