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Poverty, violence and inequality continue to hinder children’s development – UNICEF rep.
UNICEF Representative to Guyana, Nicolas Pron
Kaieteur News-Poverty, violence and inequality continue to hinder children from reaching their full potential, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Nicolas Pron disclosed on Monday.
Pron, while speaking at the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) acknowledged that significant progress has been made but much more needs to be done to break systemic barriers that continue to limit opportunities available to children.
“Challenges remain and many children still face barriers that hinder their full potential, including poverty and violence and inequalities continue to exit, leaving some children at risk of being left behind,” he said noting that “Collectively, we can overcome the challenges that still stand in the way of realizing every child’s right to survive, thrive and reach their full potential.”
One hundred and ninety-six countries have ratified the CRC treaty, underscoring their widespread commitment to protecting children’s rights.
He emphasized that this milestone reflects a collective commitment to ensuring that children grow up in supportive environments. In Guyana, where the CRC was ratified in 1991, significant progress has been made in improving access to education, healthcare, and legal protections for children, laying a strong foundation for their future well-being.
As such, he related that the anniversary event served not just for celebration on how far the country has come, but also a call for action for the work that lies ahead.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali reflected on the significant progress Guyana has made in improving children’s rights, particularly when compared to the past, where many children lacked access to basic necessities like education, healthcare, and proper housing.
President Irfaan Ali
At the event held at the Kingston Seawalls, the Head of State highlighted the positive changes in the country, such as the rise in homeownership and the creation of safer, family-oriented spaces that contribute to the holistic development of children.
Ali said, “I want you to understand that these simple things that we take for granted are part of creating that enabling environment to protect the rights of our children.”
The President said that the CRC serves as a critical legal framework for protecting children’s rights and has been embedded in Guyana’s national laws, influencing policies related to child protection, education, healthcare, and juvenile justice.
However, he stressed that, despite these achievements, there are still ongoing challenges, particularly in addressing emerging global issues affecting children’s rights, such as the right to identity.
“We need to have very mature conversations globally and the churches, religious leaders, societal leaders, legislators all must be involved,” the president said adding that “There is no single play in this equation who must believe, he or she or that jurisdiction has a right to define for the rest of the world this issue, this must be a collective global issue that is championed collectively by all stakeholders around the globe.”
The Head of State warned that without addressing existing global gaps in child protection, new, misguided benchmarks could emerge, hindering meaningful progress. He stressed the need for a global commitment to fulfilling children’s rights, as support systems are collapsing and many children are facing environments of indignity, mental health issues, and lost hope.
Using Haiti as an example, he highlighted the lack of a coordinated international response to protect vulnerable children. He called for dedicated mechanisms to safeguard children’s rights, tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.
“The realities for children around the globe are a reminder of the work that lies ahead of us, it’s a reminder that for the attributes of peace dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity to be achieved the system has to change because after all, we are part of the global community,” President Ali said.
(Poverty, violence and inequality continue to hinder children’s development)
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