United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

UNDP takes the human rights-based approach in supporting the achievement of national development priorities. Our assistance to Jamaica is defined in a Country Programme Document (CPD), a multi-dimensional, five-year programming strategy, and the related Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP). These derive directly from a broader United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Jamaica. The current strategic programming cycle for Jamaica covers the period 2012-2016.

The 2012-2016 CPD aims to help Jamaica implement the national development plan Vision 2030 and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The programme priorities for UNDP Jamaica are:

1. Promoting Poverty Reduction, including promotion of MDGs
2. Fostering Democratic Governance, focusing on security, justice and human rights
3. Enhancing Sustainable Development through Environment Management, Energy Security, Climate Change Adaptation, and Disaster Risk Reduction

UNDP is committed to invest USD$15, 361,000 in development assistance in the 2012-2016 period to help empower lives and build a resilient Jamaica.

Promoting Poverty Reduction and the Achievement of the MDGs

Jamaica has made notable progress in reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals and  was recently reclassified as an upper middle-income country. The Country Programme will focus on policy advice for equitable growth, assisting the government in fiscal management, data management and use of data for effective policy making. UNDP will support rural youths in developing agro business and other life skills towards increased employment and entrepreneurship. More>

Fostering Democratic Governance

Good governance is essential to realizing a stable and sustained environment for growth and human development. UNDP supports Jamaica's efforts to meet the challenge of deepening democracy.  Key projects address enhancing citizen participation in policy making related to citizen security and community safety; increasing access of vulnerable populations to justice, and integrating issues related to migration into development policies and planning. UNDP contributes to strengthening key institutions and supports far-reaching, policy reform initiatives. More>

Enhancing Sustainable Development through Energy Security, Environmental Management, Climate Change adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

Environmental management and energy efficiency and conservation are essential for sustainable development and the achievement of the MDGs. UNDP supports Jamaica for better management of natural resources, disaster risks, climate change adaptation, and energy security. We support initiatives that strengthen Jamaica's policy framework for environment, energy and disaster risk reduction. We also facilitate Jamaica's compliance with relevant international treaties and conventions. More>

Three key cross cutting issues are integral to all we do, namely, human rights, capacity development and gender equality.

The content and management arrangements of our assistance are outlined in the CPAP for 2012-2016, signed between UNDP and the Government of Jamaica on 30 January 2012.

Our Country Programme supports the overarching framework of the global MDGs, adopted at the Millennium Summit in September 2000. The heads of State and Government from 189 Nations reached a historic agreement there that resulted in the Millennium Declaration, giving voice to shared values and an unequivocal commitment to reducing world poverty by half by 2015. The eight MDGs and their targets thus embody the solemn commitment of all countries, including those covered by the UNDP Jamaica Country Office, to promoting development. See Jamaica's progress toward the MDGs

The 2012-2016 Country Programme is based on the analysis of the United Nations Common Country Assessment (CCA), which analyzes the root causes of priority national development challenges in an effort to make complex problems more understandable. This analysis also helps national partners to see that change is possible, identifying needs at all levels to generate action. The CCA assessed that major development challenges persist in Jamaica: 1) Macroeconomic Development; 2) Poverty: Urban and Rural; 3) Education; 4) Health; 5) HIV/AIDS; 6) Citizen Security, Community Safety and Access to Justice; 7) Food Security; 8) Environmental Management; and (9) Energy and how these areas of development affect the human rights and quality of life of the people, who must be at the core.

The CPAP is approved and signed by the Government, ensuring full national ownership of the projects. Allocation of financial resources is the joint decision of the Government and UNDP. Expected outcomes of the Country Programme can be found in the UNDP CPD for Jamaica (2012-2016), while a full list of major initiatives can be found under What we do.

Current Programming cycle 2012-2016:

UNDP Country Programme Document for Jamaica (CPD)

UNDP Country Programme Action Plan for Jamaica (CPAP)