UN Under-Secretary-General Alexander De Croo to visit Jamaica

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Alexander De Croo is to visit Jamaica on a mission to, among other things, tour Hurricane Melissa-impacted communities and engage in crisis resilience and hurricane recovery talks with government and private-sector partners.

The mission will run from March 5 to 6.

De Croo, who is also Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is expected to meet with Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and members of the Cabinet.

In a statement on Monday, the UNDP said De Croo, a former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Belgium, will also headline the Thought Leaders Dialogue on Private Sector and Sustainable Finance Partnerships for Resilient Recovery with a number of CEOs and finance-sector leaders. He will also participate in a panel discussion with representatives from academia, civil society, and youth on Small Island Developing States and the Future of Development.

The agency said the visit reaffirms UNDP’s solidarity with Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa recovery agenda and provides an opportunity to secure first-hand assessments of the impact by engaging with community members and partners in the ongoing cooperation.

De Croo’s visit to Jamaica will be his first since assuming the Office of Administrator in December 2025.

As Administrator, he leads a worldwide team of more than 20,000 personnel across 170 countries and territories and will preside over the new global Strategic Plan 2026–2029.

The UNDP is the UN’s lead agency on international development, with a global mission dedicated to helping countries eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience so people and nations can sustain progress.

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