The University of the West Indies (UWI) will convene a high-level Vice-Chancellor's Forum to examine Cuba's worsening socio-economic situation, a crisis that has drawn growing concern across the Caribbean region and beyond.

According to Antigua News Room, the forum — titled "Perspectives on the Current Cuban Crisis: Issues, Impact, and Imperatives" — is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. Eastern Caribbean/AST time and 10:00 a.m. Jamaica time. The hybrid event will take place at the Eon Nigel Harris Council Room at UWI's Regional Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, and will be streamed live via UWItv, opening the discussion to Caribbean citizens and the global public.

Cuba is grappling with severe socio-economic strain, including critical shortages of essential goods, persistent energy challenges, and mounting economic pressures. These conditions have produced ripple effects across the Caribbean as the country navigates complex international relationships, longstanding trade restrictions, declining tourism, and significant migration pressures.

In keeping with its role as a regional thought leader, UWI has responded on two fronts. The university is hosting this high-level forum while simultaneously running a university-wide humanitarian initiative throughout June. Dubbed the "One-UWI Humanitarian Effort," the campaign mobilises staff, students, alumni, and partners across all UWI campuses to make monetary contributions for essential supplies destined for Cuba.

The forum is organised by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor in collaboration with the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies, the Latin American-Caribbean Centre (LACC), and the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES). A distinguished panel of regional and international experts — including senior academic leaders, diplomats, and policy specialists — will address the scope and drivers of the Cuban crisis, government responses and emerging strategies, implications for CARICOM and international relations, and opportunities for regional solidarity.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles will deliver opening remarks alongside Her Excellency Tania López Larroque, Cuba's Ambassador to Jamaica. The expert panel includes Professor Emerita Jessica Byron-Reid, former Head of the Institute of International Relations at UWI; Professor Bert Hoffmann, Lead Researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA); Professor Andy Knight, Distinguished University Professor at the University of Alberta; Dr. Miriam Nicado, Rector of the University of Havana; and Dr. Indira Rampersad, Head of the Department of Political Science and Senior Lecturer in Political Science/International Relations at UWI St. Augustine.

Professor Canute S. Thompson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies, and Professor Don D. Marshall, University Director of SALISES, will moderate the discussion. Ambassador Gillian Bristol, Director of the LACC and Strategic Coordinator for UWI's Multilingual Culture Programme, will chair the live event.

The Vice-Chancellor's Forum series has served as a platform for informed public discourse for more than a decade. Under Professor Sir Hilary Beckles' leadership, the series regularly convenes prominent academics, policymakers, and practitioners to address critical issues affecting the Caribbean and the wider world.

The public is invited to watch live via UWItv's website at www.uwitv.global or through its regional Flow channels. Those wishing to contribute to the "One-UWI Humanitarian Effort" in support of Cuba may do so at https://bit.ly/ONEUWI4CUBA.

The UWI, established in 1948, has grown from a university college with 33 medical students to an internationally recognised institution serving nearly 50,000 students across five campuses — including the Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda — as well as a Global Campus and international centres worldwide.