28 September 2026 - How can Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) governments prepare for future challenges, while delivering better public services today?
For SIDS, this question is increasingly urgent. Climate change, economic uncertainty and rapidly evolving technologies are reshaping what people expect from government. Public institutions need to become more agile and innovative, while ensuring that services remain accessible and inclusive.
This is especially important because public services touch almost every aspect of the SDGs.
From 29 September to 1 October, public sector ministers, permanent secretaries, general directors, CEOs and heads of agencies in charge of public policy implementation from across the Caribbean will gather in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the .
Rather than simply discussing the future, participants will work on shaping it. They will explore how innovation, digital technologies, data, strategic foresight and new mindsets can help governments anticipate change and respond more effectively to people¡¯s needs. They will also examine innovation labs and more integrated approaches to delivering public services, learning from experiences across the Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond.
The Forum builds on a vision developed during the capacity development workshop on ¡°The Future of Governance: Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation¡± organized in May 2025 in Barbados, that imagines a region where people and public servants work as partners and where transparency, accountability, equity and trust underpin governance.
UN DESA, together with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Caribbean Centre for Development?Administration (CARICAD) and the Latin American Center for Administrative Development (CLAD), is helping turn that vision into action. By the end of the Forum, participants will move from ideas to practical strategies, national action plans and commitments for more innovative, inclusive and future-ready public institutions.