Jamaica’s resilience in dealing with multiple shocks over the past 50 years, including natural disasters, and more recently climate change, is being hailed as a “remarkable achievement” by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Jamaica Kishan Khoday.

He acknowledged the achievement last Friday during an interview with the Jamaica Observer in which he addressed the agency’s collaboration with Jamaica over the past five decades and spoke to the UNDP’s series of events to mark its 50-year presence on the island.

That milestone is being observed today as the UNDP officially started operations in Jamaica on January 26, 1976.

“I think Jamaica has been quite resilient, very resilient; if we look at the multiple crises that Jamaica has had to face like other SIDS (small island developing states) over that period, and also making that progress to becoming an upper middle income economy…” he said.

Noting that Jamaica has had to address new challenges, such as climate change and the evolving development landscape, the UN representative said, “Even the concept of development and the concept of poverty has changed over those years; also the opportunities.”

“I think that Jamaica has done quite an amazing job in embracing some of the opportunities that arose decade by decade during different eras over those 50 years, and actually has been resilient to many challenges. I think it’s a bright future ahead despite the many challenges that, of course, continue to be the focus of our cooperation,” he said.

Despite the optimism, Khoday told the Observer that there was still need for institutional capacity building. He pointed out that the UNDP has, over time, helped Jamaica establish key institutions such as the National Conservation Trust and the National Climate Change Office while building the capacity of civil society organisations.

He said that in order to adapt to the constantly changing global demands, local institutions must “stay apace and build new capacity”.

“That remains the core focus for us in addition to addressing the key issue of climate change,” he said.

Khoday was appointed UNDP resident representative in Jamaica in January 2024 and has three years left on his assignment. He leads the Multi-Country Office, which covers Jamaica, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

His focus is on green growth, climate resilience, and sustainable development initiatives.

As the senior-most UNDP official in Jamaica, he’s responsible for leading the organisation’s support for national development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UNDP currently has a programme of approximately US$80 million worth of projects for the countries that it supports from its Kingston headquarters.

The theme for this year’s commemoration is ‘A Legacy of Resilience, 50 Years and Counting’.

According to the UNDP, its calendar of activities to mark the occasion has been “carefully planned to highlight its solidarity and impactful partnerships on Jamaica’s development agenda”. They include the W Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture to be addressed by Khoday on Monday; launch of
Access to Justice app on World Social Justice Day on February 20; World Biodiversity Day stakeholders and media field tour; a public forum and dialogue on resilient recovery; world première of UNDP MCO’s 50th anniversary commemorative video and song; and an outreach anniversary event in The Bahamas which commemorates 52 years of partnership with the UNDP on July 12. Other events are being planned and will be added.

The events will also highlight the agency’s “resilient recovery support for Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa”.

The UNDP officially started operations in Jamaica on January 26, 1976.