Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson met with Okama Brook, Liaison Officer, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the associating liaison organization in the Netherlands Antilles (UNV NA) to discuss current issues regarding the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG’s) during the week of July 26-30th.
Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson, Loekie Morales (representative of MDG for Sint Maarten), and Khalilah Peters of the Directorate of Programmes and Projects met with Mrs. Brook on July 29th to discuss the issues outlined in the MDG work plan and reconfirm the commitment to achieving the MDGs for Sint Maarten.
Brook also met with the MDG workgroup to discuss the work plan. The visit was deemed successful and provided a good basis for the planning of future activities.
Brook supports the implementation of activities under the capacity of Development for Nation Building of the Netherlands Antilles project. This project is a partnership agreement between the Government of the Netherlands Antilles and the UNDP (with offices in Trinidad, Tobago, supporting Suriname, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
The work plan for the project encompasses the following:
1. Building future relationship with the UNDP/UNV, which entails for example the Development of strategic note and sample project proposal with similarities to VOICE project, to corporate social responsibility initiative, University Internships, Fully funded UNV Volunteers.
2. Developing MDG Communication Strategy. There should be an advocacy/campaign plan development regarding the St. Maarten Website with the GIS department. Components will include but are not limited to factsheets on current project progress/lessons learned, MDG Campaigning tools—brochures, information kit, info share series and speaker series, e-newsletter, human interest news items, sourcing more knowledge management and networking approaches/methodologies MDG series, brochures, factsheets, human interest stories, posters/banners, MDG good will ambassadors, speaker series, UN days.
3. Promoting Volunteerism—advocacy, entails the integration, mobilization, and to organize meetings with key Volunteer Involving Organizations, Government, and the Private sector, and make presentations on volunteerism, symbolism of volunteerism and their economic contribution, identify potential volunteers or programs in St. Maarten, to discuss how to organize International Volunteer Day celebrations on December 5th with possible themes tied to MDGs.
4. Building Capacity for Negotiating with One UN System. The Legal requirements and processes for partnering with the UN and specifically UNDP after 10-10-10. Examine the treaties, joint programming, common country assessment (CCA), UN Development assistance Frameworks (UNDAF), Country Programme Documents ( CPD), plans for workshop in August on Sint Maarten for relevant stakeholders. The purpose of this workshop is to create awareness about the reformed UN system, the various agencies of the UN, on who does what, where, when, in order for the new nation of St. Maarten to acquire the knowledge and processes for partnering with the UN in the future. There will be need for an overall consultation with future department of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries/line departments to agree on an approach for working with UN agencies and programs. This is important to avoid confusion, overlapping and duplication.
5. Support capacity development for public policy strategic planning. St. Maarten Department for Programmes and Projects is tasked with the development of a National Development Plan (NDP). DPP’s capacity to be enhanced to enable taking a leadership role and future ownership of the MDGs process including the integration of the MDGs into this NDP. National development planning process, requirement for capacity needs assessment (for statistical monitoring, MDG localization), explore possibility of detailed assignment of a sectoral expert from UNDP Regional centre in Panama.
6. Localization of the MDGs and establishment of DevInfo (a database on development items); to refine the role of the MDG working group (who does what, where, how and when) will take place. Data collection streamlining preliminary information to DEVCO (Department for development cooperation on Federal level), as input for summary note under preparation for report writing consultancy will be part of the plan as well.