BVI hosts UN Team for High-level Dialogue on Sustainable Development

Road Town, BVI  14 June 2023:  A high-level UN Team, led by UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq, is currently in the British Virgin Islands for talks aimed at strengthening the UN-BVI partnership, and earmarking critical UN support needed to advance the country’s sustainable development agenda.

The UN delegation, that includes  six visiting UN Heads of Agencies, with four participating virtually, is being hosted by BVI’s Premier and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development, the Hon. Natalio Wheatley.

In addressing the inaugural BVI-UN Dialogue on Sustainable Development, Premier Wheatley emphasized, “It very important for the public to know that this is not just a talk shop. The British Virgin Islands and UN are positively engaged for the benefit of the people of the British Virgin Islands.”

“The British Virgin Islands’ relationship with the UN has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow and expand. Our cooperation has gone from intermittent exchanges over a decade ago to sustained engagement, collaboration, and programming for sustainable development,” he added.  

Among several notable collaborations, the BVI leader singled out the UN’s support towards completion of BVI’s  National Sustainable Development Plan; the recent signing of the country’s second Country Implementation Plan, that operationalizes national priorities with the framework  of the new UN Muli-country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework;  and the new Resilient Caribbean Joint programme,  currently being implemented, with four participating UN Agencies, to strengthen social protection and build the capacity of youth for the work force.

“We generally do not receive UN funds, but there is great deal of value in the policy advice, policy design and policy implementation support that the UN provides through technical assistance, particularly where we lack expertise or have human resource constraints,” he maintained.

Also addressing the forum, UN Resident Coordinator, Didier Trebucq, described the meeting as one to “continue the journey of strengthening the relationship between the UN and the government and people of BVI.”  He noted that they were meeting at a critical juncture, when the world was not on course to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and poverty and hunger are again growing.

“The UN has developed a clear plan to help BVI and other countries in the Caribbean recover from impact of COVID-19, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build long term resilience to shocks,” Mr. Trebucq asserted, indicating that the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026, will combine the technical capacities of the UN Development System, to achieve BVI’s priorities under a tailored Country Implementation Plan.

Economic resilience, digital transformation, climate change adaptation and gender responsive and inclusive disaster risk reduction were among the key areas identified for collaboration, and the UN Head gave assurance that “the UN continues to intensify efforts to improve the well-being of citizens and ensure that no-one is left behind.” He maintained that to do this effectively, sex-disaggregated population data remains crucial.

Mr. Trebucq continued: “Our Mission today is to listen and better understand how we can translate these commitments in a way that improves the day-to-day lives of the people of BVI… the principles of good governance, transparency and accountability are central to our work, and critical to achieve prosperity and well-being for all.”

The UN Mission began with a recovery tour of Virgin Gorda, which highlighted the climate vulnerability faced by SIDS, and, in this instance, the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, despite good recovery progress. Premier Wheatley recalled the UN’s critical support as an international “first responder” following the passage of the two category 5 storms and reiterated his support for the global call for a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) that would take into consideration the SIDS’ vulnerability, especially in relation to concessional financing and grants. 

Mr. Trebucq commended the Government and people of BVI for the “impressive progress” achieved to date in recovering from the 2017 storms, with key infrastructure including a school, health centre, Government centre, and sports facilities, having been rebuilt in a more resilient way. He pledged the UN’s continued support to “deliver a complete and durable recovery, while also building resilience to future shocks.”

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For further Information please contact:

Carol A. Gaskin 

Development Coordination Officer, Programme Communications and Advocacy

UN Resident Coordinator Office 

Email: Carol-Ann.gaskin@un.org.  

Telephone: 1(246) 467-6110 (L) 1 (246) 832-6110 (M)