New UNDP Head Says Jamaica Integral to UN System

New Resident Representative in charge of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Jamaica, Constante Muzio says Jamaica plays an important role in the United Nations system, which operates in a holistic way in member countries such as Jamaica.
The new UNDP head arrived in the island recently following the departure of Mr. Juan Carlos Espinosa as head of all UN operations in Jamaica and other countries served from the Jamaican base. “It is integral to highlight the role of Jamaica in the United Nations system because we believe Jamaica has been playing a very important role in the United Nations,” Mr. Muzio said in an interview with the Jamaica Information Service. He added that, “We want people to understand the UN’s overall and general mandate in the world and at the country level.”
He noted that at the country level representation of the UN system was a united effort. Explaining the framework within which the UN system operates, the new resident representative said the United Nations Development Framework (UNDAF) is a national exercise involving the entire UN system which defines what the different agencies are doing together in a unified fashion. The agencies work together, not on their own he noted.
Emphasizing the importance of the work of UN agencies in Jamaica as a team within the context of the recent observance of UN Day on October 24, Mr. Muzio added: “We want to stress that there is an effort, strongly supported by the Government of Jamaica, because after all the UNDAF is also a government exercise, and therefore the issues found in the UNDAF will be those which explain how and why the UN system’s contribution relies on a process of working together.”