The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Partners with UN To Host Roundtable

Nassau, The Bahamas – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened a Partnership Roundtable Meeting at The Balmoral on Monday, 17 April 2023. The Programme will be promulgated over the next 5 years, centering on several key objectives, including disaster recovery and response; citizen safety and rule of law, climate change resilience, and sustainable natural resource management.

Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Jamahl Strachan, MP, delivered the Keynote Address on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service, the Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell, MP, during the Partnership Round Table. Parliamentary Secretary Strachan stated that, “The capital costs of rebuilding lost infrastructure and building back better and greener are a challenge for Small Island Developing States, and there is a call for an institutionalized index that takes into account a country’s vulnerability and ability to rebound from external shocks.”

It was noted that this perennial challenge, particularly for Small Island Developing States, was to be expected to enable their borrowing at more affordable concessional rates, rather than at global market rates. The Parliamentary Secretary called on the UNDP to serve as an interlocutor and to provide advocacy in the meeting halls of the international financial institutions regarding the acceptance of a multi-dimensional vulnerability index.

Ms Denise E. Antonio, the UNDP’s Resident Representative, urged local, regional, and international organizations, as well as donor nations, to collaborate with the UNDP in augmenting current initiatives and devising novel and innovative solutions that aligned with the developmental aspirations and objectives of the Bahamian people.

The Country Programme will support multiple undertakings in The Bahamas, including bolstering public debt management frameworks and advocating for innovative financing instruments for women and youth, sustainable natural resource management, and climate change resilience.

The launch of the UNDP Country Programme was attended by Bahamian stakeholders who engaged directly with the UNDP team, with a view to strengthening the existing partnerships and identifying new opportunities for advancing The Bahamas’ development priorities.