United Nations Development Programme multi country office in Kingston,
serving Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Is., The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Is.
On Target # 12 | Jan. to Mar. 2020
UNDP offers support for COVID 19 Preparation, Response & Recovery
Working at the heart of the United Nations family and in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is responding to a growing volume of requests from countries to help them prepare for, respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable.
PREPARE: UNDP will support countries to strengthen their health systems, including by helping them procure much-needed medical supplies, quickly leverage digital technologies and ensure health workers are paid

RESPOND: UNDP will help countries work across key sectors to slow the spread of the virus and to provide social protection for vulnerable populations, promoting a whole-of-government and whole-ofsociety response to complement efforts in the health sector.

RECOVER: UNDP will support countries to assess the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and take urgent recovery measures to minimize long-term impact, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized groups, and to help societies to recover. 
Statement from the UNDP Administrator
on COVID-19 Response Plan
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
"COVID-19 is a massive health crisis, and it is also a humanitarian and development crisis. It threatens to create devastating social, economic, and political crises that could leave deep scars for years to come - reversing development gains achieved over the last 20 years. Developing countries could lose at least US$220 billion in income, which translates into lost jobs, closed factories, and stretched governments in some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries. With WHO and our UN sister agencies, UNDP is working with governments on their most urgent health system needs and is ready to respond to recovery needs in countries around the globe" - Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
A word from the UNDP Resident Representative
"We are at your service"
I take this opportunity to express solidarity with the governments of Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands as we face the challenge of our lifetime - the COVID 19 pandemic. UNDP remains at your service to support national priorities for COVID 19 preparation, response and recovery. We stand ready to support national efforts for COVID-19 response. We remain online, accessible and responsive, dedicated to help to strengthen coordination systems to deal with the current crisis and to prepare for the new normal way of life. - UNDP Resident Representative
UNDP Resident Representative for Jamaica, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Is., The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Is. , Denise E Antonio.
DOWNLOAD COVID-19 Policy Document Series from UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean
We are pleased to share with you our new UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean COVID-19 POLICY DOCUMENTS SERIES . These essays provide an assessment of the economic impact of COVID-19 and the policy options to contain the economic crisis and protect the most vulnerable. With this series, a collaboration between the UNDP and our partner think tanks and academic institutions, we want to promote a collective reflection in our region in response to the health crisis and its economic and social effects on our societies. In particular, we aim at shedding light on the association between different elements of the COVID-19 crisis to broaden the policy space, with full awareness of the economic and social effects that they may bring.
THE RESILIENT NATIONS REPORT
DID YOU KNOW?

UNDP is consistently ranked among the world’s most transparent multilateral organizations, & number 1 for transparency for several consecutive years
US$1.5 Billion pledged for Bahamas hurricane recovery
Pictured from left to right, Youth Speaker, Rolner Paul; UNDP Regional Director Latin America and the Caribbean, Luis F. Lopez-Calva; Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Dr. Hubert A. Minnis; Chairman of the Board of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation, Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson; and Minister of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, Hon. Iram Lewis
Private companies, Governments, regional and international institutions, and philanthropic individuals have pledged approximately $1.5 billion in financing and in-kind services to support recovery in The Bahamas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The pledges were made in January at a Hurricane Dorian Private Sector Pledging Conference organized by The Government of The Bahamas, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) multi country office in Jamaica.
UNDP multi country office in Jamaica to manage Bahamas National Recovery & Reconstruction Fund
UNDP has been assigned responsibility for the design, establishment and administration of the Bahamas National Recovery and Reconstruction Fund. As the Fund Administrator, UNDP will work with government and donors to ensure that funds are deployed to the critical needs and priorities in Abaco and Grand Bahama in conformity to UNDP’s global standards for procurement and disbursement
Who Will Be Able To Access the Bahamas
National Recovery & Reconstruction Fund?
UNDP Regional Director lauds partnership with government & people of The Bahamas
"Bahamas is leading the Caribbean through this pioneering effort to build a durable partnership with the private sector for recovery from hurricane Dorian." - United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Luis F. Lopez-Calva
“We consider this pledge conference to be yet another piece of tangible evidence of our strengthened partnership (with The Bahamas). Prime Minister, you have our assurances of continued support for the long haul. We are here to stay, with the consent and support of your government and the Bahamian society.” - United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Luis F. Lopez-Calva
SPECIAL REPORT
The Sanctuary that Saved Oracabessa Bay
Oracabessa Bay is a nesting site for the endangered hawksbill sea turtle, endangered Acrapora corals, and a key ecosystem that supplies seafood to local markets in Jamaica. Over the years, however, indiscriminate fishing had significantly reduced fish stocks and land-based pollution continues to kill coral reefs, a crucial part of the defence infrastructure and seafood basket. This environmental decline severely affected the income of fishers while threatening the Bay’s tourism offer. With the intervention of the UNDP-implemented GEF Smalls Grants Programme, fish stocks are up, the corals are slowly coming back to life and livelihoods are being sustained.
The fish are coming back - Inilek Wilmot
Inilek Wilmot, General Manager , Oracabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary
  • Living coral cover increased more than threefold by 2018

  • Fish biomass which is weight of fish per area of the sanctuary increased 74 times since 2011

  • Average fish size almost tripled

  • Harmful algae cover decreased 35%

  • Corals now have more room to grow, and more parrot fish are eating the algae.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
HOW the coral gardeners of Oracabessa Bay nurture corals undersea, then replant them underwater to resuscitate coral reefs.

"This was owned by the community"
National Coordinator of the GEF Small Grants Programme in Jamaica, Hyacinth Douglas says the key ingredient in the success of the coral reef & sea turtle restoration project was ownership by the community.

Hyacinth Douglas, GEF SGP National Cordinator in Jamaica
Travis Graham, Oracabessa Foundation
How will Fishing Sanctuaries survive?
A cess on conch supports fishing sanctuaries. But this ends with the conch industry's pending closure May, now extended to 2021. "We must talk survival - Travis Graham, Oracabessa Foundation.

Seven Years' Investment in
Water - A Retrospective
We did the math, tracing back 7 years: UNDP/GEF SGP expands water storage by 2.2 Million gallons
The UNDP-implemented GEF Small Grants Programme has strategically partnered with 128 communities across Jamaica to expand water storage capacity by a combined 2,261,927 gallons over the last seven years. Evaluations of nine projects dating from 2013 to 2019 indicate that the water harvesting projects are still actively serving more than 135 000 persons in virtually every parish across the nation.
J$49.6 Million in GEF SGP grants to generate green jobs & incomes
Group photo of GEF SGP/UNDP grant awardees posing with Denise E Antonio, UNDP Resident Representative (front, 3rd from right) and Chief Technical Director (Acting), Policy, Planning and Evaluation Division in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and Global Environment Facility Operational Focal Point for Jamaica, Gillian Guthrie (front - 2nd from left)
A total of J$49.6 Million in grants awarded to seven community groups by UNDP/ GEF Small Grants Programme will transform a rural neighbourhood into a sustainable ‘green’ community, position unattached youth to earn from environmental projects, and build climate resilience among persons living with disabilities. The grant allocation will also support local groups to combat deforestation, counter environmental degradation in the upper Rio Minho Watershed and, support innovative solutions in agriculture to combat impacts of climate change.
Meet a Promising Grantee
Eleanor Terrelonge, Director, JAMAICA Climate Change Youth Council
‌
Albion Heights is set to become a green and sustainable community. Here's how.
"Small Grants Can Secure Big Wins" - UNDP Resident Representative
Close-out of the Australian Aid-funded Community Based Adaptation programme
Hyacinth Douglas, GEF SGP National Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative Denise E Antonio and Member of Parliament Pearnel Charles Jnr. at the close out Workshop
"These project results underscore a point, proven time and time again by the GEF SGP that,  it does not necessarily take large investments to generate big results . This programme clearly shows that small grants, strategically invested and supported by the community can secure big wins. Big wins also come when we listen to the communities and partner with them, ensuring that we are guided by their experiences on the ground." - UNDP Resident Representative, Denise E Antonio
OPINION
BLOG
Resilient People: Resilient Caribbean
"It is ... clear that the lives of people hinge on improving resilience. The fate and future of the Caribbean are entwined with resilience. The UNDP has been supporting Caribbean governments in enhancing resilience using an integrated approach. For example, work is being done in improving climate change adaptation at the national, local and community levels, with emphasis on vulnerable communities; policy and legislative frameworks for DRR and climate change are being enhanced and opportunities for economic development and poverty reduction are being maximized. " - Denise E Antonio, UNDP Resident Representative
RESULTS RECAP
MORE RESULTS STORIES
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UNDP PHOTO STORIES ON EXPOSURES
'Tons' of high resolution photo albums with inspiring stories, as told by beneficiaries of projects implemented and/or supported by UNDP.
CATCH A PODCAST ON SOUNDCLOUD
Tune in to UNDP in Jamaica Radio, for interesting interviews from communities and experts sounding off on the development issues we care about. Hear their honest feedback on project interventions and the impact on lives and communities.
BROWSE BACK ISSUES OF 'ON TARGET' E-NEWS
We have an archive full of back issues of 'On Target' e-newsletter from UNDP Jamaica.
WHAT WE LOVE TO DO
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Empowered Lives, Resilient Nations
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