The UN Resident Coordinator Office
On the instruction of the United Nations General Assembly, the Secretary-General appointed a High-Level Panel to conduct an exploratory review. In its November 2006 report, the Panel recommended that the UN system should “Deliver as One” (DaO) at country level, with One Leader, One Programme, One Budget and, where appropriate, One Office.
In the DaO tradition, the work of the UN Country Team is coordinated by the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
The UN Resident Coordinator ad interim in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Bermuda, The Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands
Mr. Vincent Sweeney is the UN Resident Coordinator ad interim.
Vincent Sweeney is the Head of the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office for the United Nations Environment Programme, since 2016. He holds both a Bachelor's Degree and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. He was admitted to the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (APENS) as a full Member in 1989.
He has served in Nairobi, Kenya for 4 years as the Coordinator of the Global Progamme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (or GPA), located within UNEP's headquarters. He also served for 5 years as Regional Project Coordinator for the GEF-funded IWCAM project on Integrating Watershed & Coastal Area Management in 13 Caribbean SIDS.
Prior to joining the UN, he served for 10 years as Executive Director of the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute and has worked with water utilities in the Caribbean and in private consulting firms.
The Resident Coordinator’s Office
The United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) supports the work of the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC/RC). The UN RCO leads the UN Country Team (UNCT) in consultations with the Government to define and agree on the UN strategic response to the Government’s development priorities. This response is captured in the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
Amid new UN reforms, the previous joint post of UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative (RR) were formally separated into two distinct posts, making way for a brand new, independent, impartial and empowered UN RC post.
The Office coordinates activities related to common programming including Agenda 2030, joint programmes, joint programming activities and development coordination work. This is done in conformity with the objectives and priorities of the Government, and the mandates and objectives of the United Nations agencies.
The collective known as the UNCT, has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to harness its collective synergy to deliver better results at reduced cost. The RCO aims to bring the UNCT together to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities at the country level. Coordinating development operations promotes more strategic support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more efficient and reduces transaction costs for governments. This helps the UN to be a more relevant and reliable partner for governments.
The twenty-three United Nations agencies working in Jamaica have combined technical expertise and financial resources to support the UNCT. Their joint mission: Delivering Results Together.
The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator is supported by development coordinators and other critical staff /associates.
- Morgan Murray, Strategic Planner & Team Lead
- Aneesah Abdullah, Country Coordination Officer, The Bahamas
- Stuart Davies, Senior Economist
- Deborah Lee Hall, Executive Associate
- Jomain McKenzie, Programme Communications & Advocacy Officer
- Maxsalia Salmon, Partnerships & Development Finance Officer
- Shelly Trim, Data Management & Results Monitoring/Reporting Officer
- Ciara Patterson, United Nations Junior Professional Officer (UNV)
- Mickel James, Driver
