Overview                                                         

The 35-square-mile island of Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory home to 16,187 people. The country has a separate constitution with an elected government, headed by a Chief Minister that is responsible for daily administration. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor of Anguilla on behalf of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom. The Governor, appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, maintains oversight for external affairs, defence, internal security and international financial services.

Climate change hazards threaten this tourism-dependent territory and as such UNDP’s work has focused primarily on building capacity to prepare for, and respond to, extreme weather events and other disasters.

Main Initiatives                                                                     

Recently, UNDP has supported the COVID-19 emergency response in Anguilla partnering with the Government in the production of a Human and Economic Assessment of Impact (HEAT) Report, with the collaboration of UNICEF and UN Women. The report models a series of possible impacts on economic growth, poverty and government finances and identifies and examines a range of relevant interventions that could help mitigate these impacts. The relief package of UNDP also includes assistance to MSMEs in order to advance their transition to digital business models, in light of COVID-19 restrictions.

Additionally, UNDP is technically and financially supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within ten countries and territories that are directly or indirectly linked to the tourism sector or have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Future Tourism project.   With gender equality and empowerment of women at its core, the project seeks to promote economic diversification, job creation and resilience with the “Blue Economy for Green Islands” approach in the tourism sector thereby boosting recovery and supporting the digitally enabled transformation of the business processes and value chains of MSMEs.

This partnership with the Government of Anguilla has also kindled regional cooperation to support the deployment of early warning systems in Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda by leveraging the expertise of Anguilla’s Department of Disaster Management.

Did you know? 

With an average life expectancy of 81 years, Anguillans live the longest among populations within the Caribbean!

Contact us

Ms. Chanelle Petty-Barrett, Permanent Secretary, Economic Development, is UNDP’s Focal Point in the Government.