United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

The UNDP Regional Centres Dakar and Johannesburg are establishing a Regional Roster of human rights and justice experts to facilitate quick support services for the designing and implementation of human rights and justice projects by UNDP Country Offices/UNCTs in the region.We are therefore looking for consultants/experts with the following key skills, technical background and experience:1) Advanced university degree in law, social sciences, international development or related field preferably with a specialization in human rights, international humanitarian law, criminal law etc.2)

Mr. Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel and Inhuman Treatment, presented his preliminary findings at a press conference on Friday, February 19, 2010, during his Mission to Jamaica which lasted from February 12 - 21.

While not finding torture, in the classical sense, of deliberately inflicting severe pain or suffering as a means of extracting a confession or information, the Special Rapporteur reported "a general atmosphere of violence and aggression in almost all places of detention, and a frequent use of beatings as a form of punishment".

"I was most concerned about the appalling conditions of detention in general, which reflect a complete disrespect for the human dignity of persons in conflict with the law", Mr. Nowak said in his preliminary statement. See full Preliminary Statement...

Crippling the operations of gangs is seen as a key component in dealing with security challenges for many Caribbean countries. This was the common thread when Jamaica’s Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson, addressed the gathering at the two-day Regional Workshop on ’Charting the Way Forward for the Preparation of the Caribbean Regional Human Development Report on Citizen's Security’ held in Kingston, January 27 to 29, 2010.

UNDP and the Fredreich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Co-hosted a series of workshops on Millennium Development Goal (MDG)1 - Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger, and on the gender dimensions of poverty. The workshops were held in four parishes across Jamaica and targeted leaders and members of community-based organisations active in community development efforts on the ground.

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Pictures from the UNDP/FES Workshops

Jamaica will be among countries represented virtually when the 8th Global Democratic Governance Community of Practice (DGCoP) meeting takes place in Senegalese capital Dakar, February 15-19.

The first-ever Human Development on Citizens Security for the Caribbean region will be the focus of a workshop of stakeholders to be held in Jamaica on January 28^th and 29^th, 2010.

Jamaica Partners for Peace, the first country-wide virtual network linking national peace, justice and security stakeholders is focusing on building its membership base, two months after it was officially launched.

The Jamaica Violence Prevention Peace and Sustainable Development (JVPPSD) programme currently being implemented through UNDP, Jamaica was shared with regional and global partners at the Commonwealth Youth Forum 7 which was held in Lowlands, Tobago on November 24, 2009.

In keeping with its role as Coordinator of Donor Agencies' response to disasters in the Caribbean, UNDP Jamaica is supporting Jamaica's efforts to come to the aid of Haiti. On Thursday, January 14 UNDP facilitated a meeting of the Western Caribbean Donor Group and participated in an emergency relief coordination meeting called by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, aimed at increasing the stock of relief supplies for dispatch to Haiti on January 15. The United Nations Country Team, of which UNDP is Coordinator, has facilitated Jamaica becoming a response hub for persons who may need to be medically evacuated from Haiti. UNDP is continuing to play a key role in the response planning and is assisting in identifying a roster of technical experts in areas such as disaster management and water and sanitation, who can be called upon to render assistance to the Haiti recovery programme.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will partner with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Ministry of National Security (MNS) to implement a project; “Youth Employment Through Sustainable Livelihoods” in February 2010.