We must rally around the Every Caribbean Woman Every Caribbean Child Initiative - UNSE

This is the  charge from the United Nations Secretary-General Special Envoy(UNSE)  for HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean, Dr. Edward Greene, in his message on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2017, being observed on 8 March 2017.

Titled Let us together do what it takes to #be bold for Change, the UNSE also called  for the “…support of programmes intended to make the Caribbean the first region in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV”.

Following is the full text of the message.

"Let us together do what it takes to #be bold for Change

We must rally around the Caribbean First Ladies and Spouses of CARICOM Heads of Government and the Every Caribbean Woman Every Caribbean Child Action Group chaired by the CARICOM Secretariat and UNFPA.  We must applaud their aims to reduce violence against women, girls and children, teenage pregnancy, cervical cancer, and trafficking in persons, especially young girls . We must also support their  programmes  intended to make the Caribbean the first region in the world to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV. 

I join my colleagues around the world in highlighting the imperative  to dismantle the barriers to gender equality . At the same time,  I applaud the  that 'HE4She"  campaign  advocated by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon  which is increasingly being recognized  as complementary to the  'Every Woman Every Child ' flagship programme he initiated.

Let "He4She", championed in Jamaica by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Usain Bolt, be a model. Let the movement spread throughout the region. Let us pledge on this International Women's Day to find the solution for empowering our women, girls and children.

Let us together do what it takes to # be bold for change."

Tags: Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child, #be bold for change, Caribbean First Ladies and spouses of CARICOM Heads of Government, He4She campaign, cervical cancer, teenage pregnancy, human trafficking, violence against women and girls, gender equality