By Kenroy Roach

The Caribbean’s food systems challenge is fast evolving into a broader development challenge.

Despite decades of policy attention and investment, the region remains one of the most food import-dependent in the world, spending over US$6 billion annually. At the same time, countries continue to grapple with food insecurity, high rates of diet-related non-communicable diseases, climate vulnerability, and exposure to external shocks that can disrupt supply chains and drive up food prices almost overnight.

For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), food security has shifted from an agriculture focus alone, it’s about economic resilience, health, climate resilience and sustainable growth.

Recognizing this reality, Caribbean governments have elevated food systems transformation as a regional priority through the CARICOM 25 x 25 Plus Five Agenda, which seeks to reduce food import dependence while strengthening domestic production, regional trade, and resilience. Across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, governments have also developed National Food Systems Pathways that identify the investments, partnerships, and policy reforms needed to transform food systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yet one challenge has remained persistent: financing.

In the face of high levels of public debt and limited fiscal space, while public investment remains critical, Caribbean governments simply cannot shoulder the financing burden alone. Transforming food systems at scale requires mobilizing far greater private capital, alongside development finance and public resources.

This was the rationale behind the recent convened in Barbados.

The Forum brought together governments, investors, international financial institutions, private sector leaders, regional organizations, and the United Nations around a simple proposition: food systems should be viewed not only as a development priority, but also as an investable asset class.

A distinguishing feature of the innovative gathering was its focus on attracting private investment—particularly private equity, impact investment, and blended finance solutions capable of supporting businesses and infrastructure across food value chains. By helping enterprises access growth capital and connecting investors with scalable opportunities, the initiative sought to unlock financing that complements public investment rather than adding to already constrained public balance sheets.

A key outcome was the launch of a regional Deal Book comprising approximately US$320 million in investment opportunities across seven countries, spanning agriculture, fisheries, agro-processing, logistics, and strategic food systems infrastructure. The Deal Book created a practical bridge between capital seeking opportunities and opportunities seeking capital, while enabling direct engagement between governments, enterprises, and investors.

The results were encouraging.

Across four sector-focused deal rooms, participants explored investment-ready and near-investment-ready opportunities and discussed blended finance private equity, risk-sharing, and partnerships to advance projects toward implementation.

The Forum highlighted a shift in perspective: food systems are now seen as strategic drivers of economic diversification, resilience, competitiveness, and growth. Investments across production, processing, logistics, and distribution can strengthen regional supply chains, create new businesses, generate jobs, and reduce vulnerability to external shocks.

For the United Nations, this experience reinforced an important lesson.

Transforming food systems requires more than the technical expertise of individual agencies. It requires integrated solutions that connect agriculture, nutrition, health, climate resilience, trade, private sector development, and financing.

This is where the Resident Coordinator System plays a critical role.

Across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the Resident Coordinator Office has united UN system capabilities around a common food systems agenda. Working with FAO, WFP, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, and other partners, the RCO has helped align policy support, technical expertise, partnerships, and financing with nationally identified priorities.

The Forum demonstrated this integrated approach by convening governments, investors, development finance institutions, private sector actors, and UN agencies around a common objective. It showcased the UN’s comparative advantage as a trusted broker capable of connecting development priorities with investment opportunities.

The Forum’s success will be measured not by dialogue generated, but by investments mobilized, businesses expanded, and progress made toward resilient, competitive Caribbean food systems across the Caribbean.

Its most important outcome may therefore be what comes next.

The work starts now.

Kenroy Roach is Head of the UN Resident Coordinator Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, June 30, 2026 – The Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) has secured a landmark partnership with Caribbean Health Insurance (CHI), a product of Bee Insurance Corp, giving tourism businesses across the destination access to health coverage of up to USD 500,000 per employee.

The official signing ceremony, hosted by Beaches Turks and Caicos, capped months of work led by the TCHTA Membership Committee to identify a reputable provider capable of helping to fill a critical coverage gap in the hospitality sector.

The launch also marks a timely and significant private-sector solution to a growing healthcare coverage concern following the Government’s recent announcement that work permit holders would no longer have access to the NHIB Treatment Abroad Program – a change that left many employees across the tourism sector, and beyond it, without the usual pathway to specialized medical care outside the Turks and Caicos Islands.

TCHTA President James McAnally said the agreement is a critical step in supporting the people who power the country’s leading industry.

“Our industry depends on people, and when something as important as access to care is affected, we have a responsibility to seek practical solutions,” said McAnally. “This partnership with Caribbean Health Insurance gives our members a comprehensive and affordable option for their teams. It is also an example of the role the TCHTA plays in advocating, responding, and creating avenues that support the sustainability of our sector.”

The Caribbean Health Insurance plan offers two tiers, CORAL and PEARL Elite, providing coverage of USD 300,000 and USD 500,000 respectively, with the PEARL plan including air ambulance service. Both grant policyholders access to a growing network of hospitals and specialists in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, with Jamaica expected to join the network later this year. Coverage includes telemedicine, bilingual patient support, and features a zero-deductible structure.

“We have developed Caribbean Health Insurance specifically for our region. At Caribbean Health Holdings, we are deeply committed to supporting the people and businesses of the Turks and Caicos Islands by expanding access to high-quality and affordable healthcare solutions,” said Sergio Madinabeitia Arango, Executive Director of CHI.

“Our medical network connects members to trusted centers of medical excellence across the Caribbean and Latin America, including leading providers in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Jamaica, and we keep expanding. This regional approach ensures that world-class care is more accessible, more efficient, and closer to home.”

On the partnership with the TCHTA, Arango shared, “Our partnership with the TCHTA represents an important step in advancing health security for one of the country’s most vital industries. Together, we are helping create stronger healthcare access for employers, employees, and their families, while supporting the long-term wellbeing of the Turks and Caicos community.”

The initiative was spearheaded by the TCHTA Membership Committee, chaired by Snjezana Andrews. Ahead of the signing, the Committee hosted a public virtual presentation, connecting employers and employees to CHI representatives to learn more about the coverage options, ask questions, and better understand the enrollment process.

“This initiative speaks directly to the purpose of the Membership Committee,” said Andrews. “Our role is to listen to our members, understand where the gaps exist, and help identify practical solutions that bring real value. We are proud to offer members an option that responds to a clear need and allows them to better support their teams.”

In 2025, the Membership Committee identified health insurance options as a priority member benefit and key goal for the Association’s current term, noting that smaller tourism providers were often challenged to access traditional group coverage on their own. The Government’s announcement regarding changes to treatment abroad access added urgency to that work and broadened its relevance across the sector.

Andrews says the partnership is not just a win for TCHTA members, but for any organization in the Turks and Caicos Islands that values its employees and wants to strengthen the benefits available to them, adding, “In a competitive labour market, access to meaningful health coverage is key to attracting, supporting, and retaining good talent.”

Honourable Kyle Knowles, Minister of Health and Human Services, attended the signing ceremony and welcomed the opportunity for continued collaboration around healthcare access and coverage options for residents and workers in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“This new program provides an additional layer of security for employees in the tourism and hospitality sector by expanding access to private health insurance coverage, including the opportunity for eligible migrant workers and their families to access overseas medical treatment when needed. That is a powerful and compassionate development. It recognizes that while our local healthcare system offers quality care and continues to improve, there are times when specialized treatment abroad may be necessary.

This initiative is a significant advancement that complements the healthcare services already available locally, while strengthening the safety net for those who serve in one of our most vital economic sectors. It reflects a practical and forward-looking approach to expanding healthcare access, enhancing employee welfare, and supporting the long-term sustainability of our tourism and hospitality industry.”

As part of its commitment to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Caribbean Health Insurance will establish a local office at The Hub in Grace Bay. Led by veteran local insurance executive Craig Archibald, the office will provide the public with an in-country point of contact for information, assistance and service.

The TCHTA also confirmed that a second coverage option, offering access to care within the United States, is being finalized with local provider, CSC Insurance Brokers Ltd. Further details will be shared once that agreement is complete.

“This is bigger than a single agreement. It’s about making sure our members and their teams have real options when it comes to something as fundamental as healthcare,” said Stacy Cox, TCHTA CEO. “We encourage every local organization, member or not, to reach out and explore what this partnership can offer their teams and families.”

Interested businesses can contact the Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association at info@turksandcaicoshta.com or 649.332.5787 to learn more about TCHTA membership and the CHI health insurance option.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — When the need arose to protect hundreds—more likely thousands—of the workers who power the Turks and Caicos Islands’ leading industry, the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) again demonstrated that its role extends well beyond promoting tourism or enhancing the visitor experience. It is also about advocating for, and responding to, the needs of the people behind the industry.

Four months after the Turks and Caicos Islands Government revised eligibility for the Overseas Medical Treatment Programme, leaving work permit holders outside the publicly funded treatment abroad system, the Association has stepped in with a solution —a practical alternative that restores access to overseas medical care.

The Government announced in February that only Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territory Citizens and Status Card holders residing in the territory would remain eligible for Government-funded overseas treatment. At the time, officials also said continued investments in specialist services, diagnostic capacity and clinical infrastructure would reduce the need for overseas referrals and improve access to care at home.

Recognizing the implications of the policy change for tourism employers and employees alike, the TCHTA spent months working to secure another pathway to overseas medical care.  In a media release, which Magnetic Media has published in full, the Association announced the commendable remedy.

We know that those efforts culminated last week in a landmark partnership with Caribbean Health Insurance (CHI), providing member businesses with two coverage options—CORAL, offering benefits of up to US$300,000, and PEARL Elite, providing up to US$500,000, including air ambulance services. A signing ceremony was held at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort.

The plans connect employees with hospitals and specialists in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, with Jamaica expected to join the provider network later this year.

The Association says its work is not finished. A second insurance partnership with CSC Insurance Brokers Ltd. is nearing completion and will give participating employers and employees access to healthcare providers in the United States.

For an industry built on people, the initiative represents far more than another insurance product. It restores a pathway to overseas medical care for a workforce whose access to Government-funded treatment abroad changed earlier this year, reinforcing the TCHTA’s reputation for finding practical solutions when its members need them most.