Caribbean Parliamentarians and Civil Society Organisations have agreed to re-commit to #SRHR agenda

Nairobi, 17 November 2019: The UNFPA Caribbean Sub Regional Office is working with regional Governments, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Youth advocates to improve access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and to end Gender Based Violence (GBV) as a pathway to sustainable development.

This came out of wide-ranging discussions hosted by the Regional Director of the UNFPA Latin American and Caribbean Office in Panama Harold Robinson Davis and Director of UNFPA Caribbean Alison Drayton on the sidelines of the of the Nairobi Summit on ICPD 25 that concluded on Thursday November 15 in Nairobi Kenya.

UNFPA Caribbean Director Alison Drayton underscored the fact that the Caribbean Region must have enough Resilience to sustain development. She said that there are gaps to be filled pointing out that Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) all play into the discussions of climate change.

Bahamas Minister of Social Services and Social Development the Honourable Frankie Campbell acknowledged the importance of these initiatives in light of the devastation that Hurricane Dorian left on his nation. UNFPA Caribbean has and continues to play a very active role in recovery efforts in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. The UNFPA is providing specialists in Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) to assist in the recovery effort.

Parliamentarians who attended the meeting were the Bahamas Minister of Social Services and Urban Development the Hon. Frankie Campbell, Minister of State for the Bahamas Public Service and National Insurance Hon. Brensil Rolle, the Grenada Minister of Foreign Affairs the Honourable Peter David, Jamaica’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information the Honourable Alando Terrelonge and the Surinamese Minister of Home Affairs the Honourable Faizel Mohamed Noersalim. A number of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were also represented including Family Planning Association and Youth advocates.

The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 concluded on November 15 in the Kenyan capital, with partners making bold commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.

The Summit co-convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, unveiled critical new data about the cost of achieving these goals. It mobilized more than 1,200 commitments from around the world, including billions of dollars in pledges from public and private sector partners. It also raised the voices of marginalized communities, youth and grassroots advocates, who were able to directly engage heads of state and policymakers about how to realize the rights and health of all people.