Programme Launched To Optimize Finance For Under-Served Groups in Saint Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda

Women and youth-owned, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and other under-served groups in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia are poised to benefit from a US$1.4 million UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund Joint Programme that will prioritize innovative financing solutions for under-served groups. Hononrable Prime Ministers Philip Pierre of Saint Lucia and Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda on May 10th, 2024 joined UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq, along with key Government and UN officials and representatives of the SDG Joint Fund, for the on-line launch of the joint programme: “Optimizing Innovative Finance for Underserved Groups to Build Resilience and Accelerate the Achievement of the SDGs in Antigua & Barbuda and Saint Lucia.” The new Joint Programme, which will be implemented by respective Finance and Corporate Governance Ministries in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia, seeks to promote greater financial inclusion for the most under-served groups in the two beneficiary countries, through strengthening their legal and regulatory capability, including securing digital financial services.  It will utilize a three-pronged approach to increase access to and the effectiveness of commercial innovative finance solutions and to close financing gaps to achieve the SDGs. Prime Minister...