Draft country programme document for the Republic of Suriname (2008 – 2011)

The UN organizations in Suriname did a common country assessment (CCA) analyzing the development challenges facing Suriname from the perspective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Source: UNDP

Statement by His Excellency Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan President of the Republic of Suriname on the occasion of the General Assembly High Level Event: Committing to Action: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals United Nations Headquarters, New York, 25 September 2008

Source: Government of Suriname

SURINAME Millennium Development Goals Baseline Report. 2005

With the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
Suriname, along with the rest of the international community, made a commitment to improve the lives of its
people and to ensure a humane existence for each individual. The main priority in Suriname's national policy is
development, focusing first and foremost on the wellbeing of its people. The need to keep development
high on the international agenda is therefore emphasized again and again at international conferences and
in multilateral organisations.
Source: Government of Suriname

Suriname: the impact of the May 2006 floods on sustainable livelihoods

March 2007.

The study makes use of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to analyze the impact of the floods on the affected households. It outlines the vulnerability context of the affected population and it maps the strategies of households to sustain a living.

Findings
Over 30,000 inhabitants were severely affected by the floods which wiped out existing food supplies and curtailed the production capacity for at least two harvests. Agriculture, both the selfsubsistence and the commercial type, was affected in major ways: crops on the fields could not be harvested, planting materials were lost, the plots could not be prepared in time for the next cycle, tools and equipment were damaged.  In addition, food reserves were lost. Hunting and fishing remained available, except in the cases where water damage rendered
rifles and ammunition unusable.

Recommendations:
What is necessary to restore livelihoods, to reduce vulnerability and to increase resilience of Maroon and indigenous communities in the face of a natural disaster such as the flooding of their villages and lands? This report suggests that the answers to this question should be separated into two parts: measures for the short term and solutions for the medium and long term.

source: UN ECLAC

2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Western Hemisphere)

All men and women desire and deserve to live in dignity and liberty. As President Bush said: "The advance of freedom is the great story of our time." Promoting human rights and democracy is a worldwide phenomenon and there is a growing global discussion of democracy and the universal values protected by democratic governance.

By defending and advancing human rights and democratic principles, we keep faith with our country’s most cherished values and lay the foundation for lasting peace. Fulfilling the promise of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and building vibrant democracies worldwide will take generations, but it is work of the utmost urgency that cannot be delayed.
Source:US Dept. of State