Grenada has been elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
On 20 April 2021, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected Grenada, by acclamation, for the 3-year term 2022-2024. Grenada secured the only seat available to the Latin America and Caribbean Group and joins 13 other countries elected to serve on the Executive Board beginning 1 January 2022.
The Executive Board is the governing body of UNICEF, providing intergovernmental support and oversight to the organisation, in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the United Nations General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.
In the Caribbean region, UNICEF works on leadership for inspiring a common vision of children’s rights and ensuring that every right of the child is fulfilled. Grenada brings to the board of UNICEF its experiences in programming and its ongoing approach for advocacy for every child.
The UNICEF Executive Board is made up of 36 members, elected with due regard to, inter alia, merits, equitable geographical representation, and other relevant factors, with a view to ensuring the most effective and broadest representation.
Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Keisha Mc Guire has welcomed the country’s new role on the UNICEF board.
She said, “UNICEF has played an integral role in the development agenda, particularly with social protection in the region. It is one of the more visible UN agencies in the Caribbean and with Grenada having a seat at the table, this will enable us to have our perspectives shared at the highest level in the agency’s work. It will also serve to lift Grenada’s profile within the agency, among our regional peers and on the global stage.”
Director of the Child Protection Authority, Yvonne Da Breo has also welcomed Grenada’s election to the Executive Board of UNICEF. She said, “This is very significant for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, as it will allow us to contribute to the development of legislation and policies pertaining to children on a global scale. Further, it will enable Grenada to benefit from best practices around the world, adopting and adapting practices where necessary, to ensure that we safeguard the welfare of children in Grenada.”
GIS
Maybe this will serve as an incentive for the Director of the Child Protection Authority, Ms Yvonne Da Breo and her team to respond to letters written on behalf of parents whose children have been taken into care by the Authority .
Maybe this will also serve as an incentive for the Attorney-General to look into precisely what is going on in Magistrates Courts some of which which seem to have assumed some sort of Family Law jurisdiction thus enabling the Authority to avoid the oversight of the High Court as stipulated fro in the Child Protection and Adoption Act. Maybe it is time the public is given an oversight of the role and actions of the Authority to better understand its nature and functions and to hold it accountable.