| Overview : The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations. The UNDP Belize country programme is directly derived from the United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF). In 2015, the United Nations System, jointly with the Governments of the Caribbean, decided to move from six United Nations Development Frameworks (UNDAFs) to a common United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (UN MSDF)[1]. National consultations were conducted in 15 countries to ensure that the development challenges identified in the UN Common Multi-Country Assessment (CMCA) are consistent with national development needs. Four key priority areas emerged, informing the national and regional actions of the UN system and partners over the next five years: (1) A sustainable and resilient Caribbean, (2) A safe, cohesive and just Caribbean, (3) A healthy Caribbean and (4) An inclusive, equitable and prosperous Caribbean. These national and sub-regional priorities were validated with 17 Caribbean governments and are fully aligned with the CARICOM Strategic Plan (2015-2019), the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Under the recently approved Country Programme Document (CPD) 2017-2021, UNDP Belize will continue to work in close partnership with the government and civil society in the following key areas: Environmental Conservation, Biodiversity and Climate Change UNDP has supported Belize’s natural resource development pathway for three decades, based on a sustainable natural resource-based economic model anchored in the key sectors: tourism, small farming, forestry and fishing. The country’s management of its natural resource base is innovative and highly effective at environmental management and conservation of biodiversity, with many policies and programs that can be considered best practices to be transferred via south-south collaboration. UNDP will support improved disaster resilience by facilitating community-level disaster preparedness and investment in small local infrastructure projects to minimize climate risk impacts, as well as support to agriculture sector for climate resistant crops better able to withstand flooding, drought, and saline intrusion. UNDP is one of only three international/regional bodies to sit as a member of Belize’s National Climate Change Committee (BNCCC), which was established to provide expert direction for climate change mitigation and adaptation processes in Belize. Addressing HIV and Health Issues UNDP Belize is currently implementing a $3.4m Global Fund grant for HIV/TB grant activities up to 2018. The program seeks to halt the spread of HIV and HIV/TB co-infections among MSM and other males at risk, as these are the key populations with HIV positive incidence nationally. It also seeks to effectively detect and cure all forms of TB, MDR-TB, and TB-HIV co-infections. Given the challenges posed by stigma and discrimination as well as criminalization of MSM, this program includes funding to advance a legal review aiming for reform; train health workers, police, journalists and media to implement a rights-based approach to their work; promote sensitization of the public through TV and radio; and a human rights observatory to field, file and follow up on complaints from citizens whose rights may have been violated. While serving as interim Principal Recipient, UNDP works to develop national capacity of entities with HIV/AIDS and TB prevention mandates for the future implementation of Global Fund grants. Governance and Citizen Security Citizen security has now emerged as a national development priority in Belize. UNDP Belize supports work on citizen security by focusing on building national capacities within the criminal justice system, in particular to address domestic violence and young offenders, complemented by violence prevention for youth at risk or in conflict with the law. UNDP has also trained national entities on data collection and statistical analysis, to better define the national crime profile and related policies and programmes. The CO approach will include a spectrum of interventions, including continued support for institutional reform; determining the right policy mix to enhance social cohesion (particularly in communities plagued by gang violence); and promoting human and legal rights, involving men and women as active agents and co-producers of their own security. This approach constitutes the bedrock for building a safe and just Belize. Gender continues to be considered as a cross cutting theme essential to effective programme planning and delivery, given the vital importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment to sustainable development. Accordingly, UNDP Belize will support adoption of the draft National Gender Policy, as well as communications to disseminate its content with diverse audiences, and will facilitate its implementation in relevant sectors to integrate gender equality concerns into national and local institutions, policies, strategies, programmes and services. UNDP is currently leading the UN Gender Theme Group in Belize. As part of the latter’s work plan for 2016, it was agreed to hold training in country for UN staff and partners on how to mainstream gender into the main areas of work. It is worth noting that gender inequalities remain a significant challenge in Belize, with the country lagging behind its neighbours on many key indicators, such as: women in parliament, wage gap, and labour force participation. This has been analyzed in detail in the Caribbean Development Bank’s Country Gender Assessment, published in January 2016. The country has now finalized and will soon roll out the National Gender Policy, which was controversial and delayed for several years due to the influence of conservative elements in the society. [1] The countries covered in the MSDF are Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Curacao, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. |
