| Overview : COVID-19 Pandemic has had multi-dimensional and far-reaching impacts, threatening macroeconomic stability, social welfare, jobs and the livelihoods of Jamaicans. The Government’s efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, aligned with global recommendations, focused on promoting the uptake the preventative measures; containment; and limited movement of citizens. Further, the sudden onset of the pandemic highlighted coordination gaps within and across Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in efficiently directing international aid to the most impacted sectors and populations. Digital transformation remains a priority for the Government and the development landscape is benefitting from increased interest, investment, and technical assistance opportunities to strengthen Jamaica’s digital ecosystem. This provides the Jamaica Multi-Country Office with relevant entry points for the deployment of UNDP’s COVID-19 Programmatic Offer (Offer 2.0) to support the emerging demands of the Government of Jamaica, related to Digital Disruption. Specifically, the expansion of broadband access in underserved communities remain a priority for Government and is key to bridging the country’s digital divide. The project aligned to the UNDP Offer 2.0 seeks to address broadband access, which is a key catalyst for Digital Transformation. The project will directly invest in infrastructural strengthening for the expansion of broadband coverage in underserved communities. The UNDP Jamaica Office is seeking a Project Consultant to lead the implementation of key activities under the Rapid Response Facility (RFF) detailed in the Advancing Jamaica’s Digital Response to COVID-19 re-scoping brief. |
