Professional Experience:
In February 2018, I completed an experientially rich three-year period of employment in the Bureau of Women’s Affairs/Department of Gender and Family Affairs (BWA/DGFA. Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development) and joined the the Office of the Prime Minister as a Project Officer from June 2018 to April 2021 - which is when I joined the United Nations as the UN Country Coordination Officer for The Bahamas.
While at the BWA/DGFA, I rapidly progressed, from providing administrative assistance to the inter-sectoral National Task Force on GBV, co-drafting the country’s 6th periodic report to CEDAW, to serving as the Department’s representative on several inter-agency working groups and as The Bahamas’ Alternate Representative on the Committee of Experts for the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women and Girls. My routine tasks included drafting gender-related communication material (talking points, speeches, reports, newsletters, and advertisements); coordinating international, national, and local engagements (e.g. missions of United Nations staff and Special Procedures, rural community engagements, etc.); and planning advocacy and awareness raising events.
As a Project Officer within the Office of the Prime Minister, I applied my knowledge of gender, human rights and development, particularly through playing a lead role in establishing a national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mechanism with a view to, inter alia, promote, monitor, and report on the integration of the SDGs across sectors in The Bahamas. I am also led the creation of social empowerment programmes for a poverty-alleviation initiative for which I engage with stakeholders across sectors. To elevate my experience in this regard, I also completed an internship with an NGO in Rome, Italy in which I worked directly with refugees with a view to increasing their access to economic empowerment opportunities.
In my current role as UN Country Coordination Officer for The Bahamas, I report directly to the United Nations Resident Coordinator based in Jamaica. I substantively collaborate with UN Agency, Fund, and Programme staff with relevant country coverage. I also work closely with the designated coordinating Ministry, national counterparts and Ministries and other partners in the achievement of the expected responsibilities. My tasks include, but are not limited to, providing support to strategic planning, coordination, monitoring and reporting of UN country level programming and partnership to advance on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs in line with national priorities and other functions. In this context, I've developed terms of reference for various mechanisms, including the UN-International Development Partner Working Groups for Jamaica and The Bahamas, respectively. I've also served as a member on several partnership coordination mechanism, including the National Emergency Management Partnership Group – chaired by the government of The Bahamas. I participate in periodic meetings convened by the Office of the Attorney General and, until the establishment of the CARICOM OHCHR Office in The Bahamas, served as human rights focal point for the RCO in The Bahamas – where I supported capacity-building efforts, including engaging with the government to facilitate the full use of the National Recommendations Tracking Database (NRTD) administered by OHCHR. I also participate in local awareness raising sessions, on the UN’s work in country, for government, the private sector, and civil society. In addition, I recruit and manage consultants/UNVs, as needed. Finally, I collect data for and draft the Common Country Analyses updates for The Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands.