Caribbean Forum on Population and Development

Opening Remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the Caribbean Forum on Population and Development in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.

 

Your Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda,

Honorable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda

Honorable E.P. Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Agriculture, Trade and Barbuda Affairs,

Honorable Sir Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and Environment

Honorable Samantha Marshall, Junior Minister of Social Transformation

Excellencies, Distinguished Members of Cabinet and Members of Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda, and of the Caribbean Region

Ms Diane Quarless, Director, Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean

Dear young people,

Colleagues and friends,

We meet in Peace, the noble purpose of the United Nations and the fervent wish of all people, including the people of this beautiful country and region.

I thank the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for co-hosting this event, together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and my own agency, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

It is such a pleasure to be back in Antigua and Barbuda, a year after Small Island Developing States of the world gathered here for the Wadadli Action Platform meeting. And, just last month my family found out our great-grandfather attended Mico teacher training college in Antigua. That commitment to education is part of the success story of the Caribbean. 

Six years ago, on the fateful date of 6 September 2017 when Hurricane Irma struck, UNFPA sprang into action to assist women, girls and people with disabilities in Barbuda. Ambassador Walton Webson led a process to strengthen humanitarian response in the region, while president of the UNFPA Executive Board. That planning foresight proved highly beneficial as UNFPA provided on-the-spot assistance to pregnant women and dignity kits with menstrual supplies, for adolescent girls – a great example of partnership and cooperation.  Another influencer on UNFPA’s agenda success is present here today, the Honorable Minister Pennelope Beckles, along with Alison Drayton of CARICOM and others.  

Excellencies, dear delegates, as we meet, the human population is at its peak, there are over 8 billion souls on the planet today.

Let me ask you: What would the world look like if every person on the planet – all 8 billion of us, and women and girls in particular – had control over their bodies and their futures? At UNFPA, we believe the possibilities, for individuals and their countries, would be infinite.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are the foundation for gender equality, which is essential for the prosperous, sustainable future we all want and that everyone deserves.

Imagine how fast and far we could move the gender equality needle through investments in sexual and reproductive health and girls’ education?

Our findings show that every dollar invested in ending preventable maternal deaths and unmet need for family planning will bring nearly $9.00 dollars in social and economic benefits. The social and economic benefits of delaying childbearing until after age 18 were estimated globally for 106 countries at $22 billion in 2015 and $566 billion in 2030.

Investing in sexual and reproductive health and rights is not only the right thing to do, but makes sound economic sense.

The Caribbean is in a position to lead the world on providing accurate information to young people about their bodies and life chances, and shaping attitudes towards teen pregnancy, towards healthy longevity, and towards the importance of education for young people.

The stakes could not be higher for the 10-year-old Caribbean girl.

Picture her – here in St. John’s, in Jamaica, in St. Lucia, in Dominica, or anywhere across this region. She is standing at the crossroads.

If she stays in school, she acquires skills that will raise her lifetime earnings, benefiting her children, increasing her resilience, and reducing her vulnerability to violence, various forms of inequality, and climate-related shocks.

If, on the other hand, she becomes pregnant while still a child herself…if she is forced to marry or live in a common law union and drop out of school… then she’s labeled a so-called ‘bad girl’ and faces a cascade of challenges throughout life that will jeopardize her health and well-being and that of the next generation.

UNFPA knows this girl – too many to count. Imagine expecting a child when you don’t even know what the word “pregnant” means. That is what happened to a 14-year-old girl who told us: “My Mommy had to explain it to me. She told me I was having a baby.” During her pregnancy, she developed eclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure complication, and was unconscious for 8 days. Today she dreams of becoming a doctor, although she has not yet returned to school.

Stories like this affect our communities and they are as common as they are tragic – a girl’s life turned upside down due to ignorance about her body and her rights.

Adolescent fertility in Latin America and the Caribbean is the second highest in the world, just below that of Africa. And we have seen an increase in births to girls under 15 since the Covid pandemic.

Young people need information as well as full access to modern contraception, including emergency contraception. They need comprehensive sexuality education, both in and out of school. And the approach should be non-judgmental and adolescent friendly.

Here in Antigua and Barbuda, we have seen significant progress. In recent years, this country cut its teen pregnancy rate by half, with tremendous social and economic benefits. I commend the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for its efforts, which have produced tangible results.

Still, if current trends in the region persist, by 2030 Latin America and the Caribbean will have one of the world’s highest levels of child marriage.

Maternal mortality has also stagnated at unacceptable levels, with rates comparable to levels seen two decades ago.

A recent UNFPA study found that Afrodescendent women and girls across the Americas are more likely to die during childbirth. We need disaggregated data to lift the cloak of invisibility off of these women. And I applaud those countries in the region who are taking action to do just that.

Disaggregated data and evidence is part of the region's focus on data and digitalization. This will lead to better planning, policies and decision making for concerns of the elderly, people with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence, people with HIV and other vulnerable groups.

 

Distinguished guests,

We know how to flip this narrative and ensure girls find a better path.

I am grateful for your leadership and spirit of commitment to uphold the vision of the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, and the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, which established a global gold standard for ICPD implementation.

Nearly three decades after Cairo, UNFPA is as determined as ever to keep alive the spirit of the ICPD and its promise to fulfill the rights of women and girls, particularly their right to decide whether or when to have children.

We continue to affirm that population is not just about numbers, but about people. And that sexual and reproductive health and rights are central to a country’s prosperity and development.

Let us not forget that demographic trends – not only population size, but fertility rates, ageing, pensions, social welfare systems, and rural-urban distributions – also have important implications for sustainable development.

These are major issues in the Caribbean, where improvements in life expectancy have also led to an ageing population and a fertility rate of 1.9 children per woman, just below the 2.1 replacement level.

People-centered policies can help governments to address shifting demographics that impact on development. To accelerate progress and become more resilient, countries need creativity and ingenuity; and they need to see their populations not as burdens but as human beings with infinite potential.

Distinguished guests,

The Caribbean region and the world are at a critical juncture. Poverty, covid, conflict, the relentless pushback on women’s rights – all are setting back progress. All of this is compounded by the climate shocks and natural disasters this region is all too familiar with. The Caribbean and its Small Island Developing States are dramatically affected by climate change, with women, girls and other vulnerable groups suffering the most.

Climate crises increase their vulnerability to gender-based violence and threaten their access to sexual and reproductive health care. Essential services that safeguard their lives, rights and dignity, too often are out of reach or overlooked.

In the chaotic aftermath of a hurricane, getting a refill of a birth control prescription is often the last thing on their minds. Nor is it on the minds of decision-makers responding to humanitarian crises. But it should be.

At UNFPA, our aim is to make sure that life-saving sexual and reproductive services are universally accessible, including in humanitarian settings.

We are working with partners towards three transformative results for women and girls – our ‘three zeros’:

• Zero unmet need for family planning,
• Zero preventable maternal deaths, and
• Zero gender-based violence and harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriage.

And we use quality data to help us zero in on and reach those in greatest need – our aim always is to leave no one behind.

We are in a room full of decision makers, activists, and young people – bright, creative minds ready to lead. All connected by a shared vision – the Montevideo Consensus – upon which these three zeros depend.

You can help by continuing to advocate for increased investment in sexual and reproductive health and rights; by strengthening capacities for data collection, by engaging men and boys to champion reproductive health and to end gender-based violence; by creating an enabling environment for young people to thrive.

We all hold great power, and we must use it – to build peaceful societies so women and girls and people of all types of ability can live in dignity, charting their own life course in larger freedom – as the UN Charter guarantees. 

Indeed, as we heard just now in the Antigua and Barbuda national anthem beautifully played by the steel pan, I memorized these words “may each endeavor, all achieve” because together, I am confident we can reduce suffering and unleash the peace and opportunity that far exceeds what any of us could do on our own.

This is our opportunity to combine our voices, resources, and ingenuity to lift up our young people, and break down every barrier holding back women and girls.

This is our opportunity to ensure that every woman and girl can exercise her rights and govern her own body, free from violence and harm.

Let’s build a future where her choices are respected and protected, and where she can contribute on an equal footing with men to the prosperity of her community, her country and this great region.