The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is assisting its borrowing member countries (BMCs) with acquiring the necessary training and knowledge to increase the effectiveness of their efforts to integrate road safety and disaster risk reduction/climate change considerations into their operations. In May of this year, CDB funded approximately 40 representatives from public sector works ministries, national road safety councils, and civil society organisations in 19 BMCs' participation in the International Road Federation's (IRF) Road Safety Audit Course and the Third Caribbean Regional Road Congress in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Glen McCarvell, Operations Officer (Civil Engineer), Economic Infrastructure Division, CDB, said the Bank attaches great importance to the role of infrastructure in the transformation of its BMCs. "Since 2008, the Bank has been actively promoting a shift towards more sustainable road maintenance by developing the capacity of its BMCs' road agencies through a series of Regional consultancies, seminars and workshops, as well as the provision of funding to support the attendance of senior technical staff at maintenance, asset management, safety, and institutional reform seminars, workshops and training courses. "The recently concluded IFI Course and Congress focused on increasing participants' understanding of topical issues related to road infrastructure in the Caribbean, specifically road safety, disaster risk reduction and climate change, and asset management; while sensitising BMCs on best practice strategies and approaches. In addition, BMCs will now be better equipped to undertake safety audits of their own road networks and design relevant interventions in response to their needs," McCarvell said. The IRF's Third Caribbean Regional Road Congress took place from May 7-9, 2014, and was preceded by the Road Safety Audit Course on May 5-6, 2014. CAPTION: Participants in IRF's Third Caribbean Regional Road Congress debate some of the topics discussed during the Congress.