Advancing SME disaster resilience through sustainable business in Barbados

Bridgetown, Barbados - On 18 November 2025, the United Nations and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) jointly convened a Private Sector Forum under the theme "Transforming Barbados Through Sustainable Business." The event brought together UN agencies, government leaders, international financiers, academics, and private sector representatives - from micro enterprises to major banks and hotels - to explore sustainable business solutions and advance resilience-building in the face of climate and disaster risks.

A central focus of the forum was the resilience of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) - the backbone of Barbados' economy - especially in a climate-vulnerable region prone to hurricanes and other natural hazards. BCCI President Paul Inniss noted that resilience is essential not just for survival, but for competitiveness and sustainability. He also complimented the work with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to build resilience in small businesses.

Participants discussed tools for integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into operations, shared best practices for embedding disaster risk reduction into business planning, and affirmed the critical role that public-private cooperation plays in building a resilient and sustainable economic future for Barbados and the wider Caribbean. 

The Private Sector Forum reinforced ongoing efforts to build risk-informed private sector engagement through collaboration, capacity-building and strategic partnerships. It also framed the ongoing UNDRR project on "Strengthening the disaster resilience of SME's" in the context of the broader Sustainable Development Goals and highlighted how local partners are driving the efforts equip MSMEs with practical strategies and tools to anticipate and respond to disruptions, hence helping strengthen disaster resilience across the Barbadian business community.