UNDP's Strategic and Economic Unit in Guinea-Bissau will be supporting three key strategic developments during 2022: the Volunteer National Review (VNR), the development of the national Blue Economy Strategy and Investment Plan, and the development of the Financial Inclusion Strategy. 

After six years of implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda and Agenda 2063, Guinea-Bissau is one of the 7 African countries to present their first Volunteer National Review to ECOSOC during the next High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to be held in July 2022. The report is expected to show what steps the country has taken to implement the 2030 Agenda, including the goals and targets, and provide an assessment of the results on the ground. The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration approached UNDP Guinea-Bissau to support the government in preparing the report. The VNR is a multi-stakeholder engagement including, besides the national and local authorities, the United Nations Development System, Non-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organizations, Academia, and the private sector.

The National Blue Economy Strategy and Investment Plan that is being prepared under the umbrella of the UNDP “Blue Economy as a Catalyst for Green Recovery” project will be undertaken by a Spanish consortium formed by the consultancy firms ICSEM and HIDRIA. The team of consultants will conduct several field missions in the country during the duration of the consultancy to meet with a wide range of stakeholders to have the strategy and the plan ready by June 2022. Still, in the framework of the same project, the study on the food-water-energy-health nexus that the UNDP Strategic and Economic Unit is carrying out is moving on with the needs assessment for investment opportunities in Guinea-Bissau in the context of the green recovery after COVID-19. The aim is to provide scientific evidence to support a more sustainable development policy and recommendations on actionable interventions that can contribute to a faster recovery from the economic impacts of the pandemic. A team of international experts from the consortium comprised of CESO Development Consultants and Expertise SARL will be working in Bissau from 17 to 28 January to conduct consultations with key institutions and organizations of Guinea-Bissau.

UNDP is working closely together with BCEAO, the National Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of the National Strategy on Financial Inclusion (CNESMO), and relevant stakeholders to develop the Financial Inclusion Strategy and action plan, informed by a regulatory framework and other relevant assessments. UNDP will in the coming days undertake a deep dive to review the current framework, offer recommendations and assess the current financial and banking landscape, particularly regarding microfinance. CNSMO and BCEAO are organizing a meeting with the Vice-Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Integration to discuss the key aspects of the work that needs to be done to set the strategy in the country. 

The various field visits planned during the first months of the year will result in significant developments that are expected to produce important research which can be used to better inform interventions and activities in the country in these and related areas in the near future.