First lady meets UNICEF to identify areas of collaboration on children and youth development

First Lady, HE Arya Ali today met with representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at State House to discuss areas of mutual interest and collaboration on child and youth development.

Present at the meeting were First Lady HE Arya Ali; Director of Projects, Policy and Public Affairs, Ravin Singh; and UNICEF representatives, Irfan Akhtar and Jewell Crosse.

During the discussion, Mr. Akhtar highlighted the need for increased advocacy and support for Early Childhood Development, especially at a time when Guyana’s human capital will be relied on to support the country’s emerging oil sector.

He noted that the strengthening of human capital needs to begin from the childhood level, to ensure that the country is positioned to maximize on its most valuable resource.

The First Lady indicated that she intends to introduce a literacy campaign in the coming months, to improve the country’s literacy rate.

She explained that the most recent study, which was done by UNESCO in 2014, showed that Guyana’s adult literacy rate was roughly 85% and that this should be a cause of concern.

“This means that roughly one in every seven adult is not literate, and I hope to use my voice and the resources that are available to me, to improve those numbers significantly,” the First Lady pledged.

Ms. Crosses suggested that while 85% might represent the overall literacy, the country’s functional literacy rate could be much higher.

Both parties committed to ensuring that they offer ideas and resources to address this issue.

Mr. Akhtar also lobbied for the support of the First Lady in protecting children from violence and exploitation.

He specifically identified child marriage and adolescent pregnancy as two of the most pressing issues which hinder the development of girls and young women.

In this regard, the First Lady indicated her intention of partnering with post-secondary institutions to secure enrollment for girls and young women who were unable to complete formal schooling.

Her Excellency also stressed the need to work with communities to alleviate some of these challenges by providing support for individuals and households.

Additionally, Ms. Crosse drew attention to the need for continued support for youth empowerment, which she said is important for the long term development of any country.

“Focus needs to be placed on marginalized youths. They must be seen as creators of solutions to some of the challenges they face, and so we have to provide opportunities in the areas of education, skills training, and employment,” the adolescent and youth specialist said. 

To provide this kind of support, HE Arya Ali referenced a highly anticipated move by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, to establish a National Youth Advisory Council which will permanently position youth-related issues at the centre of national development.  The meeting ended with the First Lady receiving a token from the UNDP representatives and a number of reports and studies, done in Guyana over the years, on children, youth, and women’s affairs.