Vincentians to represent SVG at UNICEF Mid-Term Review for Multi-Country Programme

Minister of National Mobilization Frederick Stephenson, Chief Education Officer Lou-anne Gilchrist and Deanna Ralph of the Ministry of Finance and Planning are representing St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Mid-Term Review for the Multi-Country Programme {{more}}between the Governments of the Eastern Caribbean Area and UNICEF (2012-2016).

The meeting will be held at Sandals Halcyon Beach Hotel, Castries, Saint Lucia, and participants will be accommodated at Bay Gardens Hotel.

The UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Multi-Country Programme Action Plan 2012-2016 covers Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the UK Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Virgin Islands (UK), Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Mid-Term Review (MTR) began in October 2013 and will culminate on July 1-2 2014 with a meeting of partners in Saint Lucia. The July MTR meeting will be hosted by the Government of Saint Lucia and arranged by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA).

The MTR is participatory in nature and encompasses a comprehensive review of progress made and challenges encountered in each of the countries, as well as across the sub-region.

The overall purpose of the MTR is to:

1. Review the progress achieved to-date towards the expected results of the MCP as outlined in the Multi-Country Programme Action Plan/UN Development Assistance Framework (MCPAP/UNDAF);

2. Take stock of changes in the programming context;

3. Review performance of the country office in implementing programme strategies and principles underlying the MCPAP.

The main objectives of the MTR are to sharpen and make the 2012-2016 multi-country programme more realistic, SMART (back to Outcome and Outputs) and more focused by making strategic adjustments, as required, to accelerate the achievement of equitable and sustained outcomes for the most disadvantaged girls and boys in the Eastern Caribbean Area. The conclusions of the MTR, including the lessons learned, will be incorporated into the planning of the remaining period of the MCPAP and inform the planning of the next cycle.

This work includes the following activities:

1. Completion by seven out of the 12 countries and territories of the MTR esults matrices;

2. Review and consolidation of the country inputs as well as any new studies and data on the situation of boys and girls and country engagements by UNICEF ECA to distil common achievements and challenges across the Eastern Caribbean Area and to identify areas that would need adjustment to the MCPAP;

3. Pre-MTR virtual meeting with country programme managers in all the main components of the programme to review the analysis undertaken by UNICEF ECA on 26 May 2014;

4. Consultations with the governments, line ministries and other partners involved in programme implementation;

5. Consultations with the OECS Commission;

6. Consultations with the UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO);

7. Ministerial MTR Meeting to review the consolidated findings and final proposed adjustments to the MCPAP from 1-2 July 2014.