India-UN Development Partnership Fund Lauded for Support to Caribbean SIDS

The commendation came today, during a celebration to mark the third anniversary of the Fund’s establishment, organised by the Permanent Mission of India and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation. The interactive dialogue saw participation from high-level officials including Administrator of the UNDP, Achim Steiner, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Permanent Representatives and senior government representatives and senior UN officials.  

The India-UN Development Partnership Fund works with fellow developing countries in a spirit of South-South solidarity. It responds to and is guided by partnering countries’ priorities in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To date, the India Government has contributed more than US$47 million to the funding mechanism, with some 57 approved development projects valued at US$41.2 M in as many as 51 countries including several Eastern Caribbean countries.

The India-UN Fund currently contributes to the COVID-19 Multi-sectoral response plan of the UN Team in the Eastern Caribbean. For example, in Saint Lucia it builds on the SDG joint Fund on Social Protection and then helped leverage the partnership with the World Bank to expand the public assistance program to ensure that no one is left behind. In Grenada, the Fund has supported the development of the Mt. Horne Children Development Centre and in Barbuda it helped to equip and reconstruct the Hanna Thomas Hospital following the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

A sum of US$ 150 million has been committed by the Government of India over the next decade, inclusive of a dedicated US$50 million for developing countries that are members of the Commonwealth.

In his brief address to the event, UN Resident Coordinator, Didier Trebucq, congratulated the Fund for its crucial contribution made to the seven Eastern Caribbean states covered by the regional country office, that is delivering “tangible results” and “highly valued”. He noted that due to its flexibility and adaptability, the Fund not only effectively supported hurricane recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but “now swiftly responded to the COVID 19 immediate health needs but also the expansion of social programs, economic recovery and entrepreneurships always targeting the most vulnerable.”

Mr. Trebucq also lauded the mechanism for its role in addressing vulnerabilities and financing challenges by capitalizing on additional funding from other partners,  and its unswerving support for UN Reform that  “places the RC function at the centre of strategic dialogues with government in order to match the countries needs with the UN agencies’ expertise.”

“We know in these difficult times, that South-South Cooperation is a genuine expression of solidarity between India and the Caribbean community as it is distinctively contributing to building back better and greener,” he concluded.