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Saint Lucia
Voluntary National Review 2019

Saint Lucia: Toward Sustainable Development

In 2015, along with the rest of the Global Community Saint Lucia made a commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As a small island developing state, with significant vulnerabilities to external economic shocks, the impacts of natural disasters and effects of climate change, Saint Lucia recognizes fully that sustainable development with a focus on people, planet, prosperity, partnerships and peace has to be at the core of our national plans and programmes, in order to meet the needs of present and future generations.

In early 2017 the Government of Saint Lucia established its National Coordination Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda which comprises a SDG-Cabinet Sub-Committee of Ministers (CSC) who provide policy guidance to the Sustainable Development Goals National Coordinating Committee (SDGNCC) - the governing committee tasked to guide the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs in Saint Lucia. The SDGNCC is a multi-sectoral committee co-chaired by the Ministries responsible for Sustainable Development and Economic Development.

Understanding the need for all actors across society to contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda, the inter-Ministerial SDGNCC is also comprised of representatives from the private sector, Academia, Youth, Civil Society and Non-Government Organizations. The Committee’s mandate provides for mandatory engagement with Faith-Based and Community-based organizations, as well as Persons with Disabilities, women’s groups and the wider public to ensure that no one is left behind.

In April 2018, the Government of Saint Lucia embarked on an inclusive and strategic process to develop the country’s Medium-Term Development Strategy (MTDS) 2019-2022. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet produced outputs which formed the basis of the work programme of consultative economic and social Labs. The Labs, which functioned as idea incubators, facilitated interactive discussions between participants from 134 organizations representing the full spectrum of relevant stakeholders, and was conducted over the course of a month. They engaged in an iterative process of issue prioritization and the development of solutions based and actionable implementation programmes, with associated goals and targets around six Key Results Areas (KRAs).

The KRAs are to be integrated into the MTDS as national priorities and include three Economic areas - tourism, agriculture and infrastructure, and three Social - healthcare, education and citizen security. Saint Lucia’s overarching environmental priority remains addressing the adverse effects of climate change, which impacts every area of our sustainable development.

Concurrent to the development of the MTDS, Saint Lucia continues to undertake a number of initiatives, projects and programmes that align with the implementation of the SDGs.  These initiatives and programmes are not yet structured within the SDG framework, but they contribute toward the attainment of SDG targets.  For example, Saint Lucia has made meaningful strides in the implementation of SDGs 3 and 4 on health and education, with significant progress occurring in advance of the 2015 adoption of the 2030 Agenda.

Saint Lucia’s National Coordination Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda continues to strengthen policy coherence and policy integration at the national level, including through recent collaboration and assistance from the United Nations Development System (UNDS); however fundamental challenges that limit effective implementation, monitoring and review of the SDGs persist.

As Saint Lucia works to chart a path to sustainable and inclusive development, the financial means by which the Government is to implement its national priorities remains a persistent challenge, with the difficult task of identifying appropriate mechanisms and strategies for financing the SDGs. Human, technological, and institutional capacity constraints also contribute to a particular set of challenges that retard Saint Lucia’s effective implementation of the SDGs.

While plans are underway to expand the scope of Saint Lucia’s 2020 Population Census to incorporate a SDG focused approach, there is still a critical need to strengthen the national statistical system, in order to adequately track and measure progress at the national level.

Saint Lucia’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) will highlight the progress that the country continues to make and the challenges faced in implementing the goals under review at the 2019 HLPF in addition to those goals that align to our Medium Term Development Strategy.

Focal point
Caroline Eugene
Sustainable Development and Environment Officer III
Ministry of Physical development and the Environment
Documents & Reports

National Reports
Report Topics covered Process
National Report - Saint Lucia Rio+20;

Partnerships & Commitments
The below is a listing of all partnership initiatives and voluntary commitments where Saint Lucia is listed as a partner in the Partnerships for SDGs online platform.
Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI)

The Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) is an historic conservation initiative that brings together for the first time governments, companies and partners to accelerate action on conservation in the Caribbean. Together, the 9 participating countries and territories have committed to conserve at least 20% of nearshore and coastal environments in marine protected areas by 2020 with the help of private and public sector partners. The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund has been established to support achievement of the CCI commitments by 2020.

Partners
8 island nations — Bahamas; Dominican Republic; Jamaica; Saint Vincent and Grenadines; Saint Lucia; Grenada; Antigua and Barbuda; Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sponsored by Private sectors and country governments.
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Caribbean Energy Efficiency Lighting Project

The Caribbean Energy Efficiency Lighting Project (CEELP) sought to catalyze the transition to low carbon economies and sustainable energy sectors through the provision of energy efficient lighting to communities in the Eastern Caribbean. The project assisted countries in removing the policy, capacity and investment barriers to energy efficient lighting. The project goals were aligned with the SIDS DOCK objective to increase energy efficiency by at least 25%, and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) objective of doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency. The private sector was en...[more]

Partners
United Nations Development Programme, Government of all participating countries (Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Commonwealth of Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis), Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Global Environmental Facility Trust Fund, Government of Denmark, OECS Commission, UWI, Caribbean Science Foundation, Balkan Light, CROSQ, Light Naturally Consulting, CARICOM Ene...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Fisheries Conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region through FAO's Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC)

The general objective of the Commission is to promote the effective conservation, management and development of the living marine resources of the area of competence of the Commission, in accordance with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and address common problems of fisheries management and development faced by members of the Commission. 16 of WECAFC's 35 members are considered small island developing States.

Partners
Member governments: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, France, European Community, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United S...[more]
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
IWECO - Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States

The Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (GEF-IWEco Project) is a five-year multi-focal area regional project that will be financed from (i) country GEF STAR allocations under Land Degradation and Biodiversity portfolios for national interventions and supported by (ii) funding from the GEF International Waters and Sustainable Forest Management portfolios for regional-level actions. A total of ten Caribbean countries will be participating in the project.

Partners
Antigua & Barbuda; Cuba; Barbados; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Jamaica; Saint Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent & the Grenadines; Trinidad & Tobago with the support of GEF, UNEP , UNDP, CARPHA, CAR/RCU
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership

The Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP) is designed to strengthen the capacity of countries in the Caribbean to invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies, as prioritised in their Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). These technologies will help reduce the dependence on fossil fuel imports, setting the region on a low-emission development path; as well as improve the region’s ability to respond to climate risks and opportunities in the long-run, through resilient development approaches that go beyond disa...[more]

Partners
Government of Japan, United Nations Development Programme, Governments of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Republic of Guyana, Jamaica, Belize and the Republic of Suriname, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, University of West Indies, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations