Ms. Tanaka joined the UN System in Guyana in August 2016. From 2016 to 2018 she was the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Resident Coordinator. In 2019, as part of global UN Reforms, Ms. Tanaka left her position as UNDP Resident Representative to concentrate on the wider responsibilities of the Resident Coordinator for the whole UN System in Guyana. During her tenure in Guyana Ms. Tanaka led the implementation of the first ever Caribbean Multi-country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF), a development partnership that supports Guyana in the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Tanaka has deployed the UN System in Guyana to address challenges faced during the 2020 national and regional elections, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support people directly affected by flooding and forced migration. With the European Union, she has enabled Guyana’s inclusion in the global Spotlight Initiative, which aims to eliminate violence against women. Ms. Tanaka has maintained the closest strategic relations between the UN and successive Guyanese governments since 2016, supporting them in strategic planning, helping them prepare for the effects of the unfolding climate emergency, and highlighting the challenges faced by some of Guyana’s poorest and most marginalized communities. Ms. Tanaka has worked tirelessly to ensure that the United Nations system supports Guyana to protect human rights, preserve democracy, and ensure that no-one, regardless of their circumstances, status or identity, is left behind from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ms. Tanaka’s successor will be announced in another release.    

The programme will also highlight Afro descendant women’s role and contribution to sustainable development through cultural exchanges, knowledge sharing and movement-building. The announcement of this initiative came as part of activities to launch UN Women’s new Global Black Women Programme where Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi moderated a panel discussion of black women creatives, entitled ‘“Ain’t I a Woman”: Black Women, Creativity and Development”. It was sponsored by UN Women MCO-Caribbean, in collaboration with NYU Africa House, UNESCO, and the EU-funded UNESCO-Transcultura Programme. Representative UN Women MCO Caribbean Tonni Brodber explained the goal of the new project: “We will contribute to enhancing the economic empowerment and resilience of women-and youth owned cultural and creative MSMEs through strengthened networks and opportunities for employability and entrepreneurship in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa; through strengthened digital transformation, financial management and basic and advanced digital technologies skills for women in the cultural and creative industries (including art, design, music, film, beauty) with particular focus on marginalized and economically disempowered groups.” “At UN Women and UNESCO, we felt the need to be even more intentional and imaginative about our work to recognise and promote justice and development. We developed a project with the goal being, that Afro-descendent and ethnic minority women, men and youth are empowered through greater voice and agency, and resilient livelihoods to live free from violence and discrimination,” Ms. Brodber added. Director and Representative of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Ms. Saadia Sanchez-Vegas said: “This partnership programme harnesses the potential of culture and creativity to empower youth, women and men to transcend borders and build communities across the Caribbean, the African Continent and the entire African diaspora.” Panellist, South African Carol Bouwer, Founder of Mbokodo Awards for Women in the Arts stressed that the world has not yet begun to understand that black women are a larger part of society whose creativity should be seen as creativity within the broader conversation of art, heritage and culture.   “Historically, we do not look at the intersection between art and the environment, the economy, society and the cultural diversity that carries communities together… Black people in particular, not just black women, we constantly have to apologise each time we come into spaces where we choose to talk about building each other. I am hoping that this healing space, this space of beauty and vibrant art will remind us that we have to be seen, we have to be able to celebrate ourselves and we have to be able to say to the world acknowledge me”. Sierre Leone and Canadian filmmaker, Ngardy Conteh said there is a huge gap in opportunities for black women to thrive: “We don’t want to just to survive, we want to thrive. We have the creativity, and our creativity can only blossom when we have the space and the resources to do so. There needs to be an increase in opportunities. UN Women also hosted a global art exhibition and online auction in New York City, featuring 25 women artists of African descent. Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to the artists, while the other fifty percent will support implementation of the UN Women’s Afro-descendant Women’s Programme.                                                                                                                                                                                30. About UN Women UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.   About UNESCO UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation and inter-cultural dialogue through programmes in Education, the Sciences and Culture.  

Ocean pollution is one of the biggest climate challenges facing our planet. Not only are the oceans responsible for producing at least 50 per cent of the world's oxygen, they also make up 70 per cent of the Earth's surface and are home to millions of species. However, 80 per cent of the world's plastic ends up in the oceans every year. The Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), are either surrounded by or bordered by the Caribbean Sea and rely heavily on the oceans for their livelihoods and sustainable development. Encouraging Caribbean youth to participate in the Engaged for the Oceans and the Environment Challenge, Saadia Sanchez-Vegas, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean highlights, "The initiative has actively engaged over 10,000 young people from Latin America since 2015 in creating youth-led projects to promote sustainable development. Now, Engaged is expanding to the Caribbean, giving young people from the sub-region the opportunity to submit their ideas to better protect our Oceans, an ultimate source of life."  In Latin America, the initiative is known by its Spanish synonym "Comprometidos". Alejandra Rossi, Executive Director of Socialab, explains, "Engaged or also referred to as Comprometidos is a community of youth that provides both a home and a stepping stone to empower young changemakers. It offers a combination of training sessions, workshops, coaching, mentoring, and resources. We look forward to welcoming the new members from the Caribbean." Mauricio Rodriguez, youth participant from Colombia shares his experience: "Engaged has become a big movement across Latin American countries, encouraging young people to believe in the importance of their social projects and giving them strategic tools to move forward. We have become a community where we explore different issues that make us think from a different tactical level. Now, with the call of Engaged for the Oceans and the Environment, it opens up a range of opportunities to explore ideas that impact our environment and that we need to act on." Engaged for the Oceans and the Environment is an open call that invites young people aged 18-29 from Latin America and the Caribbean who have a project idea or ongoing project that impacts their community and aims to address an environmental challenge, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Under this open call, young people will receive mentoring support to strengthen their ideas and can receive up to USD 2,000 as seed funding to bring their ideas to life. Young people can submit their ideas through the following platform: http://bit.ly/compoceanos by 18 July 2021.  For more information on Engaged, please visit: https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/montevideo/comprometidos  For further information please contact: contacto.comprometidos@gmail.com or p.isturiz-cavero@unesco.org  

Ms. Burunciuc brings a wide range of development experience to her new position. A Moldovan national, she first joined the World Bank in 1996 and has held leadership positions in several countries and regions of the world, including in Europe and Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Burunciuc served as Country Director for Central Asia. “I look forward to continuing and deepening the World Bank’s strong partnership with Caribbean countries to increase their resilience and address their most pressing development challenges,” said Lilia Burunciuc. “Economically, Caribbean small states dependent on tourism have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am committed to working closely with our partners in the Caribbean, including government, private sector, and civil society, to support the region’s green, resilient, and inclusive recovery.” Ms. Burunciuc has extensive experience leading policy dialogue with governments on various aspects of development. Before joining the Bank, she was a Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (Moldova’s central bank). She holds a Master’s of Public Administration from George Washington University and a degree (master’s level) in Economics, Management, and Planning from the Technical University of Moldova. As the new Country Director for the Caribbean, Ms. Burunciuc will lead the implementation of the World Bank’s program, which includes an active portfolio of 75 projects worth US$2.7 billion in 13 countries, financed by the International Development Association (IDA), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and various trust funds. The World Bank’s program focuses on building cross-cutting resilience, including climate change adaptation and mitigation, human capital development, fiscal sustainability, digital transformation, financial protection, disaster risk management, agriculture, and the blue economy. The World Bank is also providing a wide range of analytical and advisory services in the region.   For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/caribbean Twitter: @WBCaribbean YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank     Contacts Kingston Charmaine Wright +1 876 960-0459 cwright2@worldbank.org Port au Prince Peleg Charles +509 4891 6327 pcharles@worldbank.org