A United Nations delegation is visiting the Virgin Islands this week to discuss ways the agency can help the territory meet its pledge to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
In a two-day session that started yesterday, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley is hosting UN Resident Coordinator Didier Trebucq and several UN heads of agencies, according to government.
Their main goal is to advance implementation of the territory’s Country Implementation Plan, an agreement signed in August 2021 that details areas where the UN will provide technical assistance toward achieving the SDG targets, according to GIS.
The SDGs — which all UN member states adopted in 2015 — include eliminating hunger and poverty, reducing inequality, and ensuring access to health care, quality education, clean water, and reasonable employment, among others.
“I look forward to welcoming the high-level UN delegation to have bilateral talks to further the Virgin Islands’ National Sustainable Development Plan,” Dr. Wheatley said. “Among other things, we will discuss the most effective methods to implement the plan, and the progress of existing United Nations programmes in the territory.”
The premier also thanked the UN for its support as a development partner, which he said has helped facilitate the territory’s pursuit of a more sustainable and resilient future as a small island developing state.
UN delegation
Besides the UN Resident Coordinator Office, other UN agencies represented in the visiting delegation include the International Labour Organisation; the UN Development Programme; the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation; and the UN Children’s Fund, according to government.