Caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith delivers Jamaica Voluntary National Report (VNR) at the United Nations during the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held on Friday, July 15.
Jamaica is to update the international community on the progress the country has made in implementing the 2030 Agenda, and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) amidst the country’s grappling with the socio-economic challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and other global issues.
This presentation, the Voluntary National Review (VNR), will be made at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations on Friday, July 15 at 8:00 am Jamaica time.
The Foreign Minister shared that, “Jamaica is pleased to joined 45 other countries in presenting its VNR. This is our second VNR since 2018 and I am delighted to represent Jamaica and to share this responsibility of co-presenting the country’s report with our Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ, Dr. Wayne Henry. Jamaica looks forward to this engagement as it facilitates the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”
Johnson Smith added, “As the theme for the event is “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, Jamaica’s presentation will reflect continued commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2030 Jamaica – National Development Plan (NDP). Our messaging will focus on key thematic areas including people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships.”
Director General of the PIOJ noted that………………..
Leading up to the Sustainable Development Forum, Minister Johnson Smith is also expected to participate in several other events, including a Virtual Side Event on Financing for Development: Catastrophe Bonds on Wednesday, July 13 and a Ministerial Round Table entitled “Accelerating achievement of the SDGS by 2030: Addressing on-going crises and overcoming challenges” on Thursday, July 14.
In the margins of the HLPF, the Minister will also hold bilateral discussions with the Prime Minister of St Maarten, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, Minister of External Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica as well as the Special representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The HLPF is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. The meeting of the HLPF is being held from July 5-15, with a three-day Ministerial Segment from July 13-15.
