UNICEF commits $800 million to 2021 workplan in Guyana

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has committed some $800 million or US$ 4 Million to its 2021 Workplan in Guyana.

The plan is the final implementation of the 2017 to 2021 multi-country sustainable development framework in the Caribbean and the 2017-2021 UNICEF country programme in Guyana.

Mr. Nicolas Charles Pron, UNICEF’s area representative to Guyana and Suriname, said 2021 presents a lot of “exciting opportunities” in the areas of safety and justice for children, education through lifelong learning, social inclusion and child rights monitoring, and emergency preparedness and response to the migration process.

“We are working very closely with all our counterparts to make sure that every child in Guyana benefits from our joint efforts and that no one is left behind,” he said at a ceremony to mark the commencement of the programme today.

He said UNICEF has started working with its partners to devise the next country programme co-operation, which will run from 2022 to 2026.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Elisabeth Harper represented the Government at Friday’s ceremony.

“We hope to conduct this exercise under your leadership and your Ministry to make sure that we pass all steps in a timely manner to ensure that the new programme co-operation to be submitted to the executive board in New York, in time for us to start our new activities in 2022,” Mr. Pron added.

Ambassador Harper acknowledged UNICEF’s support in advancing the well-being of Guyana’s children through technical and financial assistance and policies and legislations.

“UNICEF has also collaborated in other areas including the implementation of the UNICEF Health Strategy, the Guyana Youth Policy, the Guyana Education and Strategy Plan, the Sexual Domestic Violence and Protection of Children Act and the National Plan of Action on Adolescence Pregnancy as well as the access to water and sanitation services among others,” Ms. Harper noted.

The activities will be pursued in line with the identified programme outputs with all relevant stakeholders’ involvement.