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I have much pleasure in welcoming you to this very important consultation.
This is indeed a remarkable occasion when two significant development agencies such as the United Nations Subregional Team (UNST) for Barbados and the sub region, in partnership with the OECS Secretariat, can collaborate on the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UN-DAF) in-country consultation.
The Government and people of Saint Lucia are excited about this forum, which affords nationals the opportunity to contribute to the development process of their country and the sub region.
In 2006, the Government of Saint Lucia and the UNDP signed off on the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) for the period 2006-2009, which has since been extended to 2011. The Country Programme Action Plan is an agreement governing UNDP's assistance to development initiatives in our country, and is fulfilled in the spirit of close cooperation and partnership.
The areas of development that the Country Programme Action Plan addresses are:
1. Democratic Governance issues such as integrity and gender responsive initiatives in the context of the OECS Development Charter and the Millennium Development Goals
2. Public sector Modernization
3. Sustainable Management of the Environment and Natural Resources
4. Reduced threat to biodiversity
5. Reduction of factors causing land degradation
6. Enhanced Regional and National capacities for disaster Risk Reduction and
7. Enhanced national capacity for effective disaster recovery

The areas of development were informed by interrelated national, regional and international policies, programmes and activities, national budgets, medium term economic strategies and other regional or international agreements.
Ladies and gentlemen, today we embark upon the ambitious but significant process of a United Nations Development Assistance Framework. As you may know, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UN-DAF) provides a collective, coherent and integrated United Nations system response to national priorities and needs, within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Millennium Development Goals seek to address the issue of poverty and dictate that all member states of the United Nations pursue a strategy to reduce by half, the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger, by the year 2015.
The other goals are complementary to this effort and include;
• Achieving universal primary education;
• Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women;
• Reducing child and maternal mortality;
• Combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases and
• Ensuring environmental sustainability.
While as a country we have made some progress on the attainment of these goals, albeit incremental and partial, our commitment to the achievement of the other MDGs is unwavering. The Government is determined to improve the quality of life the citizens of Saint Lucia. We are convinced that in addition to the MDGs, the UN-DAF will also respond to other commitments, goals, targets and programmes of action adopted at international conferences, summits and major conventions of the United Nations. These conventions endeavour, in the main, to make our world a better place for many generations to come,with the hope of encouraging respect for one another's rights and freedoms.
Saint Lucia is proud of its support of conventions like the Rights of Child, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. We appreciate the framework convention on climate change; we recognize declarations such as the rights of people with disabilities and respect the principles for older persons. Ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that these UN instruments have established global standards which guide the manner in which we frame our development, whether in relation to our economy, social development or environmental sustainability.
A quick glance at global trends demonstrates the extent to which the various UN agencies have advanced the ideals and principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people, while providing opportunities for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests. These ideals and principles, combined with the objectives of the OECS mission, have provided a crucial platform, which will continue to support and broaden our national vision while strengthening our capacity to take ownership of our development. I wish to take this opportunity to commend the work of these two agencies in providing technical and financial resources to help tackle the challenges of poverty, high incidence of crime and violence, environmental degradation and communicable diseases, to name a few.
Ladies and gentlemen, we must acknowledge that we live in challenging times. The global economic crisis which now appears to be receding, has tested our social and economic mettle as small island developing states. According to the Poverty and Social Impact Analysis on the effect of the Global Economic Crisis on Saint Lucia, conducted by UNDP last year, our people demonstrated considerable resilience in the face of the crisis. It is important that we view our resilience as a huge factor in our development, as this compels us to find innovative means of harnessing all available resources, which can bring about the economic development and social change necessary for the qualitative improvement in the lives of our people.

The UN-DAF consultation is indeed timely, as the Government of Saint Lucia has recently embarked on the formulation of a Medium Term Development and Strategic Plan. It is hoped that initiatives such as this will position Saint Lucia to better respond to the challenges and opportunities of the global economy. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework we anticipate will galvanize the various national development endeavours and provide the broader framework which informs national development objectives.
The OECS Development Charter promises some broad sweeping interventions, which, if and when implemented will signal major advances towards the development of the region. The Charter makes a bold declaration that our people are the central concern of any development initiative. It envisions a region where our people will:
• Strengthen their productive and intellectual capacities to compete in the global community;
• Invest their time and resources in lawful and sustainable economic activity
• Live under a system of good governance where democracy flourishes, human and civil rights are respected, order prevails and laws are fairly and justly enforced;
• Enjoy access to high quality and affordable health care;
• Enjoy basic rights and access to basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and recreation; and
• Participate in the economic and social progress of the international community while maintaining their culture , preserving their heritage and achieving their full human potential in peace and freedom
These ideals of the OECS Development Charter and those of the UN are complementary in making our country, our region and our world a better place today and for years to come.
We have come to this strategic consultation to discuss national development priorities. This UN-DAF process affords us the opportunity to place these priorities in perspective for the period 2012-2016. While we often lament the ills and problems that prevail in our society, I hope that throughout this consultation we will instead, identify and reflect on the abundant opportunities and possibilities for the advancement of our people, our country and our region.
I applaud the efforts of the United Nations Subregional Team for Barbados and the OECS region, and the OECS Secretariat, for convening this forum to determine a coherent development framework for Saint Lucia and the sub-region.
I trust that this consultation will help to unearth the economic potentialities of our nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your commitment to this exercise and I have every confidence that your deliberations will realize significant positive outcomes which will redound to the benefit of the people of Saint Lucia.
I thank you.