Georgetown : Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and UNICEF Guyana/Suriname Representative Dr. Suleiman Braimoh today signed the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) for the period 2012-2016 for the improvements of the livelihoods of women and children.
CPAP is a programme of technical and financial cooperation with the commitment of about US$15.2M over the next five years to support the Government of Guyana (GOG) to advocate for the Rights of the Child and for greater parity in gender equality while outlining the responsibilities in implementing such policies as outlined in the plan.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett speaking at the signing at the Foreign Service Institute, said the collaboration marks another important step in Guyana’s cooperation with the United Nations, UNICEF in particular, and it is reflective of Guyana’s commitment, “to improving the livelihoods of our people, but more especially women and children.”
She said Guyana’s expectation of the current CPAP is that it will continue to support national priorities and policies, while increasingly improving the lives of Guyana’s children.
Pointing out that UNICEF has provided past assistance in this regard, the minister noted that the signing of the CPAP “also comes at a critical juncture in our country as we strive to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), some of which we believe we have met already.”
In preparing the current programme, Government and the organisation undertook a comprehensive review of the previous CPAP with specific focus on identifying the areas of significant achievements in areas of policy advancement, establishment of best practices in Early Childhood Development and Child Survival, as well as Adolescent Development in an effort to streamline the current CPAP to address areas where more work needs to be done.
The CPAP will support national priorities and policies of increasing and improving social issues for child survival and protection, adolescent development and parliamentary reform with regards to legislation for the protection of children and women. It will also provide the framework for both parties to realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Dr. Braimoh observed that although UNICEF’s support over the next five years will focus on children, one key point to note is the fact that Guyana has done very well in progressing towards the achievement of the MDGs. He noted, “One of the key things that came out of the MDG report and then the way forward, has to do with the fact that there are few pockets, few issues.”
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