-President Ali says, reaffirms Guyana’s commitment to Convention on the Rights of the Child

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Monday reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and noted that the government will continue to invest in building an environment through which the development of children can be completed in a holistic way.

Dr. Ali was at the time speaking at an event to mark the 35th Anniversary of the convention, where he noted that Guyana is pleased to join the United Nations family on marking the occasion.

“The Convention is a landmark treaty that enshrines the fundamental rights of every child. It stands as a legal framework for safeguarding children’s rights to survival, protection, development and participation in society,” he said.

The President added that this convention also sets a benchmark with which parties can measure their commitments to providing safe nurturing environments for children.

He iterated that in Guyana, tremendous improvement has been seen in relation to the child’s rights, considering the country is coming from an era where children did not have access to nursery and primary education and even healthcare.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Ali stated that the government, over the years, has invested heavily in creating infrastructure, building the environment through which the child’s development can be completed holistically.

All of these facilities, he added, are part of the commitment to creating safe, family-oriented spaces.

In this regard, he indicated that this is why there must be investments in opportunities to build stronger families, as these will build stronger communities, and, by extension, a stronger country.

“These are all important aspects of what I think are key in developing the entire ecosystem surrounding the rights of the child,” he said.

Meanwhile, with emerging challenges, Dr. Ali said that there needs to be mature conversations globally to tackle these issues that go against children’s rights.

With this he said there are many things in the existing framework that have not yet been achieved as a global community. However, he added that there must be a way in which the world can commit to fulfilling this mandate.

“On this 35th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Guyana reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the principles and rights enshrined in this landmark treaty,” he said.

Further to this, he indicated that in Guyana, there is much to celebrate as the country has enacted several pieces of legislation that push towards the goal of fulfilling the mandate of the treaty.

Some of those he mentioned include the Domestic Violence Act, the Family Violence Act, the Protection of the Child Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the Adoption Act among others.

He used the opportunity to emphasise that Guyana is investing in children’s future.

Meanwhile, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud said that the Government of Guyana, as a signatory to this treaty, has undertaken significant strides to advance children’s rights during the past three-and-a-half decades through the enactment of legislation, policies and even the allocation of resources.

“We have made progress towards the realisation of children’s rights,” she said.
She, too, noted that Guyana reaffirms the provisions and the principles of the convention, and commits to intensifying efforts to address challenges that hinder child rights and fostering a more inclusive and supporting environment that enables all children.

Dr. Persaud stated that the government will continue to strengthen legal, institutional and policy framework across all social sectors, and continue to prioritise the adequate allocation and effective use of resources to support initiatives that advance children’s rights.

The government, she said, will also continue to address critical issues impacting children, and ensure that children have access to diverse opportunities that foster growth and development among other things.