By the Caribbean Journal staff

A major new project is looking to put a significant dent in poverty in the Eastern Caribbean.

The new multi-dimensional project was launched by five Organization of Eastern Caribbean States member states this week.

The project is being funded by the government of Chile to the tune of about $1 million USD.

According to OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules, the project will include what he’s calling a “paradigm shift which gives respect and voice to the experience of the poor.”

The project, which is being undertaken in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, follows the signing of a two-year project agreement between the OECS Commission, the UNDP Barbados and the government of Chile.

It was launched by Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Chile has been steadily deepening its relationship with the wider Caribbean region in recent years, including a regular joint commission held with CARICOM.