CUD unveils Caribe Unido platform to connect Caribbean economies
The United Retailers Association (CUD, in Spanish) has launched Caribe Unido, a regional platform aimed at strengthening economic ties between Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica.
Unveiled aboard a Caribbean Ferries vessel, the initiative seeks to close longstanding gaps in regional trade by offering a scalable platform for cross-border business collaboration.
“Caribe Unido is a strategic vision that seeks to eliminate barriers, connect suppliers, and facilitate real business between our countries,” said Alan Taveras, president-elect of the CUD. “Puerto Rico cannot continue to be commercially disconnected from a region just 45 minutes away by plane.”
Developed in partnership with Top Doerr AI Technologies, the platform provides a centralized digital hub with access to country-specific economic data, regulatory information, service directories and case studies. It also promotes regional logistics networks and encourages trade in sectors including agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism, technology and design.
CUD President Ramón Barquín III said that building regional collaboration is critical to long-term economic resilience.
“Caribe Unido represents the necessary bridge between productive sectors, governments and academia to open markets, generate jobs, and build economic resilience from the Caribbean to the world,” he said.
The platform includes tools to support trade growth, expand export capacity and strengthen the private sector. Organizers are calling on business leaders, institutions and media to help amplify its reach and unlock the region’s economic potential.
