Belize is the first country to sign the UN Multi-national Sustainable Development Framework, a common strategy for all UN organizations in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean to address common sustainability challenges.
The MSDF aims to support the achievement of the SDGs, also taking into account the Samoa Pathway and other international and regional commitments.
10 December 2017: Belize has signed a common UN strategy for sustainable development in the Caribbean, becoming the first country to do so. The UN Multi-national Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF) represents a coherent strategy of all UN organizations in the English- and Dutch- speaking Caribbean to address common sustainability challenges. It covers the period from January 2017 to December 2021.
The MSDF replaces six country-level UN Development Frameworks, for: Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); Belize; Guyana; Jamaica; Suriname; and Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean MSDF aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking into account international and regional commitments, such as the Samoa Pathway. It also seeks to promote the international human rights that have been ratified in the region.
The MSDF was developed in 2015 after a series of consultations with governments and stakeholders. A regional steering committee of five UN Resident Coordinators piloted the process, and the Framework was published in June 2016. [UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework in the Caribbean] [UN Caribbean Webpage for MSDF]