The UN Resident Coordinator Office
The UN Resident Coordinator in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
Mr. Simon Springett was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as UN Resident Coordinator (RC) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on June 1, 2024. He brings to this role a distinguished 30-year international career in humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding operations. Most recently, Mr. Springett served as the UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova (2019-2024).
As the highest-ranking official of the UN development system in the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Springett leads the UN Sub-regional Team (UNST) across 10 countries and territories. He champions the UN's mandates and advocate for the delivery of the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDCF) in close collaboration with national governments and regional institutions. A key focus is strengthening cooperation and effectiveness of UN operational activities throughout the region.
Prior to his leadership role in Moldova, Mr. Springett served as Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Director for Response Operations at the UK Department for International Development / Palladium. Additionally, he also served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for both Mauritius and the Seychelles (2012-2017). He also held senior leadership positions with Oxfam, specializing in rapid humanitarian responses. Mr. Springett has also served as a Director and Trustee of a number of international organizations.
In addition to his development expertise, Mr. Springett will also serve as the UN Designated Official for Security (DO) for 13 countries and territories in the Eastern Caribbean, ensuring the safety and security of all UN personnel and their dependents in the region.
The Resident Coordinator’s Office
The Resident Coordinator (RC) system encompasses all organizations of the United Nations system dealing with operational activities for development, regardless of their formal presence in the country. The RC system aims to bring together the different UN agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities at the country level.
Coordinating development operations promotes more strategic support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more efficient and reduces transaction costs for governments. This helps the UN to be a more relevant and reliable partner for governments.
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 officers responsible for five core areas of expertise
1) Strategic Planning
2) Economics
3) Partnership and Development Finance
4) Data, Results Management Reporting
5) Communications and Advocacy
In addition, the RCO is also staffed with a Human Rights Advisor to the RCO and the UNST, a Humanitarian Advisory Team to the RC and the UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETT), an officer responsible for Partnership with Regional Institutions, along with other critical staff /associates including Executive and Administrative personnel, and an official driver. 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.
