Regional NGO reps encouraged to engage with new partnerships to mitigate loss of funding

Dwindling international development aid is forcing regional civil society organizations in the Caribbean to seek new sources of support.

A press release from the Caribbean Policy Development Centre shared that Richard Jones, Executive Director of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, highlighted this “urgent concern” during his address to the Caribbean (Civil Society) Consultative Working Group meeting, recently held at The Brix Hotel in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Major donors such as USAID and several European governments have significantly reduced their commitments to global development, choosing instead to focus on domestic priorities, national security or geopolitical crises elsewhere. These decisions, while understandable from a national perspective, have direct and painful consequences for our region,”  he told the gathered representatives from regional groups.

“At the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, we have already felt this deeply, losing over US$200,000 in programme and project funding in just the past three months alone. This is not just a number; it translates to fewer services, fewer outreach programmes, fewer lives impacted. Across the region, similar stories are playing out. Organisations are being forced to scale down and postpone initiatives, or, in some cases, shut their doors. We are witnessing a slow erosion of the very ecosystem that supports Caribbean people in some of their most trying moments,” he continued.

Jones also pointed out that despite the “growing threat” of climate change, funding allocated for climate adaptation in vulnerable populations is experiencing a “notable decline.”

“This is especially troubling because these communities—often rural, coastal, or Indigenous—are the least equipped to absorb shocks, and the least represented in decision-making,” the social development expert continued.

He called on delegates to explore diverse funding avenues, including engaging private sector partners and diaspora communities. Additionally, he urged participants to remain committed to their identity as representatives of the Caribbean NGO sector. Too often, our narrative is written from the outside, framed by donor priorities or international benchmarks. But we know that our experiences, solutions, and contributions are unique and worthy of documentation and celebration.”

CPDC reported that the two-day CCWG gathering brought together stakeholders from the Caribbean’s third sector to exchange research and insights on critical social and developmental challenges facing the region, such as rising debt, climate change impacts, youth issues, and crime.

This event was supported by the European Union in collaboration with CPDC, the CARIFORUM Directorate, and the Open Society Foundations.