The UN Resident Coordinator Office
The UN Resident Coordinator in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
Mr. Didier Trebucq, was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as UN Resident Coordinator (RC) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean in January 2019. He brings 23 years of experience in the development and humanitarian realm working with the United Nations and International Organizations. As Resident Coordinator he is the Representative of the UN Secretary general and the highest-ranking official of the United Nations development system at country level. he leads the United Nations Sub-regional Team (UNST) in 10 countries and territories.
Working closely with the national governments covered by the Multi Country Office and sub-regional institutions, the RC advocates with the UNST for the mandates of the UN system and the delivery of the UN Multi Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDCF). The RC aims to bring together the different UN agencies to improve the coherence, efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities in the Eastern Caribbean region. As UN RC he is also the Designated Official (DO) for Security, responsible for the safety and security of all UN staff and their dependents.
Prior to becoming the Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the OECS, Mr. Didier Trebucq served as UNDP Country Director in Brazil. Previously he was the Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP in Peru and Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP in Guyana. He also worked in UNDP India as Programme Officer & Team Leader of Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
Before joining the UN, Mr. Trebucq worked as Head of Delegation of the French Red Cross in Colombia and Ecuador. Also, he was Administrator of "Médecins Sans Frontières" in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and previously worked as an Executive in the private banking sector in France for five years.
Mr. Trebucq, a development Economist, holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Development, with specialism in Environmental Economics, from Imperial College London (UK) and a Master in Business Administration from the "Institut Français de Gestion" in France. He speaks fluently four languages: French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. He is the father of two sons.
The Resident Coordinator’s Office
As the highest-ranking representative of the Secretary-General at the country level, the Resident Coordinator leads the UN Sub-Regional Team for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean to “deliver as one” on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for all.
System-wide global UN Reform, that became effective January 1, 2019, saw the strategic repositioning of the UN Development System to include the separation of the posts of UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative. The General Assembly Resolution 72/279 was geared to make the UN a more relevant and effective partner, through the leadership of an independent and empowered Resident Coordinator, equipped to deliver on the promise of a sustainable future for both people and planet.
Within this context, the Resident Coordinator Office supports joint programming and the coordination of development activities across the UN System, to maximise impact and reduce transaction costs for Governments, in response to national priorities and development challenges. These efforts support of the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and other international commitments aimed at "leaving no one behind”.
The Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF) 2017-2021 serves as the framework for articulating the UN’s work in the region.
The Resident Coordinator’s Office – Multi Country Office
As a Multi-Country Office, the RCO, through the hub in Barbados, provides coordinated and strategic programming support through five core areas of expertise
1) Strategic Planning
2) Economics
3) Partnership and Development Finance
4) Data, Results Management Reporting
5) Communication and Advocacy.
In addition, the RCO is staffed with experts in the areas of Human Rights and Disaster Risk Preparedness and Response, along with other critical staff /associates. Effective January 2021, the RCO had a physical presence in the six Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries served by the Mission, with a country coordination officer located in each island, to support the RC and the UN team in providing tailored support and assistance to each country in support of national priorities and implementation of the SDGs.
Building on this, in 2022, Common Premises were established in two territories. On March 22, Antigua and Barbuda became the first OECS territory to open a UN Common Premises, housing three Agencies –FAO, UNDP, and UNICEF – and the UN Country Coordination Office, an extension of the Resident Coordinator Office. On September 9, the second Common Premises in the Eastern Caribbean was opened in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, housing the RCO Country Coordination Office, a UNICEF Programme Coordinator, and UN Women Project Coordination Analyst. Plans are underway for placement of additional personnel to better coordinate increasing in-country support to the Government and other stakeholders.
