Project profile — Caribbean Local Economic Development

• West Indies, regional (100.00%)

• Secondary Education: Vocational training (11330) (10.00%)
• Public sector policy and administrative management:
Public sector policy and administrative management (15110) (25.00%)
Decentralisation and support to subnational government (15112) (25.00%)
Democratic participation and civil society (15150) (10.00%)
• Business And Other Services: Business support services and institutions (25010) (5.00%)
• Industry: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (20.00%)
• Other Multisector: Rural development (43040) (5.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (significant objective)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to support up to 50 local governments and local agencies to implement or facilitate local economic development (LED) initiatives with up to 500 micro- and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in seven countries. The project aims to help to develop business-friendly environments in which MSMEs can grow, by enhancing the capacities of local authorities to lead and support a growth strategy. The initiatives are expected to generate lessons, approaches and practices for local economic development that help to improve national and regional policies, regulations and programs on LED and create new tools and management models to be disseminated throughout the Caribbean.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) improved economic governance and service delivery at local levels related to the growth of sustainable MSMEs with special emphasis on the needs of female-led enterprises; and (2) improved implementation of policies, programs and knowledge sharing at national and regional levels related to sustainable local economic development with special emphasis on the needs of female economic stakeholders.

Results achieved as of March 2016 include: (1) 43 LED Demonstration projects have been implemented and 10 of them were completed and evaluated to identify results and lessons learned; (2) 447 MSME owners, operators (85 male; 16 female; 346 equitable) received training to improve their enterprises; and (3) five countries (Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago) have bills related to local government reform, fiscal reform, planning and facilitation, and human resources. These results have contributed to increasing access by MSMEs, especially female-led ones, to local public and private sector initiatives supporting sustainable local economic development.

• Proactive disclosure