ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Apr 30, CMC – The Grenada government has blamed the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for its failure to implement several of the recommendations received following the presentation of its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2020.
The UPR is a United Nations process where all 193 UN member states re reviewed on their human rights records every 4.5 years. On January 27, 2020 in Geneva, Grenada received 148 recommendations following its presentation. Some were accepted while others were noted.
Among the recommendations were the request from the United Kingdom for Grenada to repeal all legal provisions that discriminate against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity while the United States wanted Grenada to amend Article 32 of the Employment Act to expressly prohibit hazardous work for children and trafficking of children in all cases.
The latest human rights record of Grenada will be examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time on Monday, May 5 in Geneva.
The Grenada delegation will be led by Roxie McLeish-Hutchinson, Permanent Secretary with responsibility for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development. The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs for the review of Grenada are Spain, Brazil and Qatar.
“Grenada faced several challenges that hindered the full implementation of the recommendations received during its 3rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Chief among these was the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted national priorities and diverted limited financial and human resources to managing the health crisis,” said the fourth cycle report
“The pandemic exposed systemic vulnerabilities in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and social protection, significantly slowing the progress of ongoing projects tied to UPR recommendations,” said the report which points out that the island is susceptible to extreme weather conditions link to climate change.
“Additionally, Grenada’s susceptibility to climate change and the intensifying effects of extreme weather conditions caused significant infrastructural damage, draining resources and delaying initiatives aimed at improving citizens’ well-being.
“These combined challenges were further compounded by fiscal constraints faced by a small island developing state (SIDS), limiting the government’s capacity to invest in long-term developmental goals while addressing immediate crises,” said the report.
The report was collated by the National Coordinating Committee on Human Rights (NCCHR), under the stewardship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development in its capacity as chair of the committee.review.
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