Regional Director Visits to Strengthen UN Support for SDGs in the Region

SEPTEMBER 12 - BRIDGETOWN - Roberto Valent, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) paid an official visit to Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) from 7-11 September.

As regional director, his official visit to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) came after Honduras and before Jamaica as he supports of the leaders of UN Country Teams known as Resident Coordinators in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Maintaining strong friendship with the diplomatic community

While in Barbados, Director Valent joined the UN Sub-regional Team and Resident Coordinator Didier Trebucq for a number of high level meetings and courtesy calls with representatives of the government, and foreign and diplomatic missions including the European Union, the British High Commission, the High Commission of Canada, and the United States Government. 

Discussions focused on a wide range of issues including climate resilience, adaptation, development finance and UN support to country teams to achieve development priorities. 

On meeting with Senator Walcott, he tweeted: 

Delighted to meet with 🇧🇧 Barbados’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Jerome Walcott. Barbados is a strong voice in the Climate Fight, and continues to be a champion for multilateralism for SIDS, the Agenda 2030 and a friend and partner of the United Nations 🇺🇳 @miaamormottley

Before leaving for St. Vincent, Director Valent joined RC Trebucq for the signing of a new partnership agreement between the United Nations and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), outlining cooperation in four critical areas for the region; economic diversification, innovative finance, resilience and vulnerability and data and knowledge management, thus formalising a commitment to partner more closely  to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Addressing the signing ceremony, he confirmed the UN´s commitment to the partnership and highlighted that the agreement allows the agencies to work with even greater focus and efficiency. 

“Our common agenda makes it very clear that partnerships and the drive of multilateralism is part of the solution.”   

Observing Disaster Recovery | A SIDS Reality

While in St. Vincent, Director Valent participated in site visits and ongoing projects with Government Officials to view the recovery of St. Vincent following the eruption of La Soufrière on April 9, 2021. Together with RC Trebucq and Regis Chapman, Representative & Country Director at World Food Programme MCO for the English and Dutch-Speaking Caribbean, he visited the Georgetown Health Centre, led by PAHO Country Programme Specialist Nicole Slack-Liburd, and the Bamboo Range, led by SVG's Forestry Division. 

Before attending the Launch of the Resilient Livelihoods and Food Security Joint Programme, Director Valent paid a Courtesy Call pm Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Keisal Peters. Describing the visit as a pleasure, he tweeted moments after; 

"A great 👍🏽 pleasure to meet with the Vincent and the Grenadine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Keisel Peters - strong SDGs and Climate Change advocate and supporter of the United Nations and of multilateralism."

He later attended a joint town hall meeting with the United Nations staff from the RCO, WFP, FAO, UNDP and UNICEF posted in Kingstown.

On day two of his visit, Director Valent participated in the official inauguration of new UN Common Premises, the second in the OECS.

That afternoon, he also joined RC Trebucq and Regis Chapman for a special Courtesy Call with the Prime Minister, the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves at the Cabinet Office, moments before the official signing of the Country Implementation Plan which outlines the UN's cooperation with St. Vincent. 

Speaking to Prime Minister Gonsalves, he said: 

"I'm here to get to know St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In my post, 70% of your time you have to be in the countries and back up the colleagues; UN Country Teams etcetera, and I've been seeing excellent endeavours here led by the government, particularly taking care of people that have been displaced by the eruption of 2021."

Later on Union Island, he joined a UN Team for a discussion with Sustainable Grenadines Inc (SusGren), a trans-boundary Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) committed to the conservation of the coastal and marine environment and sustainable livelihoods for the people in the Grenadine Islands, before visiting the Grenadine Islands and Tobago Cays to witness ecosystem conservation efforts and climate change impact. 

Director Valent brings 27 years of service to the United Nations, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Africa, Central America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. He has also served as Resident Coordinator in Argentina, Special Representative of the UNDP Administrator for the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in El Salvador and Belize (2010‑2015), and held leadership positions with UNDP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2005‑2007) as well as in Sudan (2002‑2005).