Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and UNICEF Guyana/Suriname Representative, Dr Suleiman Braimoh, will today sign the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) for the period 2012-2016, at the Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country programme is developed through mutual agreement with the Government of Guyana and UNICEF, 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 Country Programme.
In preparing the current CPAP, the Government of Guyana and UNICEF undertook a comprehensive review of the previous CPAP, with specific focus on identifying the areas of significant achievement in areas of policy advancement, establishment of best practices in early childhood development, child protection and 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 regard to legislation for the protection of children and women. The CPAP will also provide the framework for both the Government and UNICEF to realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).