Guyana yesterday became the first of 18 Caribbean countries to sign the United Nations Multi- Country Sustainable Development Framework (UN-MSDF), which will see a radical shift in the way assistance is delivered.
The regional programmatic framework, which will coordinate the activities of 19 UN Agencies and 18 countries, replaces the country specific United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Over the next five years, 2017 to 2021, it will cover the UN system across Barbados, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
UN Resident Coordina-tor Mikiko Tanaka explained to those gathered on the lawns of Public Buildings yesterday that the UN-MSDF brings to the Caribbean the “UN delivering as one” approach. The framework brings to the region one programme with one budget, operating under one leader with joint oversight and ownership agreed between the government and UN. The starting budget is US$197.9 million.
