UNDP Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean visit Barbados

The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner, and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Michelle Muschett, recently concluded a visit to Barbados – the host country for the XVI Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While on island, Mr. Steiner and Ms. Muschett met with key stakeholders to deepen existing collaborations and explore opportunities for new partnerships. This included discussions with the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator the Hon. Shantal Munro-Knight, and Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds on how UNDP can optimize its support to national development initiatives.

Discussions were also held with the Caribbean Disaster Management Emergency Agency (CDEMA) on joint efforts to enhance disaster resilience and sustainable recovery in the Caribbean. Finally, they engaged with development partners and other UN agencies on how to be more strategic in supporting the sub-region.

NGOs at forefront of building resilience

A highlight was a visit to The Substance Abuse Foundation and Youth Equipped to Achieve’s ‘De Blue and Green Gully’ project – two community service organizations that are working to enhance climate resilience and environmental protection, while also empowering young people and other vulnerable groups. The two NGOs received grant funding and technical assistance under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, implemented by UNDP.

The Substance Abuse Foundation (SAF) received US$50,000 in 2018 to support the development of a solar photo-voltaic farm at its main campus at Verdun House in Pool, St. John. Through the installation of some 500 solar panels on the buildings and lands on its premises, a total of 198 tons of CO2 emissions were avoided within the first year,  and 237,150 kWh was generated during the first 15 months of the project and an annual revenue of approximately BDS$ 117,000 per annum is generated. Additionally, the project provided training to SAF’s clientele as part of its rehabilitation and societal re-entry strategies, resulting in 20 men and four women being trained and certified by the TVET Council and subsequently securing employment. Support of technical assistance to the SAF has continued and a scaled-up phase two of this initiative is in development.

The UNDP officials also visited ‘De Blue and Green Gully’ project in Easy Hall, St. John by Youth Equipped to Achieve (YEA) Barbados. The NGO received a US$25,000 grant from the GEF Small Grants Programme to process sargassum seaweed for fertilizer and other by-products, as well as provide related vocational training in sustainable land management with the aim of reducing the use of chemical pesticides. So far, some 175 young people have been trained in sustainable land management and product development, and the use of pesticides on the two acres of land under management has been reduced by 75 per cent.

UNDP has played an integral role in Barbados’ economic development and social progress since 1974 – mobilizing resources and technical assistance for development initiatives benefiting Government, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. Ongoing projects cover several sectors including climate adaptation, disaster recovery, sustainable energy, citizen security, governance reform and the blue economy.

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This press release was first published to the website of UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.