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Tuesday 26 May 2020

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC):

Urgent attention needed for the Caribbean to achieve the 2030

agenda and the SDGs during COVID-19 crisis and beyond

PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD the importance of ensuring
— The implementation of that SDG progress is main-
the 2030 Agenda is at stake tained, and every effort
and decades of progress in made to build resilience.
human development are The Executive Secretary of
at risk of being reversed if ECLAC called on countries
more attention is not given to incorporate in their VNRs
to supporting Caribbean any pre-existing or new
countries in their pursuit of challenges that might have
sustainable development, emerged from the current
Alicia Bárcena, Executive situation. She reiterated
Secretary of the Economic the continuing, committed,
Commission for Latin Amer- and innovative support be-
ica and the Caribbean ing offered by ECLAC and
(ECLAC) stressed on Tues- the United Nations system
day, 12 May. as a whole in assisting the
countries in this process, as
The COVID-19 pandemic is well as in building resilience
occurring at a time when these countries, as well as viewing 72 statistical series kind of discussion or mo- and recovery post-COV-
Caribbean countries are experts from ECLAC’s Ca- of indicators. These showed ment, we are proposing to ID-19 and beyond, and in
already facing tremendous ribbean sub regional office that 4 targets have already really focus on the SDGs im- helping them to advocate
challenges in implement- and headquarters in San- been reached; 15 are likely pacted by COVID-19 and for a new global econom-
ing the 17 Sustainable De- tiago participated, as did to be reached given cur- present opportunities to ic architecture that will
velopment Goals (SDGs) other representatives of the rent trends; 8 need more fast track achievements on consider the restructuring
given their unique vulner- United Nations system. public policy intervention; the SDGs and on renewed of domestic and external
ability to external shocks, In her remarks, the Execu- 13 need significant public partnerships (Goal 17)”. debt of Caribbean small
their high levels of indebt- tive Secretary recognized policy intervention; 27 are Giselle Myers, Senior Econ- islands developing States
edness, limited access to the commendable efforts at a standstill; and 5 are suf- omist, in the Ministry of Fi- (SIDS).
concessional funding due being made by Carib- fering setbacks. nance, Economic Planning,
to their middle-income sta- bean countries to present Sustainable Development In this process, ECLAC has
tus, their inability to counter their VNRs this year in such She concluded that, in light and Information Technolo- developed the COVID-19
blacklisting, compounded challenging times, this ef- of its impact on economic, gy of Saint Vincent and the Observatory with the sup-
by the need for fiscal ad- fort demonstrating the sub social and environmental Grenadines highlighted the port of the United Nations
justments and debt restruc- region’s unequivocal com- matters in the short and vision of her country to put Resident Coordinators,
turing, all within the context mitment to the implemen- medium term, the COV- people at the center of de- which aims at offering
of their high exposure to cli- tation of the 2030 Agenda ID-19 pandemic represents velopment, reiterating her analysis of the economic
mate change and extreme for Sustainable Develop- the greatest challenge that government’s commitment and social impacts of the
weather events, with a new ment. the sub region has faced to leave no one behind pandemic and at monitor-
hurricane season starting in “The process of inter-min- since the financial crisis of through the staging of a se- ing the measures taken by
two weeks’ time, Bárcena isterial coordination, multi- 2008 and a real threat to ries of consultative process- the countries of the region
added. stakeholder consultation the region's sustainable de- es for the VNR and through to respond to the crisis. This
The Executive Secretary of and multi-dimensional velopment path in the con- their continued effort to is in addition to other tools
ECLAC chaired a virtual ex- analysis to account for the text of the 2030 Agenda. align their National Eco- and proposals, such as the
traordinary meeting of the progress made in the 17 In her intervention, the Hon- nomic and Social Devel- SDG Gateway, a platform
Community of Practice to Sustainable Development orable Marsha Caddle, opment Plan (2013 – 2025) providing comprehen-
offer support to those Ca- Goals, which is already a Minister of Economic Affairs with the 2030 Agenda. sive information and data
ribbean countries that are complex task, becomes and Investment in the Min- Joanne Deoraj, Permanent on the implementation
preparing to present their even more challenging in istry of Finance, Economic Secretary of the Ministry and follow-up of the 2030
Voluntary National Reviews the context of a COVID-19 Affairs and Investment of of Planning and Develop- Agenda, and the ECLAC
(VNRs) to the 2020 session of crisis, which is character- Barbados, underscored ment of Trinidad and Toba- Debt for Climate Adapta-
the High-level Political Fo- ized by limited contact, that despite the very chal- go, highlighted inextricable tion Swap Initiative, which
rum on Sustainable Devel- competing priorities and lenging prospect of con- linkages between the SDGs is a response to the two
opment (HLPF), scheduled huge economic, social, templating the submission and the National Develop- most urgent development
to be held in July. The event technological and human of a VNR in the current cir- ment Strategy- Vision 2030, needs facing the Caribbe-
was moderated by the Di- challenges”, she stressed. cumstances, the occasion emphasizing a”whole of an: debt and vulnerability.
rector of ECLAC’s sub re- In her presentation, the Ex- presented an important government” and”whole of “We must urgently move
gional headquarters for the ecutive Secretary noted opportunity to highlight society” approach, which towards new development
Caribbean, Diane Quar- that only 10 years remain how the pandemic is af- has underscored the im- patterns that are oriented
less, and included the par- for countries to meet the fecting the achievement of portance of collaboration towards greater well-being,
ticipation of high-level au- objectives of the 2030 specific SDGs and to scale and partnerships across resilience, environmental
thorities and national focal Agenda, and that there are up investments needed for the public sector, private sustainability, and inclusive
points for the 2030 Agenda already warning signs re- the country, particularly sector, and civil society, and sustainable interna-
of Barbados, Jamaica (as garding the achievement in social protection, fiscal including for the recovery tional governance based
observer), Saint Vincent of the SDGs. In this regard, and financial inclusion poli- plan post-COVID-19. Con- on the 2030 Agenda and
and the Grenadines, and she informed that ECLAC cies, and debt restructuring sidering the pandemic and other SIDS agenda as well
Trinidad and Tobago. The had analyzed progress on schemes to enable transi- related challenges facing as foster solidarity with Ca-
United Nations Resident implementation of the 17 tion to carbon neutrality. the country’s oil and gas ribbean countries”, Bárce-
Coordinators covering SDGs in the region, by re- “It is not a business as usual sector, she also stressed na concluded.q