By: Lamin B. Darboe
The Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service, Salimatou E.T. Touray last week – Wednesday September 13th presided over the joint high level engagement on the Country Programme Documents (CPDs) 2024-2028 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in The Gambia at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre.
The purpose of the engagement is to provide a brief on the status of the Country Programme Documents (CPDs) while focusing on the programmatic shifts for the new cycle.
According to SG Touray, the engagement facilitated a collaborative discussion to enhance coordination, build partnerships, and strengthen the United Nations’ ability to support national development.
Noting the significance of the joint high-level meeting, the SG said it was central to the finalisation and overall success of their joint programmes as they forge ahead with their development agenda.
“This meeting comes against the background where The Gambia has just finalised its Green Recovery Focused National Development Plan (RF-NDP) 2023- 2027. The new NDP outlines a medium-term Recovery-Focused NDP and will help The Gambia overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, as well as address medium-term transformational aspirations of the country,” Madam Touray explained.
She said the RF-NDP will ensure that the country’s macro policy frameworks fully integrate the concepts and needs of recovery while recognising the medium to long-term nature of recovery.
Head of the Civil Service noted that the CPDs 2024-2028 will support the realisation of the National Development Plan (NDP) priorities for the next five years.
She pointed out that practical implementation of the CPDs will require an inclusive and participatory process through the involvement of all stakeholders during their development phase, particularly the government counterparts.
Madam Touray therefore noted that the joint engagement is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the objective of the CPD2024-2028 becomes a reality, adding that the high-level engagement and its outcome should not be underestimated.
The SG conveyed the Government of The Gambia’s most profound appreciation to all the UN agencies for the extensive consultations to ensure that the CPDs are nationally determined.
