Supporting marginalized groups become economically resilient while advancing Agenda 2030 action

Overview

The Social Resilience and Inclusion portfolio synthesizes offers from UNDP's Signature Solutions number 1 (Keeping People out of Poverty) and number 2 (Women's empowerment and Gender Equality) by seeking to improve the social and economic resilience of vulnerable groups such as women, youth, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV and AIDS and those employed in the informal economy. Through efforts to support the expansion of social services and socioeconomic empowerment of vulnerable communities, UNDP and partner countries intend to improve social and economic resilience and inclusion of the targeted populations. To this end, UNDP will bridge the digital divide at the local level; support the development and implementation of local sustainable development plans to strengthen local governance; expand local entrepreneurship initiatives to ensure the inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities and victims of gender-based violence; increase access to markets for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within the agriculture and tourism sectors; and increase access to financing for women and youth-led businesses. Interventions will primarily be focused on Jamaica with joint programming opportunities in Bermuda, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, reaching women and youth in key sectors. Partnerships will be forged with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as Civil Society Organizations. UNDP will explore joint programming with other United Nations agencies and seek to complement the work of international partners and local foundations of multinational private sector organizations.

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

Because of its ability to galvanize multi-sector and multi-stakeholder partnerships around integrated and multi-dimensional solutions, UNDP, as “integrator” has contributed significantly to ongoing advancement of the SDGs in Jamaica through support for enhanced coordination mechanisms, development of a Roadmap for SDGs Implementation in Jamaica, expansion of public awareness on the 2030 Agenda and its alignment with Jamaica’s national development plan, and strengthening of national capacity to produce high quality data for monitoring the SDGs. Given the primacy of the SDGs, UNDP has supported the Governments of Jamaica and Bahamas in producing the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report and the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). UNDP is working with the Government of Jamaica on innovative financing mechanisms to achieve the SDGs.  

Through its work in Sustainable Development, UNDP is helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, namely: Number 1 – No Poverty; Number 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation; Number 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; Number 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; Number 15 – Life on Land; Number 17 – Partnership for the Goals.