Guyana yesterday signalled its commitment to continue working alongside the United Nations and other countries in the region to better the lives of citizens.
Signing on to the 2022-2026 Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework on behalf of Guyana was Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh, who remarked that the realisation of the goals in the agreement will not be difficult for Guyana as they align with his government’s own developmental plans for the country and its populace.
“One will find an extremely close and strongly alignment between the priorities that we have outlined as a government and the priorities that are reflected in this framework; and that, of course, is not by accident,” he said in brief remarks at the signing, held yesterday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
At a time when heavy rainfall has flooded sections of the capital George-town and the country is still reeling from the effects of countrywide flooding earlier this year, the Minister of Finance zeroed in on climate change resilience, saying that a collective regional and international effort was needed as “Guyanese domestic actions alone will not suffice alone to contain the scourge of continued rising sea-levels, and the fight against climate change.”
On the regional end, Singh said that food security was top priority for government and it is why it places much of its resources on the thematic area of agriculture.
“We see agriculture as being an extremely important part of Guyana’s economic diversification strategy and Guyana’s aggregate economic output going forward and so we have already started a lot of work and investing in an aggressive agriculture diversification agenda to promote large scale food production and also to advance our agro-processing and agri-business agenda. Importantly, to unlock some of the persistent barriers to inter-regional trade and agricultural output, as we advance this agenda for regional food security in the first instance as we move towards world [food security],” Singh stressed.
UN Resident Coordinator, Yeşim Oruç, signed for her organisation and she underscored that that Guyana was a lead partner in collective pursuit of development for citizens in the region.
The UN Resident Coordinator noted that “there is much to be done” to achieve the goals set out but the UN is pleased to assist Guyana and that the framework can help this country to align priorities with its own developmental objectives.
Also present yesterday were Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; and head of the Ministry of Finance Project Cycle Management Division (PCMD), Tarachand Balgobin.
The MSDCF is the primary instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities delivered by over 20 UN agencies, funds, and programs towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda in the participating countries, including Guyana. It was developed in consultation with governments, regional organizations, the private sector, development partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.
A summary of the document states, “The Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, covering the period 2022-2026, is the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda. This framework has been developed as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Caribbean, as elsewhere, the impact of the pandemic aggravated and revealed existing structural vulnerabilities and provides the opportunity to ‘build back better.’”
“To address such vulnerabilities, the UN and the governments in the region are committing to contribute to significant structural changes in the economies and governance systems of the countries, towards: 1. Economic resilience and shared prosperity 2. Equality and well-being 3. Resilience to climate change and shocks, and sustainable natural resource management 4. Peace, safety, justice, and the rule of law,” it adds.
The vision, according to the UN, is for the region to become more resilient, possess greater capacity to achieve all the SDGs, and become a place where people choose to live and can reach their full potential.
“UN contributions will be operationalised at the country level, while adopting regional solutions where relevant, fostering regional cooperation and integration, and being guided by the principle of ‘leaving no one behind,’” the UN states.
It noted that since 2017, the UN and the governments in the region have worked with a multi-country framework to be more efficient, leverage regional synergies, and adopt collective approaches where relevant.
“This document represents the second generation of this framework. It was collegially developed by the six UN Country Teams covering the 22 countries and territories in the region and their host governments, in consultation with regional organizations, the private sector, development partners, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. It will be implemented under the guidance of the MSDCF Joint Steering Committee and operationalised at the country level under the oversight and strategic direction of national Joint Steering Committees,” the document explains.
It further states, “Strategic action on issues regional in scope will be facilitated by the regional commission and agencies working with relevant regional mandate through the UN Regional Steering Committee, supported by a Regional Programme Management Team, which will ensure that synergies, cross-fertilisation, and joint actions are pursued for the realisation of the results set in this programmatic framework. A country-specific joint work plan which takes into full account the individual country development priorities, circumstances and legislation, will be developed for each of the participating countries.”
Each joint workplan will capture UN contributions towards the MSDCF outcomes for national and regional review and monitoring. A final independent evaluation will be conducted in the penultimate year of implementation to draw lessons learned for the next programming cycle.
