Advancing resilient prosperity: Saint Kitts and Nevis and UN DESA showcase first MVI pilot at Financing for Development Forum

New York, 22 April 2026 —  Efforts are underway to ensure global development finance systems more accurately integrate countries’ vulnerabilities and place people at the center of building resilience and inclusive prosperity.

This was the focus as the  Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in partnership with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), recently convened a high-level side event during the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Financing for Development Forum. Held under the theme -  ‘Beyond GNI: Operationalizing the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) for Resilient Prosperity – Lessons from the First VRCP Pilot’ -  the event brought together policymakers and development partners to drive this agenda forward.”

Opening the session, H.E. Ambassador Mutryce Williams, Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations, underlined the urgency of reform, noting that “vulnerability is a binding constraint on development, and income-based classifications alone do not adequately capture risk.” She added that the adoption of the MVI, represents “a meaningful step toward a more accurate and fair development framework.”

The event aimed to bridge global commitments and national implementation by showcasing the Vulnerability-Resilience Country Profile (VRCP) pilot in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Assistant Secretary-General for Economic  Development, ECOSOC, Navid Hanif, highlighted the human dimension underpinning the initiative: “At its core, this is not about metrics—this is about people.” He stressed that gaps between national indicators and lived experiences demonstrate why “the way we assess vulnerability and finance resilience must change.” 

In presenting the pilot findings, Financial Secretary Carlton Pogson of the Ministry of Finance, Saint Kitts and Nevis, referenced the fact that national resilience can obscure vulnerabilities at household and community levels. “The gap between formal classifications and lived realities has become impossible to ignore,” he said,  while positing the VRCP as a practical tool to sharpen policy targeting and guide investment decisions. Pointing out that resilience often weakens at sectoral, community, and household levels, he underscored the need for finance to align more closely with real exposure to shocks.

Moderating the discussion, UN Resident Coordinator, Simon Springett, reflected on the broader system implications, where current classifications “systematically underestimate vulnerability and overstate resilience,” with direct consequences for access to concessional financing. Operationalizing the MVI through tools like the VRCP, he maintained:  ‘offers the multilateral system an opportunity to address vulnerability in new ways.

Discussions also highlighted actionable pathways, including aligning financing frameworks with vulnerability metrics, strengthening investment targeting at community level, and integrating VRCP findings into national planning and UN programming cycles.

Next steps include scaling up VRCP pilots across diverse country contexts, deepening engagement with multilateral development banks to incorporate vulnerability into financing decisions and advancing the work of the UN Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the MVI to further refine and operationalize the index at the global level. 

The event concluded with a strong call for collective action to ensure that development of finance systems better reflect vulnerability realities and support resilient, inclusive prosperity for all.

Media Contacts :

Uzumma Erume

Economist

United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office

Email: erume@un.org

Carol A. Gaskin

Communications and Advocacy Officer

United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office

Email: carol-ann.gaskin@un.org