Overview                                                       

An archipelago consisting of four main islands and over 50 smaller islands and cays, the British Virgin Islands is home to 30,180 people.

UNDP has been on the ground in the BVI since October 2017, supporting both recovery and reconstruction efforts while working closely with the government and communities.              

Main Initiatives                                                  

In the British Virgin Islands, UNDP implements a ‘Build Back Better’ approach to recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction – the aim is not only to recover but to increase resilience against future disasters.

Currently, UNDP is supporting the COVID-19 emergency response by 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 commends the decisive action from the BVI government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines a number of interventions aimed at ensuring the country can weather further shocks and rebuild in the wake of the current crisis.

UNDP is actively working with the local COVID-19 taskforce in BVI to alleviate the effects of the pandemic. SURGE support is being implemented via three targeted interventions. The first intervention involves the development of a dynamic economic scenario model and requisite training materials for government and national stakeholders. The second revolves around the development of a framework for assessing national fiscal financing options and general business sentiment, while the third focuses on the design and implementation of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to track all of the national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, through grant funding provided by UNDP, the Government of the BVI was able to transition 10 restaurant to a digital business model. The USD 40,000 injection supported the digital infrastructure which reduced the dependence on in-person transactions thereby allowing the businesses to remain open even with national restrictions and physical distancing measures in place. These innovative solutions are part of the responsive and adaptive strategies being considered in the nation.

In November 2020, UNDP and BVI formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening the UNDP/BVI partnership towards the opening of a project office in order to further address the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 and other external shocks such as natural disasters, financial crises or pandemics. In addition, the agreement reinforces support for the achievement of the SDGs and 2030 Agenda, including mainstreaming the SDGs in national policies and plans, accelerating their implementation and providing technical assistance for sectoral analyses, the promotion of the blue economy and additional relevant activities.

In order to build resilience and diversify its economy, the BVI is also seeking to grow the country’s blue economy. To help the BVI accomplish this, assistance was provided on the formation of a Strategic Blue Economy Roadmap 2020-2025, which includes innovation interventions supported by the Global Accelerator Lab on Blue Economy and Sustainable Management of Ocean Degradation. This Roadmap examines key sectors in the blue economy including fisheries, tourism and maritime monitoring and will provide guidance in the creation of an enabling environment for sustainable development.

Did you know?

Only 16 of the 60 islands in the BVI are inhabited!

Contact Us

To contact us, you can write to registry.bb@undp.org  and to Miguel Guirao, Focal Point for Eastern Caribbean Countries and Territories at miguel.guirao@undp.org