INTRODUCTION

The UNDP Multi Country office in Jamaica serves Jamaica,  Bermuda, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands . Browse country excerpts below

JAMAICA

(Country Excerpt from World Bank)

Jamaica is the largest island in the English-speaking Caribbean, and the most populated with 2.93 million people. Like its neighbors, Jamaica is vulnerable to natural disasters - such as hurricanes and flooding - and the effects of climate change. It is an upper middle-income economy that is nevertheless struggling due to low growth, high public debt, and exposure to external shocks.

In 2013, Jamaica launched an ambitious reform program to stabilize the economy, reduce debt, and fuel growth, gaining national and international support.

Public debt fell below 100% of GDP in 2018/19 and is expected to decline below 60% by 2025/26, in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Law.  The rate of unemployment also fell to a historic low of 7.2% in October 2019, which is almost half the rate at the start of the reform program.

 
Inequality in Jamaica is lower than in most countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region, but poverty at 19% in 2017 is still significant. Stronger and more resilient economic growth is needed to eliminate poverty and boost shared prosperity. Crime and violence levels remain high, emphasizing the need to address the issues of youth unemployment, education, and social cohesion.

Poverty is expected to decline further with rising per-capita GDP, lower unemployment, and strengthened safety n

BERMUDA

(Source Encyclopedia Britannica)

Bermuda is a self-governing British overseas territory in the western North Atlantic Ocean. It is an archipelago of 7 main islands and about 170 additional (named) islets and rocks, situated about 650 miles (1,050 km) east of Cape Hatteras (North Carolina, U.S.). Bermuda is neither geologically nor spatially associated with the West Indies, which lie more than 800 miles (1,300 km) to the south and southwest.

Bermuda has a predominantly market economy based on tourism and international finance. The gross national product (GNP) is growing more rapidly than the population, and the GNP per capita is one of the highest in the world.

Agriculture is of negligible importance in the overall economy, and most food must be imported. Fresh vegetables, bananas, citrus fruits, milk, eggs, and honey are produced locally. There is a small fishing industry. Mineral industries are limited to the production of sand and limestone for local construction. There are a few light manufacturing industries that produce paint, pharmaceuticals, electronic wares, and printed material.

Tourism and international financial services account for the major share of the GNP and employ virtually all the workforce directly or indirectly. Some half million tourists visit Bermuda each year; most come from the United States. The island is famous for its pink sand beaches, which get their colour from one of the sand’s main components, pulverized coral and shells. Another attraction for tourists is the historic town of St. George (founded 1612) and its fortifications, which together were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.

Bermuda is an internally self-governing British overseas territory with a parliamentary government.

CAYMAN ISLANDS  

(Source: Encyclopedia Britannca)

The chief occupations on the Cayman Islands are in clerical and service work and in the construction trades. Agriculture occupies only a small number of Caymanians, and most of the islands’ food must be imported. The main crops are citrus fruits and bananas, as well as mangoes, plantains, coconuts, sweet potatoes, yams, and tomatoes. Some livestock is raised, chiefly cattle and poultry. Turtles raised on a government-operated turtle farm provide food, shells, and leather.

Exports are few. The major imports are machinery and transport equipment, other manufactured items, fuels, and foods. The United States is the Caymans’ primary trading partner in both imports and exports; other major sources of imports are Jamaica, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The United Kingdom and Jamaica are the Cayman Islands’ other major export destinations.

THE BAHAMAS

The Bahamas, archipelago and country on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. Formerly a British colony, The Bahamas became an independent country within the Commonwealth in 1973.

Lying to the north of Cuba and Hispaniola, the archipelago comprises nearly 700 islands and cays, only about 30 of which are inhabited, and more than 2,000 low, barren rock formations. It stretches more than 500 miles (800 km) southeast-northwest between Grand Bahama Island, which has an area of 530 square miles (1,373 square km) and lies about 60 miles (100 km) off the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Florida, and Great Inagua Island, some 50 miles (80 km) from the eastern tip of Cuba.  

In spite of the concentration of the population in urban centres (especially Nassau and Freeport) that are devoted to tourism, the traditional pattern of small farming and fishing prevails in some villages, notably in the southeastern islands. The Bahamas has a predominantly market economy that is heavily dependent on tourism and international financial services. The gross national product (GNP) per capita is one of the highest in the region.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

Turks and Caicos Islands, overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the West Indies. It consists of two groups of islands lying on the southeastern periphery of The Bahamas, of which they form a physical part, and north of the island of Hispaniola. The islands include eight large cays (keys) and numerous smaller cays, islets, reefs, banks, and rocks. Cockburn Town, on Grand Turk, is the seat of government and main commercial centre. Area at high tide, 238 square miles (616 square km); at low tide, 366 square miles (948 square km). Pop. (2012) 31,618.

Turks and Caicos underwent rapid economic growth in the two decades between the mid-1980s and the early 21st century, which was reflected in an average annual increase of 8 percent in its gross domestic product (GDP) during that period. The major factor contributing to this burgeoning prosperity was the rise of tourism and offshore financial services, two sectors on which the economy now relies heavily. Growth was enabled by large foreign investment and commercial land development, much of which has taken place on Providenciales.