United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

Overview

Environmental management, energy efficiency and conservation are essential for sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In Jamaica, the poor and the most vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean, affordable energy services. Weaknesses in environmental governance and natural resource management are major factors affecting environmental degradation.

UNDP supports programmes that protect Jamaica’s environment through conservation, management applications and policy development. We help Jamaica in its efforts to diversify its energy sources and to integrate environmental sustainability into overall development policy and practice.

By supporting efforts to involve community members in planning and implementation, UNDP has assisted Jamaica to identify critical strategies to facilitate climate change adaptation, expand dialogue on environment and development, and build on best practices in integrated watershed and coastal area management.

UNDP making a difference

The Environment and Energy Unit works with government partners, civil society, private sector, academia, other United Nations agencies and international development partners to achieve key goals.

Key Goal

UNDP works with national partners to create an enabling environment for better management of natural resources, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to improve energy security.

Success Stories

USD $ 7.8 million for supporting Jamaica's National Protected Areas!

Energy & Environment in the News >

Initiatives

Natural resource management

Supporting Jamaica towards environmental sustainability

UNDP supports Jamaica in building environmental awareness among decision makers and the public. This helps to promote action and greater accountability for environmental stewardship. We support four demonstration projects to improve communities’ application of sustainable land management practices. UNDP also supports efforts to achieve a strong policy and institutional framework to strengthen national capacity to manage natural resources, including parks and protected areas.

Jamaica is a beneficiary country of the Small Grant Programme (SGP), an initiative which supports projects of non-governmental and community-based organizations in developing countries demonstrating that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives. The programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a corporate programme, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). To find out what the SPG is doing in Jamaica click here

Energy conservation and efficiency

Addressing energy challenges to achieve economic, social and sustainable development

Under the UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, UNDP assists the Government of Jamaica to implement its National Energy Policy through support for a National Energy Action Plan, the development of Five Energy sub-policies and through improving energy efficiency and conservation capacities in the public sector. UNDP believes energy conservation and efficiency should benefit everyone, but especially the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. We support implementation of small-scale community-based renewable energy applications and public-private partnerships.

Climate change adaptation and mitigation

Reducing poverty through climate change adaptation

UNDP is a committed partner to Jamaica in its implementation, monitoring and reporting as one of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and facilitates financing of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. UNDP is helping Jamaica to achieve the UNFCCC goals and recommended actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change, and to strengthen resilience to reduce and/or recover from the adverse effects of climate change. UNDP advises the Government of Jamaica to strengthen its policy and institutional coordination on climate change.

UNDP has also assisted the Government of Jamaica to prepare for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, an historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all.

Disaster risk reduction

Disasters are NOT natural. We invest in prevention

UNDP supports Jamaica's efforts to reduce disaster risks and its social, economic and environmental impacts, in keeping with priorities of the Government of Jamaica's National Development Plan, Vision 2030. UNDP contributes to Jamaica's resilience over the long term by addressing climate change issues within the discipline of disaster risk reduction, and by supporting the efforts of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

 Current Projects

Start Date	Project Code	Title	Status	Project Document
2012	00067121	HCFC phase-out management plan – first stage implementation	Ongoing
2011	00080532	Capacity Development for Energy Efficiency and Security in Jamaica	Ongoing
2010	00074120	Strengthening the operational and financial sustainability of the National Protected Area System	Ongoing
2009	00070518	Piloting Natural Resource Valuation Within Environmental Impact Assessments	Ongoing
2008	00044037	Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management in Jamaica	Ongoing
2006	00052550	Integrated Watershed and Costal Area Management Project (IWCAM)	Ongoing
2006	00043276	Enabling Activities for the Preparation of Jamaica's Second National Communication to the UNFCCC	Ongoing
2006	00038415	Enabling Activities for the Preparation of the Bahamas' Second National Communication to the UNFCCC	Ongoing

See our recently closed projects

View all our Publications