Port of Spain, March 9, 2022 – The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) welcomes Mr. Cletus I. Springer as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. In assuming his role at CANARI’s Annual General Meeting in February 2022, Mr. Springer reaffirmed the Institute’s continued commitment to the region’s sustainable and equitable development, notably through its new 10-year strategic plan (2021-2030), which charts a course for influencing the way we manage the environment, pursue economic development and bring about a more just and equitable society.
Mr. Springer, who previously served on CANARI’s Board and chaired it for three years between 2009 – 2012, said he feels “truly honoured to have been elected to return for a second tenure as CANARI’s Chairman at this exciting and promising time in the Institute’s life as it seeks to bring about a transformative shift in the way the region approaches development.”
Cletus is a Saint Lucian urban planner, environmentalist, public administrator, communicator and a published writer who has been engaged in small island development states (SIDS)-related planning and sustainable development for nearly four decades. He has worked across sectors in roles for government, international and regional organisations and intergovernmental entities such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank, among others.