United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

UNDP Jamaica with the Global Environment Facility expanded support to Jamaica's preparation for the UN climate change conference taking place from December 7-18 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Fifteenth Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change has many contentious issues still to be resolved. In addition to funding the development of Jamaica's National Report to the Conference, UNDP with support from the Global Environment Facility hosted a Climate Change Dialogue Series for members of Jamaica's Delegation, key decision-makers, technical advisors and the public.

Prime Minister of Jamaica the Hon. Bruce Golding was keynote speaker at the launch of Jamaica’s first Community of Practice – an electronic network for persons active on a specific issue. Dubbed Jamaica Partners for Peace the network connects persons active in the field addressing issues of security, justice and peace. The initiative received the endorsement of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne and from the Minister of National Security, Senator, the Hon. Dwight Nelson both of whom spoke at the launch 

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20091111T180000-0500_163580_OBS_ONLINE_PEACE_BUILDING_PROGRAMME_LAUNCHED.asp

The UNDP and the Delegation of the European Commission in Jamaica hosted the joint launch of the 2009 Human Development Report and the EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative on Wednesday, October 14. Dr. Elizabeth Thomas-Hope of the University of the West Indies, a member of the JMDI Advisory Board and also a member of the advisory committee for the HDR was keynote speaker. Ms. Amie Gaye, Statistics Policy Specialist with the Human Development Report Office, New York, highlighted the findings of the 2009 HDR on migration and development issues including for Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. Presentations were made on each of the three Jamaican initiatives being funded by the EC-UN JMDI

KINGSTON (JIS):
Saturday, September 26, 2009
 

The following public advisory was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on Friday (September 25):
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is advising the public to ignore any advertisements for employment purporting to be from the United Nations Programme For International Cooperation and Development.

Click Here to View Advisory

The next Knowledge Fair of the EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative will be a ‘Virtual Fair’ taking place on the Migration for Development website.  The Virtual Fair will be held in conjunction with the Global Forum on Migration and Development Civil Society days on 2-3 November 2009 in Athens, Greece. Submissions are being sought for the Virtual Fair online showcase of Civil Society initiatives.  The ‘top’ selected initiative will be invited to participate in the Civil Society days in Athens in November. The Virtual Fair will feature a Virtual Exhibition of Good Practices, a Daily Blog with updates from Athens and video interviews with some of the key participants.
The Call closes in 2 weeks: Friday, 16th October 2009. NOTE DEADLINE EXTENDED.

Jamaica’s progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been significant: An estimated 9.9 percent of its 2.7 million people lived below the poverty line in 2007, indicating a halving of the poverty rate of 19.9 percent recorded in 1997.[1] Jamaica has appeared on track to achieve MDG1, eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; has achieved Goal 2 of universal primary education; and has made significant progress in eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education. Life expectancy is 73.5 years, and access to health care is universal.
But Jamaica is a small island developing country at a critical development crossroads.

• Parenting training addressing violence reduction. Click Here for Article. 
• Launch of Project: Strengthening Community Safety through Local Government Capacity Building. Click Here for Article. 

UNDP Jamaica contributed to the video testimonies which were a valuable resource in the drafting of  the first Report of the Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS), entitled: "Voices of the Vulnerable: The Economic Crisis from the Ground Up"(www.voicesofthevulnerable.net). The Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon presented the Report to Heads of State and Government at the opening of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly on 23 September, and made the Report a special focus of his state luncheon on the same day. 

Jamaican entertainers, including Lloyd Lovindeer, Queen Ifrica, Tony Rebel, Boris Gardiner, Pam Hall and many others, have come together for the Voices For Climate Change Project which was launched on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at the Mona Visitor’s Lodge, UWI. The project is a national public education campaign on climate change being implemented by Panos Caribbean, a regional organization which helps journalists to cover sustainable development issues, and Jamaica’s National Environment Education Committee (NEEC).

Voices for Change DVD

Schools, Community-Based Organizations and other stakeholders engaged in peace and conflict prevention and mediation activities can now benefit from a Facilitators’ Guide and resource package produced by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) as part of its 2009 Peace For Prosperity campaign. In addition to the Facilitators’ Guide, the package of materials includes the book” Raising your Children to Resist Violence”, along with educational flyers, a Peace for Prosperity  poster, and 2 educational DVDs. This initiative was one of the activities of the 2009 campaign which benefited from support from the UNDP. 

War fi Done Video