The Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP and the United Nations Country Team will meet next week in Bermuda to execute an agreement entitled the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework or MSDCF. This is the first-ever partnership of its kind in Bermuda. It provides a direct connection between United Nations (United Nations Development Programme in particular) and Bermuda that will benefit Bermuda’s people directly. It is a welcomed shift in support from the United Nations in recognizing the unique circumstances that pose a threat to small islands, such as Bermuda, that can derail its development.
The MSDCF 2022 -2026 is the primary instrument for planning and implementing UN development activities in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
The Agreement is a model for cooperation between a key development partner, like the UN and the Government of Bermuda.
Through several virtual consultations, even during the pandemic, Bermuda’s government and private sectors provided active input in the development process of this regional framework. This multi-country framework allows the UN to engage Bermuda more efficiently while leveraging the expertise across UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes.
The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors is the lead Ministry for implementing the MSDCF. The first major project under this new engagement is the Joint Programme Building Back Equal through Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. The Programme will be directed in Bermuda by UN Women and UN Development Programme and funded by the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGF) and invested across two countries – Bermuda and The Bahamas.
This joint project will work with various stakeholders and partners to effectively deliver the planned outputs and outcomes. The partners include- The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors, Bermuda Economic Development Corporation, FinDev Canada, Portland Private Equity (a Caribbean Venture Capital Firm launching the Caribbean Basin Gender Equality Fund), academia, tourism, agriculture and creative industries.
Across both islands, the Programme’s beneficiaries are primarily women, especially those within the blue, green, and orange economies and entrepreneurs, youth, and people with disabilities.
On Monday, 27 June 2022, the Government and UN County Team and UN Women will hold two events: the official signing at Cabinet and the Launch of the Joint Programme Building Back Equal through Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at Grotto Bay Beach Resort. The public can watch the events on CITV and the government’s social media platforms – FaceBook and YouTube.
Here is a link to a video of Minister Tinee Furbert discussing the events on Monday https://youtu.be/964SiwoqysY