KINGSTOWN, St Vincent – The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in collaboration with the United Nations convened a high-level development partners roundtable this week to advance a shared national agenda of recovery, transformation and long-term resilience.
Prime Minister Godwin Friday, joined senior government officials and representatives of various ministries, UN leadership, including Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Springett, as well as other key development partners for the two-day forum held under the theme ‘From Recovery to Transformation and Resilience.’ The engagement, held June 9–10 at the National Insurance Services Conference Room, aimed to foster a more integrated, forward‑looking approach to national development—advancing climate‑resilient growth, strengthening human capital, and reinforcing institutional systems.
Designed to strengthen coordination, align priorities, and mobilise support for the country’s medium‑term vision, the initiative comes at a critical juncture, as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is still recovering from the combined impacts of COVID‑19, the La Soufrière volcanic eruptions, and hurricane Beryl, while advancing a forward‑looking agenda centered on resilience, inclusive growth, and macroeconomic stability.
Strong call for partnership and action
Addressing the opening ceremony, Springett praised the country’s resilience in the face of multiple shocks, while calling for deeper alignment, greater coherence, and reduced fragmentation among development and national partners to ensure that their collective efforts delivered an impact greater than the sum of their parts.
“Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has navigated an extraordinary series of challenges—the volcanic eruptions, the pandemic, and most recently hurricane Beryl. Through each of these, the government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have demonstrated remarkable determination and leadership. That resilience is something we deeply respect and are honoured to support,” said Springett.
To foster systems that are more resilient, inclusive, and future‑ready, the UN head outlined three areas for deeper collaboration: resilience—advancing a multi‑risk approach that considers climate, economic, and social vulnerabilities together; financing—deploying resources more effectively through blended finance, catalytic investments, and stronger alignment with national priorities; and coherence—working more deliberately with the gGovernment to identify overlaps and gaps, and building joint approaches where they add real value. Springett also acknowledged and supported the government’s focus on tackling crime, violence, and insecurity as a core part of the wider development agenda.
“These issues are not separate from the goals we share—they are central to them. And a [violence] prevention-focused approach, particularly for young people, is one where we believe collaboration can make a real difference.”
In an impassioned address to the opening ceremony, prime minister Friday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to a resilient and inclusive development pathway, stating that “our strategy is robust, our institutional willpower is absolute, and our vision for a self‑reliant, nature‑positive Vincentian society is clear.” He told the diverse stakeholders in attendance that the roundtable’s theme was not an abstract concept but reflected the country’s daily reality.
“Over the past six years, our micro‑island state has been battered by a relentless sequence of external shocks: a global pandemic, two severe natural disasters—including the intense rebuilding cycle following hurricane Beryl—and now the inflationary fallout of the ongoing war in the Middle East.”
Indicating that these shocks had left lasting scars on his country’s fiscal framework, the prime minister noted that in 2025, to protect citizens and rebuild, the government significantly expanded public investment, pushing public debt to 113 percent of GDP. Current geopolitical pressures, including elevated oil prices, he added, are expected to temporarily raise headline inflation to 2.9 percent and weigh on near‑term growth.
“We refuse to be defined by our vulnerabilities. Our response cannot simply be a matter of surviving from one fiscal year to the next; it must be about structurally altering our economic foundations,” Friday asserted.
Making it clear that ” the Caribbean cannot do it alone, since a single storm could wipe out a decade of progress,” prime minister Friday asserted that building medium‑term resilience, requires action in three transformative areas: accelerating the green energy transition, bridging the skills gap—particularly for youth and women—and upholding strong macro‑fiscal discipline.
Deeming the forum “a real opportunity for us to be seen and heard,” the prime minister said the government intends to make full use of it. While day one centered on dialogue, he noted that on day two participants will undertake site visits to observe priority resilience projects across mainland St Vincent, which are not just project components but “the lifelines of our communities.”
“We are moving decisively beyond recovery toward a model of development that is resilient, inclusive and sustainable. This roundtable provides an essential platform to align our national priorities with the support of our partners, address financing gaps, and ensure that investments translate into improved livelihoods, stronger institutions and greater opportunities for all Vincentians,” the prime minister said.
Advancing a shared development vision
Discussions throughout the roundtable are focused on the government’s medium-term development priorities for 2026–2030, including key reforms, flagship programmes and investment areas, particularly those supporting post-Hurricane Beryl recovery and climate resilience. Participants are also examining the evolving development cooperation landscape, with a view to improving alignment with national priorities, identifying financing gaps, and enhancing coordination, data-sharing and accountability across all partners.
Key thematic discussions will zero in on critical areas for sustainable development, including strengthening productive sectors, building resilience to climate and economic shocks, and advancing youth-centred, gender-responsive and community-based approaches to development. Emphasis is also being placed on integrating citizen security and social cohesion into national development planning, including support for violence prevention, justice reform and opportunities for young people as key enablers of inclusive growth and resilience.
From dialogue to results
The roundtable is expected to deliver concrete outcomes, including a shared understanding of development progress since 2021, clearer articulation of national priorities and financing needs, and stronger alignment of development partner support with the Sustainable Development Goals and national resilience objectives. It will also identify opportunities for joint programming and innovative financing, while reinforcing mechanisms for coordination, mutual accountability and sustained collaboration among all stakeholders.
This partnership initiative underscores a renewed and collective commitment to advancing a resilient, inclusive and sustainable future for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines—ensuring that no one is left behind as the country transitions from recovery to transformation.
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