The Virgin Islands was represented during a May 21 virtual regional workshop organised by the United Nations system in the Caribbean to support preparation of the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026 for the region.
At the event, Benito Wheat- ley, special envoy for Premier Andrew Fahie, chaired a working group session that included representatives of 14 Caribbean countries and territories; six UN agencies; and five regional partners including the Caribbean Community, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and the University of the West Indies, according to a press release from Mr. Wheatley.
The participants discussed the UN’s strengths, as well as the areas where it can improve its approach in the region.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mikiko Tanaka, UN resident coordinator in Guyana, and supported by Jessica Chandnandi, team leader in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Suriname, the release noted.
Other meetings
Ahead of the workshop, the special envoy also participated in a related regional planning meeting for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on May 18.
Additionally, he attended meetings of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s Regional Conference on Social Development, which included the May 19 meeting of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Working Group and the May 26 meeting of the Working Group on Leaving No One Behind in the Caribbean, the release stated.
The VI is a vice-chair of the ECLAC Regional Conference on Social Development and a vice-chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee, a subsidiary body of ECLAC.
The regional commission is currently assisting the government with the preparation of a National Sustainable Development Plan.