Partnerships for Development Issue No December Newsletter of the

Partnerships for Development Issue No. 1 December, 2007 Newsletter of the UNDP Subregional Office for Barbados & the OECS (left to right) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with Minister of Foreign Affairs Billie Miller; Some members of the SPARC Steering Committee; CoRICS training in Dominica; Deputy RR of UNDP Stein R. Hansen presenting copy of the WIR to Minister Thompson; IDEP press conference; Students of the Arthur Smith Primary School; RR of UNDP Rosina Wiltshire presenting a copy of the HDR report to Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley. 3 4 5 6 8 9 UN News Highlights of the Secretary General’s Visit to Barbados United Nations Association Formed Launching two Major Reports Support to Poverty Assessment and Reduction in the Caribbean - SPARC News from the Region 10 Eradication of Poverty in the Caribbean 14 Changes at UNDP 15 Fun Page Partnerships for Development Partnerships for Development is the newsletter of the UNDP Subregional Office for Barbados and the OECS. It is presented as part of this office’s efforts to inform partners and the public of the work being done as we advance towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. It is compiled in-house. Publisher UNDP Subregional Office, Barbados & the OECS Editorial Committee Rosina Wiltshire Resident Representative DaCosta Bayley ICT Coordinator Amory Hamilton-Henry SPARC Coordinator Kim Ramsay-Moore Communications Associate Contact Us: UNDP Barbados & the OECS UN House Marine Gardens Hastings, Christ Church Tel: 1 246-4676010 Fax: 1 246-429-2448 Kim.ramsay-moore@undp.org Editor’s Note Welcome to this revival of the “Partnerships for Development” newsletter produced by the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Sub-regional Office for Barbados and the OECS. The UNDP Barbados and OECS office serves 10 territories which include both independent and British overseas territories in the Eastern Caribbean. These are Barbados, St. Christopher and Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands. This office is mandated to support the countries’ individual and collective development goals as well as achieve results and outcomes that support a sustainable people centered Government. This is done through our six practice areas which are: Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and the Environment, HIV/AIDS and Women’s Empowerment. We have made some significant strides over the years with the help of our partners and donors in devising and implementing a number of programmes to benefit the countries that fall under our mandate. To them we say a heartfelt thanks! This issue of the “Partnerships for Development” newsletter highlights some of the work that this office has done over the past six months in some of the practice areas mentioned above. During this period we had a visit from United Nations (UN) Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who came to Barbados in August and held talks with Government officials as well as UN staff. There was also the launch of a United Nations Association at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus as well as the launch of two major UN Reports. I encourage you to take this journey with us over the past six months. Please read and enjoy. Rosina Wiltshire Resident Coordinator Please note that prior to the release of this newsletter there was a change in the Government of Barbados. As a result the Ministers listed are no longer holding the portfolios mentioned in the newsletter. UNDP Subregional Office for Barbados & the OECS 2 Partnerships for Development UN News ... Montserratian Wins UNDP Award nium Development Goals (MDGs in the regional context. Ms. Edgecombe holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications from York University in Toronto, where she specialised in film and video production. She is currently employed as a Producer at People’s Television (PTV) in Montserrat. **************************** Resident Representative of the UNDP Rosina Wiltshire presenting the UNDP Award to Natalie Edgecombe Recycle Bins at UN House As part of its efforts to ensure a “green” UN House, the Global Environment Fund/Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) has installed two recycle bins at UN House. The monies collected from the recycled plastics will be donated to the Arthur Smith Primary School. Journalist Natalie Edgecombe has emerged as the winner of the UNDP Barbados and the OECS Award at the 2007 Annual Caribbean Media Awards for Excellence in Health Journalism. Organised by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the event was held on Friday, December 10, at the Sherbourne Conference Centre in Barbados. The winner, who hails from the island of Montserrat submitted a 45-minute documentary film which examined the effect of the volcano on the island, the migration response and ongoing efforts to rebuild the island’s economy and infrastructure. The UNDP prize is awarded for the best story in the print or electronic media that addresses poverty reduction and social development in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Credit is given to stories which highlight efforts to address change at the individual, community and or country level through unique consultative processes amd approaches that support mobilisation, participation and empowerment. Credit is also given to stories that review global development such as the Millen- *************************** UN System Celebrates United Nations Day 2007 United Nations Staff came together on October 24, 2007 to celebrate United Nations Day at UN House with an international luncheon. Staff members brought a wide selection of dishes native to their respective homelands to share with their colleagues, UN partners and donors. Entertainment for the event was provided by the Arthur Smith primary school choir. MDG 1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 3 Partnerships for Development Highlights of the UN Secretary General’s Visit Barbados Meeting with Government Officials United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Barbados in August 2007 where he met with a number of key Government officials, civic leaders and United Nations staff. He was the third UN Secretary General to visit this country, following Boutros Boutros Ghali, who was here in 1994 for the first Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Kofi Anan who came in 2002 to officially open the new UN House located in Marine Gardens, Hastings, Christ Church. While here he met with Prime Minister Owen Arthur at Government Headquarters where they discussed a number of matters pertaining to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and cross border taxation. Mr. Ban told the Prime Minister that he was “fascinated” with the level of development that Barbados had achieved, adding that he felt that countries like Barbados should be better recognized for their accomplishments. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meeting with Prime Minister Owen Arthur at Government Headquarters The Secretary General also held talks with Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Mia Mottley, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dame Billie Miller, Attorney General Dale Marshall and other Government Officials. After these talks Mr. Ban held a joint press conference with government officials at the Tides Restaurant where he addressed a number of issues including: assisting the region with the challenge of drugs trafficking and climate change. Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dame Billie Miller expressed regret that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) no longer had an office in Barbados closed, noting “...We are hoping that we can recall some assistance”, she said. Mr. Ban Ki-moon is the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations and comes from the Republic of Korea. He also took time during his visit to Barbados to meet with UN staff. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs and Development Mia Mottley greets the Secretary General. UNDP Subregional Office for Barbados & the OECS 4 Partnerships for Development United Nations Association Formed at University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus A new student organisation has been launched at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus which seeks to foster and enhance student involvement and knowledge on the principles, goals, programmes and projects of the United Nations. The United Nations Association/ University of the West Indies (UNA/UWI) is recruiting members who can create and motivate change which strengthens Caribbean development and support for UN principles and goals. The motto “Striving towards Universal Unity and Understanding,” is the benchmark of this new youth outreach campus-based programme. According to President Calista Arthur, the on campus recruitment drive held in September 2007 resulted in over 120 students signing on to show their interest in becoming a part of the organisation. She added that the UWI-UNA plans a number of activities and programmes, which include public awareness campaigns through the use of seminars and public forums, as well as service and outreach projects to schools, children’s homes and the aged. The Association also has the following objectives: to foster public support for principles of the United Nations Charter, programmes, projects and activities; • to mobilise support from the UWI student population and strive for universal recognition and respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms; to promote unity and understanding among all individuals regardless of gender, race, age, ability, language, religion or political orientation; • to promote Caribbean Development and provide the UWI student body with access to infor mation from the UN System; • and to support achievement and maintenance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in collaboration with other national and regional voluntary MDG 2 - Achieve Universal Primary Education 5 organisations which support projects related to the work of the UNA. UNA at Cave Hill aims to join with UNAs internationally in the framework of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNAyouth). WFUNA - youth http://www.wfunayouth.de/wfunayouth-history_en.html falls under the global umbrella organisation for all UN Youth Associations and UNA Youth Sections/ Programmes. It is the youth section of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. The overarching goal of UWI-UNA is to promote people participation in global and regional development programmes. It is supported by the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and is a civil society outreach initiative of the Governance Programme of the Barbados based Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). • President of the UNA/UWI Calista Arthur ready to distribute information on the association at the recruitment drive Partnerships for Development Launching Two Major Reports World Investment Report - Transnational Corporations, Extractive Industries and Development to reduce carbon emissions through cleaner development mechanisms and an increase in energy efficiency,” he explained. He added that the UNDP was currently implementing a biofuel project for the sub region which would provide knowledge products to inform regional governments. President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dick Stoute also delivered remarks at the launch of the report. He focused on the role of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in SIDS, noting that this type of investment was advantageous for developing nations. “It transfers technology and provides career paths and meaningful occupations for many people. If FDI can get us to the stage where we are exporting as much as we are importing, we would be in a position to get those who buy our products to contribute to our tax base to the same extent that we are contributing to the tax base of our suppliers,” he stated. Minister of Energy and the Environment the Honourable Elizabeth Thompson delivered the feature address at the launch. She touched on the advantages and disadvantages of Transnational Corporations (TNCs) in developing countries, pointing out that there needed to be some measure of equity between the countries and these organisations. Continued on page 10 President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dick Stoute delivering remarks at the launch The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Barbados and the OECS launched the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) World Investment Report (WIR) 2007, on Wednesday, October 24. The report, which focuses on Transnational Corporations, Extractive Industries and Development, was launched at United Nations House in Barbados as part of the annual UN Day celebrations. In delivering an address at the event, Resident Representative (ai) at UNDP Stein Hansen expressed his pleasure that the report was being launched during a time when Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were examining the issue of using their natural resources in a sustainable manner. He however cautioned that a balance must be found between the protection of Caribbean islands’ natural diversity and vulnerability and the work of transnational corporations. Mr. Hansen also noted that while the work of UNDP Barbados and the OECS was not directly linked to extractive industries, oil and gas were high on the office’s agenda in the area of development assistance. “We support member states in their quest for energy security and at the same time their efforts states mber see rgy port m e sup est for ene time “W ame ir qu in the nd at the s ce carbon a u curity forts to red ef their ns…” io emissHansen - Stei n UNDP Subregional Office for Barbados & the OECS 6 Partnerships for Development Launching con’t… Human Development Report 2007/2008 - Fighting climate change: Human Solidarity in a divided world “Climate change demands urgent action now to address a threat to two constituencies with a weak political voice: the world’s poor and future generations. It raises profoundly important questions about social justice, equity and human rights across countries and generations.” - 2007/2008 HDR Increased and intensified hurricane activity, bleached coral, rising sea levels. These are all possible threats to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) if the urgent issue of global warming is not addressed. The 2007/2008 Human Development Report launched in November by the United Nations Development Programme in Barbados and the OECS outlines the seriousness of the threat that global warming poses to SIDS. changes and advances of the last 100 years and the hard struggles of many developing countries in the face of globalization and competitiveness...In the last two years however we have witnessed the evidence of climate change in graphic and harsh ways. The impacts include extreme events including hurricanes and typhoons, unseasonal weather, droughts, pollution of water sources, loss of livelihood and lives. SIDS are particularly vulnerable,” she said. The Resident Coordinator also expressed her pleasure that all seven of the independent countries served by the UN System for Barbados and the OECS were at within the top 100 of 177 countries in the Human Development Index. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Mia Mottley spoke on behalf of the Government of Barbados. She expressed pleasure that Barbados A section of the audience paying rapt attention at the launch of ranked 31 on the HuThe report cautions man Development Inthe 2007/2008 HDR that climate change dex which made it numwas deepening the ber 1 in the developing world. She noted that this was divide between the rich and the poor across Latin a credit to the country and a considerable improveAmerica and the Caribbean, threatening to halt and ment on last year when the island ranked fifth. She then reverse advances in health and education for the pledged Government’s commitment to ensuring that most vulnerable. the country maintained its high ranking. Speaking at the launch, which was held at United Nations House, Resident Coordinator of the UN System in the OECS sub-region and Resident Representative of UNDP Dr. Rosina Wiltshire called for urgent action to reverse impending global warming challenges. “Global Climate Change is a major Development challenge which can reverse or repeal the significant Barbadian Nobel Laureate Dr. Leonard Nurse, who won the distinction for his work on climate change matters was a Respondent at the launch. He addressed questions members in the audience had regarding global warming. Launching continued on page 10. MDG 3 - Promote gender equality and empowerment of women 7 Partnerships for Development Support to Poverty Assessment and Reduction in the Caribbean - SPARC Contribution by Amory Hamilton-Henry SPARC, the Support to Poverty Assessment and Reduction in the Caribbean programme, is a multi-donor initiative designed to deliver a comprehensive package of support to CARICOM countries. Specifically, it is focused on strengthening regional and national capacities to systematically collect, analyse and disseminate social data. The programme was developed to address the continuing region-wide and historically systemic challenges in social data collection and respond to the increasing needs for effective poverty and MDG monitoring. It is intended to support the building of statistical, analytical and research capabilities towards the achievement of economic, human and social development. SPARC comprises five components which include activities aimed at building National Capacity for Poverty Assessment and the activating of a regionally coordinated approach to Statistical Harmonisation in support of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy in the area of Social Statistics. The CARICOM Secretariat is the Executing Agency of SPARC while the UNDP is the Fund Manager of the pooled donor resources and also constitutes the Secretariat of the Steering Committee. Stein Hansen Deputy Resident Representative -UNDP/ SRO Barbados & the OECS, Franzia Edwards - Manager Resource Mobilisation, CARICOM Secretariat, Amory Hamilton-Henry SPARC Programme Coordinator This was also endorsed by Franzia Edwards, Manager Resource Mobilisation with the CARICOM Secretariat, who also highlighted the need for the development of modalities for operation and specific guidelines for monitoring and evaluation. Newly elected chairperson, Glen Avilez of the Statistical Institute of Belize, urged members to continue to work towards the achievement of the SPARC mandate. The Meeting focused on the ratification of a Terms of Reference for the PSC as well as the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) as a subcommittee of the PSC. Ratification of the SPARC Regional and Bi-lateral work plans into 2008. The Group decided that in order to ensure effective representation of the issues within the region, membership on the PSC should be extended to include one additional country to be taken from the British Overseas territories. Similarly country l representation on the TAG was increased from one to two. The Meeting was also updated on progress within the Regional SPARC Project managed by SPARC Coordinator Amory Hamilton-Henry and the Bi-lateral Programme between the InterAmerican development Bank (IDB) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) by McDonald Thomas. UNDP Sub-regional Office for Barbados & the OECS 8 First Programme Steering Committee Meeting Convened The inaugural meeting of the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) for the Support to Poverty Assessment and Reduction in the Caribbean (SPARC) Project was convened on Thursday, October 18, 2007. The Meeting which was held at UN House in Barbados had representation from regional organisations, donors, United Nations organisations as well as Member States. Speaking at the Opening Session, Stein Hansen, Deputy Resident Representative (UNDP) urged the PSC to focus on the need for the identification of clear modalities for providing support to countries; the clarification of roles and responsibilities; identification of priority activities and clear strategies for resource mobilization. Partnerships for Development News from the Region... Community Resource Internet Centres (CoRICS) Initiative: Information and Communication Technology to Eradicate Poverty in Rural Communities Contribution by Keisuke Taketani Graduates of a CoRICS training course in Dominica proudly displaying their certificates The Windward Island countries have begun to see the benefits from the Community Resource Internet Centers (CoRICs) Initiative. The four islands making up this group – the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia have all initiated CoRICs in poor rural communities as part of poverty reduction and community empowerment efforts. Dominica was the first country in which the CoRICS was launched and it remains well advanced in its efforts. The initiative was launched formally in 2005 and is resident in three rural communities – Good Hope, Petite Soufriere and Paix Bouche. The CoRICs seek through training, community empowerment and the provision of access to knowledge to: • Create a lager pool of computer literate citizens and the provision of greater oppor- • • Promote partnerships and participation in communities Expand community training and self-knowledge for setting up small businesses and encouraging youth entrepreneurship through availability of computers Broaden civil participation on social issues that affect the country through community Internet Access. • tunities for equal access to employment particularly for unemployed youth. MDG 4 - Reduce child mortality 9 The CoRICs is a partnership between the Government of Dominica, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Barbados and the OECS, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Government of France and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat. It responds to poverty reduction in many ways but mainly through the enhancement of skills and opportunities and will eventually be linked to economic sectors such as Partnerships for Development News from the Region cont’d agriculture and to development issues such as HIV/ AIDS and Disaster Management. In 2007 the CoRICs programme in Dominica progressed significantly. In February, UNDP and Cable and Wireless Dominica developed a partnership to provide High Speed Internet Connection in three CoRICs communities. Before this establishment, there were no Internet Cafés in communities and villagers had to travel many miles to access the Internet which was located only in two major towns. Now primary and secondary school students can search Google for their homework, health care workers can update their skills through an online courses, and school teachers have more resources from which to prepare school materials. Later that year in June, CoRICs coordinators with support from Graduate students at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, conducted a training workshop in Community Disaster Management. This was the first time CoRICS had facilitated training in this area. It developed the capacity of participants in the creation of local hazard maps through the use on online satellite images. It is anticipated that 2008 will be an even more exciting year for CoRICs. Special attention will be paid to at-risk-youth, who will be provided with various levels of computer training and job readiness. This training will be followed by some form of internship. Students will also be provided with social skills training including HIV/AIDS prevention workshops. Youth graduating from CoRICs are expected to have basic and advanced computer skills which will assist them in gaining equal access to job opportunities. For further information, please view the CoRICs website http://www.bb.undp.org/corics, contact UNDP Programme Manager – Poverty Reduction/ HIV-AIDS focal point Leisa Perch leisa.perch@undp.org or UNV CoRICs coordinator Keisuke Taketani keisuke.taketani@undp.org. Launch of WIR cont’d Ms. Thompson explained that that in the case of Barbados, Government had put a number of measures in place to ensure that TNC’s did not have unfair advantages when engaging in business with the country. “Barbados reserves the right to craft an industry that is uniquely Barbadian, setting the qualification criteria, terms and conditions under which we want to operate and with which companies,” she said. The Minister also noted that Government had also begun to put measures in place to carefully regulate and monitor any TNC coming into the country. “Barbados has already enacted a new Offshore Petroleum Act to govern and regulate the industry and which adopts carrot and stick approaches to the regulatory process and the protection of the environment, Ms. Thompson. Launch of HDR con’t Ranking of UNDP Programming Countries in the HDR: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Barbados - 31 St. Kitts & Nevis - 54 Antigua & Barbuda - 57 Dominica - 71 St. Lucia - 72 Grenada - 82 St. Vincent & the Grenadines - 93 UNDP Sub-regional Office for Barbados & the OECS 10 Partnerships for Development Eradication of Poverty in the Region October 17, 2007 was celebrated worldwide as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP). In commemoration of this event the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) held a number of activities to advocate for the eradication of poverty in the region. These activities included the submission of several articles on varying aspects of poverty in the region. Please see below an article submitted by Koen Rossel-Cambier, Social Policy Consultant with UNICEF. Towards a Rights Based Approach to Poverty Reduction in the Eastern Caribbean Income poverty in the Eastern Caribbean is about young people The eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the first goal of the MDGs, has become the common denominator for all development interventions. Still, in reality there is no standard approach to defining and measuring poverty. Poverty can be understood as the situation of people’s income, but could also relate to the lack of access to social services or political rights (UNICEF/UN ECLAC, 2005). The most widely cited approach to poverty is the income approach, where incomes or expenditures are the main sources and the lack of a minimum level of resources necessary to obtain these can be defined as poverty. Child and youth poverty lays at the heart of social exclusion in the Eastern Caribbean. In all the countries in the chart below, more than half of the poor are children or youth. The highest incidence of child and youth poverty was recorded in St.Kitts and Nevis, where close to two out of three persons identified as poor were less than 24 years old (own compilation of CPA statistics, CDB 2000). Ant igua + B. 5 5 ,170 6 52 0 50 4 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 Virgin Islands Dominica 55 5 3 ,7 5 6 ,8 T urks and Caicos Grenada 6 6 ,3 St .Lucia 5 9 ,5 St .Kitt s+Nevis % o f 0-24 o ld a s % o f to ta l po o r Chart : Child and youth poverty in selected countries the Eastern Caribbean (Compilation of various datasets from draft and final Country Poverty Assessments between 1997 and 2006) MDG 5 - Improve maternal health 11 Partnerships for Development viation as a human rights issue can strategies and/or National Development Plans which have become the basis of policy dialogue between development partners and government. Still, there is a need for more holistic human development approaches linked to human rights. Most countries have been unable to set an economic agenda that eliminates poverty at the rate foreseen by the MDGs in the context of an existing or increasing level of inequalities. The rights and special needs of poor people, and especially children, are often placed below other priorities, leading to lost opportunities in terms of both human and economic development. A human rights based approach to poverty programming can further the realisation of human rights principles which guide programming in all sectors at all phases of the programme process. For this reason, programming should focus on developing the capacities of “duty-bearers”, at all levels, to meet their obligations to respect, protect and fulfill rights; as well as on developing the capacities of “rights-holders” (in particular children) to claim their rights. In poverty planning and programming, one must be mindful of the articles of human rights treaties and their key principles of universality, indivisibility and interdependence of rights, accountability and participation. In particular “accountability” is a human rights principle with strong programme implications. States acknowledge and accept obligations when they ratify human rights treaties. Ratification requires States to align their domestic laws with treaty provisions and to ensure that steps are taken to make government at national and subnational levels respond in ways consistent with the letter and A human rights approach to poverty Human rights can be defined as the rights possessed by all persons, by virtue of their common humanity, to live a life of freedom and dignity (UNDP, 2000). A human rights approach to poverty may define poverty as the absence or inadequate realization of certain basic freedoms (Sen, 2000). Respect for human rights is essential for the dignity of the individual and poverty threatens this dignity. Based in the work of Sen (2000), there are two conditions to be met for the non-fulfillment of human rights to be equated with poverty. First, the rights concerned must relate to capabilities considered essential to human dignity by the society at hand. Second, the lack of economic resources must have a bearing on the non-fulfillment of rights. Various human rights instruments refer to poverty alleviation of which the most known is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in Article 25 (1): “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate to the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of un employment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” Similar statements of poverty alle- be found in the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights 1966/1976 (Articles 9,11) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC,1989 Articles 26 and 27) UNICEF (2005), the UN organization mandated to monitor the rights of children, defines for this reason child poverty in human rights language which is wider than income poverty: “Children living in poverty experience deprivation of the material, spiritual, and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society.” The high levels of reported cases of child abuse, teenage pregnancies, HIV prevalence, youth unemployment, school-based and domestic violence, drug abuse and drop-outs (Blank, 2006) suggest that, next to the above-mentioned income poverty, many children and young people are exposed to other forms of poverty in the Eastern Caribbean. The need to extend Human Rights Based Programming to poverty reduction plans in the Eastern Caribbean The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) mark an international commitment to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Many countries routinely prepare poverty reduction UNDP Sub-regional Office for Barbados & the OECS 12 intent of the law. Unfortunately, in the Eastern Caribbean, national Partnerships for Development legislation is poorly harmonized with the CRC (Blank, 2006) and needs urgent reform. Also the reporting process on international treaties such as CEDAW and CRC is not timely or respected by the majority of the countries, which doesn’t allow monitoring of the states’ accountability. In the Eastern Caribbean, the poor –and in particular young- people should be empowered and given voice to demand more accountability. There is a need for a bold Human Rights Based Approach to participation in poverty reduction planning. CRC Observations on State Reports have explicitly mentioned the various unmet rights and young people should be strengthened to claim these against those with an obligation to act. IDEP Celebrations also included a concert / panel discussion which saw UN Peace Ambassador Aja above performing a number of “conscious” songs with his band. Panelists (left to right) Denise Tannis, Office for the Eradication of Poverty and Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; Professor Christine Barrow, Professorial Fellow in Social Anthropology at UWI Cave Hill; Leisa Perch, Poverty Programme Manager with UNDP and moderator Rodney Grant a community worker discussing various issues related to the eradication of poverty on the Caribbean. MDG 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 13 Partnerships for Development Farewell to three staff Members UNDP Barbados and the OECS wished three colleagues bon voyage over the past six months. First to leave the UNDP family was Carrie Taylor, former Governance Programme Officer, who left in July to assume a new position in Rwanda as the Programme Manager for Governance. She is managing a Carrie Taylor USD $10 million DFIDUNDP project entitled Programme Support of Good Governance. Following her was Janis Estwick, Human Resources/Administrative Associate who retired after 27 years of dedicated service to the organisation. Janis began her career with UNDP as Secretary/ Stenographer in the Administrative Section. She went on to become a Senior Secretary in that department before being promoted to Administrative Assistant in 1997. Janis was further promoted to Senior Administartive Assistant in 2000, a post which was later renamed Human Resources/Administrative Associate. Charissa Cheong-Seward the Global Environment Fund (GEF)/ Small Grants Programme (SGP) Assistant was the last to say goodbye to UNDP. She left the Organisation in November and has relocated to North America with her family. UNDP Resident Coordinator Rosina Wiltshire (right) presenting Janis (left) with a token of appreciation from staff. UNDP Family Welcomes New Staff Members UNDP welcomed Tracey Phillips to the family in November 2007 when she joined the Global Environment Fund (GEF) / Small Grants Programme (SGP) as the Programme Assistant. Tracey Phillips Tracey is no stranger to the GEF/SGP as she had previously interned with the GEF/SGP for six months. She is trained in natural sciences. Danielle Burnham is also a new face among staff members at UNDP. She joined the organisation in December 2007 as Project CoDanielle Burnham ordinator for the Bioenergies in the Caribbean: Supporting Policy Dialogue on Sustained Energy project. Danielle is also a former intern at UNDP. UNDP Sub-regional office for Barbados & the OECS 14 Charissa CheongSeward Partnerships for Development Take a Break and Test Your Knowledge on UNDP and the UN Fun Page MDG 7 - Ensure Environmental Stability 15