Press Statement
The Government of The Bahamas and the United Nations signed their second Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) on October 19, 2026, setting out a shared agenda to expand economic opportunities, strengthen resilience, improve social services and address crime and violence.
Signed at the opening of Diplomatic Week 2026, the framework will guide cooperation for the period 2027–2031, with a focus on national development priorities and results that benefit communities throughout the archipelago.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu emphasised that the agreement reflects a partnership grounded in the country’s own development goals.
“What we sign today is not a UN plan for The Bahamas. It is a shared commitment between the Government of The Bahamas and the United Nations system, anchored in the country’s own national development priorities,” Mr. Zulu said.
He outlined four areas that will guide the partners’ collective efforts through 2031: economic diversification and inclusive economies; resilience to shocks; integrated social services; and resilience to crime and violence.
On economic diversification, Mr. Zulu recognised The Bahamas’ established strengths in tourism and financial services, while highlighting opportunities to broaden the economic base through digital and green industries, resilient food systems, and improved access to finance and skills.
The emphasis, he explained, will include women, young people and small entrepreneurs, helping economic growth reach more Bahamians and more islands.
Climate and disaster resilience will also be central to the partnership. The framework provides for support towards stronger early warning systems, improved access to climate and disaster risk finance, and nature-based solutions to protect the ocean and coastlines.
“For an archipelagic nation on the front line of the climate crisis, resilience is not optional,” Mr. Zulu said.
The framework also prioritises health, education, social protection and care systems that remain effective during crises and accessible to everyone. Mr. Zulu specifically highlighted older persons, persons with disabilities and Family Island residents, noting that these communities too often wait longest for services.
Addressing crime and violence, he outlined a focus on prevention, survivor-centred services for gender-based violence and violence against children, and justice institutions grounded in human rights.
“Every person deserves to feel safe at home, in school and in the community,” he said.
Across all four areas, the partnership will be guided by the principles of leaving no one behind, gender equality, human rights and decisions informed by reliable data.
With the framework extending beyond the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. Zulu said it carries a dual responsibility: accelerating progress towards the Goals while laying the foundations for the years that follow.
“The choices we make in the next five years will shape the country that today’s young Bahamians inherit,” he said.
Mr. Zulu stressed that implementation will determine the agreement’s success, pointing to the Country Implementation Plan, the Joint National Steering Committee and annual joint reporting as mechanisms for translating commitments into measurable results.
Partners will take a further step at the UN Day Partnership Forum on Friday, October 23, 2026, where attention will turn to developing concrete partnerships around the framework’s four priorities.
“A signature is a beginning, not an end,” Mr. Zulu said. “The United Nations stands ready to deliver, together with The Bahamas.”
