UNDP Delegates visit Cayman Islands

(L-R) Regional Adviser Michelle Gyles-McDonnough,
Programme Environmental Specialist David Smith and
Deputy Resident Representative and team leader,
Ann-Marie Ali.

Thursday,  November  24, 2005  

Three delegates from the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) recently visited the Cayman Islands to meet with Government officials and to receive updates on Cayman’s post-Ivan recovery process after the Government had reached out to the UNDP for support and guidance in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.

The team was led by Deputy Resident Representative Ann-Marie Ali along with Regional Adviser Michelle Gyles-McDonnough and Programme Environmental Specialist David Smith.

The delegates met with the Hon. Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts, the Hon. Minister Anthony Eden and administrators from the Ministry of Health and Human Services, the Hon. Minister Alden McLaughlin and administrators from the Ministry of Education, Employment Relations, Youth, Sports and Culture.

Also attending meetings were the Hon. Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson and administrators from the Portfolio of Finance and Economic Development, as well as persons involved in the National Hurricane Committee project with the UNDP, and administrators from the Small Business and Housing sectors.

The meetings took place over two-and-a-half days and were coordinated by the Cabinet Office.

Based on information received, the UNDP will create a framework document for the Cayman Islands called a Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP).

The CPAP will prioritize socio-economic issues that need to be addressed, and will also make suggestions on how the government can manage them.

To provide a reference guide, similar experiences from other countries and the ways that they resolved their issues will be drawn upon.

Effective lessons can be learnt and imitated, minimizing ineffective approaches by linking the Cayman Islands with global communities that share common experiences.

“Programmes such as the UNDP offer us a vast range of growth benefits that were previously not taken advantage of,” said Leader of Government Business, the Hon. Kurt Tibbetts.

“I am delighted that the Cabinet Office has revived Cayman’s participation with the UNDP, allowing all government offices to take advantage and benefit.”

Priority areas that the delegates identified for Cayman’s CPAP are: education, disaster risk reduction, public management (including government efficiency and responsiveness), district developmental issues, understanding poverty status and strengthening human resource capabilities by facilitating access to specialists and experts in various fields.

The delegates are hoping to complete Cayman’s CPAP within a few months.

The document will be submitted to the UNDP Executive Board for approval once it has been approved at country level. The Board will meet in New York next year.

“We look forward to working now and also in the future with the Cayman Islands; the civic participation that has resulted from Hurricane Ivan is remarkable,” Ms. Ali said. “There are many lessons that have been learnt here that in turn can be used to help other countries. Maintaining linkages is vital to helping all.”

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