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.