BVI Recovery and Development Cooperation Specialist Patlian Johnson, left, speaks at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s 17th meeting of the Regional Council for Planning in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo: Provided

Latin American and Caribbean countries have recognised the importance of the coherence of public policies for strengthening the processes and instruments of planning for development and public administration, with a view to implementing the 2030 Agenda in the region, during the closing session of the XVII Meeting of the Regional Council for Planning (RCP), which was held in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo: UN

According to a release, Ms Patlian Johnson, Recovery and Development Cooperation Specialist in the Premier’s Office, attended the meeting on behalf of the territory where the focus was on public sector planning in the context of the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Meeting UN’s SDGs

“Ms Johnson presented to the Regional Council on a panel themed, ‘Planning for Resilience in Caribbean Countries,’ in which she discussed the recovery and long-term development of the BVI and balancing development across the islands that makeup the territory,” the release noted.

Among other things, she shared the steps the VI Government are taking to improve access to public services across the islands in sectors such as healthcare while ensuring access to the islands and between them by air and sea.

She also emphasised the importance of the private sector in the provision of commercial services such as banking beyond the main island of Tortola.

The VI’s National Physical Development Plan (NPDP), Draft BVI Green Energy Plan and Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund were highlighted as examples of planning and a mechanism established by the Government to build greater resilience in the territory.

Progress and Challenges

Commenting on the visit, Ms Johnson said, “the meetings were an important opportunity to share with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean the BVI’s progress and challenges in achieving sustainable development as we recover from the 2017 hurricanes and floods”

While in Uruguay, Ms Johnson also attended the 16^th Conference of Ministers and Heads of Planning of Latin America and the Caribbean which took place a day earlier on  August 28, 2019, on the theme, ‘Planning for Sustainable Territorial Development in Latin America and the Caribbean'.