Press Release

The Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the United Nations launch 2017-2021 UN Co-operation Framework and sign the national annual Country Implementation Plan

27 January 2017

The UN MSDF signals a new day for UN operations in the Caribbean. In keeping with the UN mandate “Delivering as One” (DaO) UN Country Teams are working together with partner countries with a greater sense of common purpose, responding to various developmental while aligning UN programmes and funding more closely to national priorities. DaO is implemented by five pillars: one programme, one budget, one operating system, one communication strategy, and one leader.

The new UN MSDF will focus on four priorities: An Inclusive, Equitable and Prosperous Caribbean; A Healthy Caribbean; A Safe, Cohesive and Just Caribbean; and A Sustainable and Resilient Caribbean.

The MSDF will be implemented in participating countries of the MSDF through an annual Country Implementation Plan (CIP). In Guyana there are several planned joint initiatives outlined for each priority area. These will focus UN contributions to national priorities implemented by various Ministries.

These programmatic interventions include:

An Inclusive, Equitable and Prosperous Guyana: early childhood development; child friendly schools; life long learning; equitable and inclusive education; youth employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership; national data capacity; and poverty reduction and social protection for women, children and Amerindian communities.
A Healthy Caribbean: HIV and AIDS; food and nutrition security; maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and adolescent pregnancies; non communicable diseases; mental health; agricultural health and food safety; and universal access to health.
A Safe, Cohesive, and Just Guyana: rights of vulnerable groups, evidence-based reduction of violence against children, gender based violence, citizen security data, and ICT for hinterland, remote and poor communities.
A Sustainable and Resilient Guyana: disaster risk management, emergency preparedness and response; conservation, sustainable use and access to land and natural resources in protected areas; enforcement over chemicals, wastes and contaminants; climate smart agriculture; Rio Convention obligations monitoring; environmental health monitoring; safe and smart hospitals; and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The UN MSDF aims to ensure that no one is left behind in national development efforts, and exemplifies the commonly-shared belief that the similar development challenges of the Caribbean countries require a coherent and coordinated response by the United Nations. Eighteen (18) UN agencies will contribute to the implementation of the MSDF, which is expected to amount to USD$197.9 million for joint initiatives over a five-year period.

The UN MSDF acts as a mechanism that would decrease the administrative burden on national governments and prompt a more coherent response to regional and national challenges, needs, and priorities. This analysis was informed by the work of regional entities, national governments, and key actors such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the region’s Universities. It identifies the fundamental constraints to the development of the region related to a number of interconnected dimensions such as economic, social, and environmental challenges that are seen as critical for sustainable development and democratic governance.

The Framework is the successor to the six (6) current United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) that cover 18 countries in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. The UN MSDF supports the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the SAMOA Pathway and other international development aspirations, and the national development plans of the individual countries in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. It is also intended to support the promotion of all the international human rights that have been ratified in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. The UN MSDF is closely aligned with the CARICOM’s “Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community” which outlines a comprehensive Plan for repositioning of the CARICOM community.

The participating countries and territories of the UN MSDF are Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of Dominica, Curaҫao, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago