OUR FOCUS
Working on multi-dimensional poverty, environmental sustainability, sustainable livelihoods and Agenda 2030 action
UNDP partners with countries to find their own paths towards sustainable development, seeking to simultaneously reduce poverty and inequality. This entails policies and programmes that encourage economic growth and development and deliver social gains for all while ensuring environmental sustainability. We work closely with governments at the national, local and community levels, as well as with civil society and the private sector to tackle the interconnected issues of multidimensional poverty (addressing well-being beyond income measurements alone), historic inequalities and exclusion.
Given that the Jamaican economy is highly dependent on its environmental resources, UNDP aims to support Jamaica to strengthen its policy, regulatory and institutional framework for sustainable management of its natural resources, including mineral deposits, parks and protected areas and underground water resources in pursuit of sustainable livelihoods and economic security. UNDP is assisting in developing the capacity of key institutions to manage national protected areas and parks, and to implement sustainable land management practices. UNDP supports programmes that protect Jamaica’s environment through conservation, management applications and policy development, 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 expand dialogue on environment and development and build on best practices in integrated watershed and coastal area management
Through its work in Sustainable Development, UNDP is helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, namely: Number 1 – No Poverty; Number 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation; Number 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; Number 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; Number 15 – Life on Land; Number 17 – Partnership for the Goals.
Because of its ability to galvanize multi-sector and multi-stakeholder partnerships around integrated and multi-dimensional solutions, UNDP, as “integrator” has contributed significantly to ongoing advancement of the SDGs in Jamaica through support for enhanced coordination mechanisms, development of a Roadmap for SDGs Implementation in Jamaica, expansion of public awareness on the 2030 Agenda and its alignment with Jamaica’s national development plan, and strengthening of national capacity to produce high quality data for monitoring the SDGs. Given the primacy of the SDGs, UNDP has supported the Governments of Jamaica and Bahamas in producing the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report and the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). UNDP is working with the Government of Jamaica on innovative financing mechanisms to achieve the SDGs.
