(CARICOM)- A Team from the CARICOM Secretariat, led by Advisor, Social Development, Beverly Harry-Emmanuel, met with a UNICEF delegation on Wednesday, 13 May at the Secretariat’s Headquarters, to strengthen collaboration on key regional priorities. Discussions focused on adopting a public health approach to crime and violence, advancing education initiatives such as the Caribbean Safe School Initiative, Caribbean New School Model, and teacher capacity building.
Both parties underscored the importance of climate resilience in ensuring safe learning environments, given the impact of changing weather patterns on education across Member States. The Secretariat’s team also highlighted CARICOM’s pilot Youth Development Index, which aims to standardise the measurement of youth issues across the Community.
In the health sector, the Secretariat expressed interest in UNICEF’s work on nutrition (particularly school feeding programmes) and mental health, which align with CARICOM’s strategy to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
