Monday, November 11, 2019 — The 5th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Human and Social Development of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will take place in the Commonwealth of Dominica from 12-13 November 2019. The media are invited to the Opening Ceremony scheduled to convene on Tuesday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m instead of 8:30 a.m at the Atlantique View Resort.

WHAT

The 5th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Human and Social Development of the OECS will be chaired by the Minister of Health and Social Services of the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth Darroux.

The Keynote address to be given by Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica the Hon. Dr. Rosevelt Skerrit on the theme “Making Human Dignity the Centre of Development” will set the tone for the discussions on multiple matters, inter alia:

• the contribution of social protection to regional economic growth;
• the effective management and implementation of foster care in the OECS;
• the barriers faced by minority groups related to accessing social protection services.

Sponsors of the 5th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Human and Social Development of the OECS include the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, the OECS, UNICEF Eastern Caribbean and the International Labour Organisation.

The intended outcomes of this two-day Ministerial meeting will be:

a) a greater awareness of the obligations of the OECS Member States arising from the Treaty of Basseterre and its linkages with the Social Development and Protection agenda in the region;

b) an increased buy-in on the contribution of social protection on the economic growth and social development agenda of the region towards achieving SDGs and;

c) the generation of awareness on the operational framework for the effective management and implementation of foster care in the OECS – a regional roadmap matrix for enhancing the management and quality of foster care delivery in the region and;

d) an increased consciousness of the compounded barriers experienced by minority groups which result in an inequitable access to social protection services.

WHO
Participants include:

• OECS Ministers of Human and Social Development;
• The Human and Social Development Unit of the OECS Commission;
• Official representatives of UNICEF Eastern Caribbean;
• Official representatives of the International Labour Organisation.

WHERE
The Atlantique View Resort, Anse de Mai (the Commonwealth of Dominica).