A development agreement between the United Nations and Bermuda will benefit women on the island, the Government has said.

Tinée Furbert, Minister of Social Development and Seniors, insisted that the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework recognises the unique challenges facing small islands such as Bermuda.

Ms Furbert is due to sign the partnership agreement with the UN County Team and UN Women, today.

A government spokesperson said: “It is a welcomed shift in support from the United Nations in recognising the unique circumstances that pose a threat to small islands, such as Bermuda, that can derail its development.”

The MSDCF 2022-2026 strategy is the primary instrument for planning and implementing UN development activities in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, the Government said.

The spokesperson added: “This multi-country framework allows the UN to engage Bermuda more efficiently while leveraging the expertise across UN agencies, funds and programmes.

“The first major project under this new engagement is the Joint Programme Building Back Equal through innovative financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“The programme will be directed in Bermuda by the UN Women and UN Development Programme and funded by the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund and invested across two countries — Bermuda and the Bahamas.

“This joint project will work with various stakeholders and partners to effectively deliver the planned outputs and outcomes.

“Across both islands, the programme’s beneficiaries are primarily women, especially those within the blue, green, and orange economies and entrepreneurs, youth and people with disabilities.”

The agreement could help Bermuda to make huge strides in its economic push back after the coronavirus pandemic, a leading UN economist has previously told The Royal Gazette.

Olaf J. de Groot, the PhD-educated senior economist at the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator for Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos and Cayman Islands said it was a good opportunity for the island to help it to recover from the ravages of the pandemic.

The partnership involves multilateral approaches to help recover from the pandemic and to implement strategies to attain sustainable development goals, according to the UN.

Jamaica is among countries that have already signed up for the framework agreement.