Tributes to Yves from the Panos Family

“The Panos Haiti team is so saddened by the passing of Yves. He was a leader, an inspiration for Panos Haiti. During our harshest time, when we thought we would not make it because of the scarcity of resources, Yves brought his development expertise, revival, advice, reliable contacts, writing and proposal development skills to steer us through and move Panos forward. Panos Haiti and I personally will be forever grateful to you, Yves, for the vision you have cultivated and grown within us in the promotion of sustainable development against all the odds. We extend our deepest sympathies to your family. We wish you a safe journey, Yves.”


Jean Claude Louis, Coordinator, Panos Caribbean / Haïti

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"I can’t remember exactly the first time I met Yves, but what I do remember is this ever-friendly look on his face, kind but stern. Make no mistake, you would know if he were displeased about something; that look would change instantly. He always looked at me with soft eyes. Never intimidating but encouraging and interested in what I had to say. I’ve never had an unfriendly encounter with Yves, even when he was all business. It was always about how he could improve and make the process better. During our numerous phone calls and email exchanges, he was always open to hearing and learning and, even more so, to teaching what he knew. From time to time, he would check in just because. And I appreciated that. I am going to miss him, and I wish we had more time because I believe there was so much more that I could have learnt from him. I pray that he is in a better place, with no pain but just resting peacefully, knowing that he has touched so many lives and given of himself to make this world a better place."

Adene Chung, Panos Caribbean / Jamaica Volunteer, Finance and Administration

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"Yves Renard and I collaborated on many ventures over the decades and I learned much from him. I met Yves (in his capacity of President of the Caribbean Conservation Association) just a few months after I arrived in the region in 1987. The same year, we produced a book about mangrove management in three languages. Yves long-time associate Allen Putney was also involved in this. In those early days, Yves taught me about community co-management during visits to Vieux Fort, the value of producing case studies and putting people at the centre of environmental management. We brainstormed about how to manage the dispersed resource use information across the region, and bring knowledge together between CCA, IRF, UNEP, Panos and others. I remember how enthusiastic Yves was when starting CANARI, about its name as a bird in the mineshaft and the need to really work on sustainability information. In 2004 I went to Saint Lucia to ask him to join the Panos Board, which was completely being renewed. Sitting on the beach close to Laborie, he accepted. Yves became chairman, of course, and guided Panos Caribbean on a solid path of institutional development, good governance, productive institutional partnerships, efficient policies, and effective strategies. During those years, I really learned tremendously much. But we also enjoyed visiting the jazz clubs in Washington DC, a “merengue bar” in Santo Domingo, kompa in Port-au-Prince or listen to street music in Port-of-Spain, London or elsewhere. And during international meetings, while there was no time, we still managed to squeeze in a view of the Himalayas, or see the streets of Dakar. So many memories. I am grateful for all the conversations, the mentorship and the work on bringing ideas to fruition. Rest in power my friend."

Jan Voordouw, Former Panos Caribbean Director

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“My first introduction to a strategic plan happened when Yves, as then Board Chairman of Panos, insisted that we needed to have a strategic plan to be taken seriously by our funders. It was an arduous process for us, but we were able to do it and it had great rewards. Yves was like an indomitable force – on some things he was phenomenal. On other things we knocked heads and disagreed but regardless, he played a critical role in my time at Panos Caribbean and helped me, and the rest of the team, to grow by leaps and bounds as a professional. His legacy will continue.”

Indi Mclymont-Lafayette, Former Country Coordinator, Panos Caribbean / Jamaica