Government of Barbados signs Country Implementation Plan with the UN

Barbados, November 25, 2022. The Government of Barbados has signed a two-year Country Implementation Plan (CIP) with the United Nations Development System that will guide the planning and implementation of country-specific UN development activities under the umbrella of the UN’s five-year regional Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF).

The CIP will operationalise the outcomes of the MSDCF at the country level, in fulfilment of the Government’s national priorities and in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda.

UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Didier Trebucq and Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Ryan Straughn, signed the accord on Friday at UN House, during a ceremony to launch a new UN Joint Programme for Barbados and Montserrat.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Mr. Trebucq said that he was pleased to sign the 2022 – 2023 CIP for Barbados since he believes that under the aegis of broader five-year regional Cooperation Framework, the associated two-year agreement would provide a very comprehensive roadmap to deliver on the commitment and support of the United Nations as a whole, towards Barbados’ national priorities and the SDGs.

He told the gathering: “This CIP is going to support Barbados in four areas – first, in its transition to a digital knowledge-based economy; second, it  will support the continuous improvement of social protection systems and also strengthen data capacity toward resilient recovery; it will also support  integrated  policy for climate change, disaster risk reduction and access to climate financing; and finally, support comprehensive programming for expanding agricultural productivity and ensuring food security.”

The UN Head further observed that the staging of the CIP signing, within the framework of the new Joint Programme launch, was a practical demonstration of how Barbados and the UN Development System, is pursuing more tailored development cooperation that seeks to  improve the lives and livelihoods of all Barbadians, and is also a direct result of UN Development  System Reform, and the UN system’s new model of cooperation.

In addressing the forum, Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ryan Straughn said Barbados was pleased to sign the Country Implementation Plan with the support of the UN system as the country emerged into a post-COVID-19 environment.

“The past three years of the pandemic have resulted in a stalling of the development trajectory and therefore the attainment of the SDGs by 2030. As Barbados takes fresh guard, we are pleased to work with the UN to ensure that those most vulnerable in our society can fully participate in the recovery” he underlined.

The Barbados CIP was developed through extensive consultation with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and other key stakeholders to ensure alignment with the country’s national development priorities.