Background 

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) subregional headquarters for the Caribbean is currently implementing a Development Account (DA) project titled “Strengthened capacity to design and implement policies to enhance resilience in Caribbean SIDS” under the 16th tranche of the Development Account. The objective of this DA16 project is to strengthen national capacities of Caribbean countries to design and implement policies and strategies for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building resilient economies. Six Caribbean countries, namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Suriname are benefitting from the project, which is expected to enhance the technical skills of decision-makers of these countries in the development of policies and projects to promote sustainable development and build resilience to shocks, while strengthening national institutional capacity to facilitate greater synergy in the implementation of the SDGs and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS). 

The midterm review of progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a sobering account of the slow pace of achievement of the SDGs. The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts have negatively affected progress on SDG targets related to poverty, hunger, and climate action, while earlier gains recorded in promoting health and wellbeing, advancing quality education, and reducing inequalities are seriously threatened, if not reversed. More recently, the higher tariff regime being pursued by the new United States administration is disrupting global financial markets and has introduced new uncertainties for global trade that could constitute barriers to trade in goods and services for Caribbean SIDS. These events have severe implications for foreign exchange reserves of nations. Furthermore, global crises and their impacts exacerbate the subregion’s existing vulnerabilities, which include susceptibility to the impacts of climate change, exposure to natural hazards and disasters, increasingly unsustainable public debt, and limited technical and institutional capacity to effectively manage development challenges.

Considering the global environment in which Caribbean SIDS operate, and noting that the timeline for the 2030 Agenda is now just four years away, there is an urgency to accelerate action in implementing the SDGs. This will require strengthening national and subnational capacity, accountability, and public institutions to deliver accelerated progress towards achieving the SDGs. In its call to action for the transformation required to fully achieve the global Goals and their targets in the remaining years of the 2030 Agenda, the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 underscores the need for capacity building at individual, institutional and network levels. Capacity development is also prominently emphasized across thematic areas in ABAS, the Outcome Document of the Fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4). 

Due to the human capital limitations that Caribbean countries face, there have been notable national planning and implementation gaps hindering sustainable development and resilience building. These gaps are reflected in the weak alignment of national development goals and sectoral policies, weak evidence base for development targets, and weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks for monitoring the achievement of national development goals. As such, capacity strengthening at institutional and individual levels is crucial for resilience building in the Caribbean. Of particular importance is the consistency with which Caribbean countries acknowledge their need for capacity strengthening in their Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports presented to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Therefore, this DA16 project is designed to respond to the institutional capacity needs of Caribbean member States, including capacity strengthening in evidence-based decision-making. 

Notwithstanding these challenges, there is valuable institutional experience within the Caribbean that can support knowledge-sharing and peer learning among countries in the subregion. For example, Jamaica has steadily implemented a long-term national development plan – the Vision 2030 Jamaica – since 2006, enabled by its long-standing history and capacity in national development planning through the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Similarly, Jamaica is a regional example in the consistent production and dissemination of official statistics through the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). Furthermore, environmental stewardship has been championed in Jamaica through the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). These statutory agencies of the Government of Jamaica offer a wealth of knowledge and experience that can benefit other Caribbean SIDS through peer learning. 

To this end, and in collaboration with national governments and United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Offices in target countries, ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean conducted national training courses on project proposal preparation and effective project implementation, and national capacity building workshops on statistical analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and strategic policy planning for technical officers and senior government officials during 2025 and 2026. Building on the knowledge imparted during these workshops, and in furtherance of Output 2.3 (OP2.3) of the DA16 project, which includes the conduct of an intraregional study tour for officials of target countries to Jamaica to gain from the institutional experience of the PIOJ, STATIN, and NEPA as means to advance South-South cooperation through peer learning in institutional mechanisms for sustainable development, ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean, in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Jamaica, is organizing this intraregional study tour to Jamaica during 14–16 October 2026.