Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud poses with Gerald Noto, the UNDP Regional Representative and Deputy Regional Representative, Linda McGuire. (Photo: Ministry of Human Services and Social Security/ March 5, 2024)
The spotlight initiative was signed by the Government of Guyana, European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) in October, 2020 and is a three-year programme funded by the EU. Guyana is one of six Caribbean countries to benefit from the initiative that involves partnerships among nations to respond to all forms of violence against women.
This contribution is part of the European Union’s efforts to strengthen Guyana’s abilities to properly monitor these cases and establish forms of mitigating the issue. In 2023 the UNPD’s Spotlight Initiative concluded and the government in 2024 took national ownership of the facets that were presented.
Now it has to establish the interventions and support for victims and that is where the Hope and Justice Center plays a significant role.
“We must open lines of communication and as the ministry is doing, deal with conflict in a very appropriate way where we acknowledge it for what it is for,” the minister said.
Gerald Noto, the UNDP Regional Representative said data collection and documentation to mitigate and monitor these reports is crucial for making provisions of representation and support for victims
“We work on information and data pillar and we work with the ministry and government to develop the GBV data base that is even in the last stages of expanding the capacity to be able to generate, analyse and introduce data to strengthen the policies,” Noto said.
The Deputy Regional Representative, Linda McGuire also said data is essential for understanding progress and creating effective targeted responses for success.