January 25, 2008 No. 3/08 - G CDB's Poverty Reduction Programme to be Reviewed The Social Sector Division of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be hosting a Regional Meeting of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) programme, which is often referred to as CDB's Flagship Poverty Reduction Programme. The Meeting is entitled "Programme Performance: Mid-Term Evaluation and Annual Programme Performance Review 2007" and will be held from January 28 to 31, 2008, at the CDB Conference Centre, Wildey, St. Michael, Barbados. Approximately 30 senior officials from the ten BNTF recipient countries are expected to attend. BNTF has as its mission to provide resources to poor communities to improve access to basic public services, enhance employability and reduce socio-economic vulnerability. Findings and recommendations of the draft BNTF Mid-Term Evaluation report will be discussed. Countries will also present their Annual Project Performance Reports 2007 and identify strategies for further augmenting performance of the programme. The upcoming Meeting is part of the BNTF Workshop Series convened by CDB to bring programme stakeholders together to build capacity in areas of importance, such as, gender equality, data collection and analysis, governance and accountability, environmental assessments and results-based management, as well as to share model actions. Ultimately, the goal of the series is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the BNTF programme.