The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation on sustainable finance and strengthen Jamaica’s social development sector.

It formalises a long-standing partnership aimed at mobilising private capital to support national development priorities aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking at the signing of the MOU on Wednesday (June 11) at the JSE headquarters in downtown Kingston, managing director Dr Marlene Street Forrest, said: “This morning we formalise a partnership born out of years of mutual cooperation, grounded in shared values, mutual respect and a deep commitment to Jamaica’s sustainable development.”

She noted that the agreement marks not just a continuation but an expansion of efforts between the JSE and UNDP.

“We are going to be doing deeper and bigger things… we will be looking at it Jamaican, but Caribbean… it’s going to impact us all as Caribbean people,” she added.

Street Forrest emphasised that the MOU will support key JSE initiatives, including the Green Bond+ Market and the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE).

“This MOU builds on two years of successful collaboration,” the managing director said.

For his part, Resident Representative for Jamaica at the UNDP, Dr Kishan Khoday, described the signing as a historic step in leveraging innovative finance to support Jamaica’s Vision 2030 goals.

“This historic signing… marks an important milestone in this critical mission to mobilise innovative financing, the role of the private sector for Jamaica’s Vision 2030 and overall national development aspirations,” he said.

“We must increase, empower, and unleash social entrepreneurs to bolster the implementation of critical development actions,” he continued.

Dr. Khoday added that the agreement aims to “shift the financing paradigm… powered by a new breed of dynamic social entrepreneurs that we see richly emerging in Jamaica and across the Caribbean”.

The MOU also includes commitments to developing sustainability-linked bonds, enhancing climate and biodiversity finance, and strengthening sustainability reporting frameworks and regulatory environments.

Meanwhile, JSSE chairman Professor Neville Ying, welcomed the agreement, saying it reinforces the growing synergy between financial investment and social transformation.

“The strategic intentions and the transformative initiatives that will follow the signing… will address the most important issue in Jamaica, which is to empower our people,” he said.