The Week Ahead with the UN in the Caribbean: 8 - 14 July 2024

With only six years remaining until the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs), this year's High-level Political Forum, under the auspices of UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), will spark renewed urgency and be a key contributor to preparations for the Summit of the Future in September.

The theme will be "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions” and the event will take place from 8 to 17 July 2024. The first meeting takes place at 10 am AST and will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.

37 countries will start presenting their Voluntary National Review (VNRs) or the actions they are taking to advance the SDGs on 12 July and continue during the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from 15 to 17 July. Belize is the only Caribbean country that will present a VNR this year.

UN Human Rights Committee to review Suriname

The current session of the UN Human Rights Committee will see it conduct a review of Suriname. As one of the 174 State parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Suriname is required to undergo regular reviews by the Committee of 18 independent international experts on how they are implementing the Covenant as well as the Committee's previous recommendations. This review will take place across two sessions to be broadcast live on UN Web TV.

• Wednesday 10 July 9 am AST / 10 am (SRT GMT -3)

• Thursday 11 July 4 am AST / 5 am (SRT GMT -3)
   

Regional Approach to Migration Policy

Monday 8 - 10 July - The CARICOM Secretariat and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), with technical support from UN Migration Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will host a critical workshop titled “Towards a Regional Approach to a Migration Policy in the Caribbean—Realizing A Shared Vision”. This initiative marks a significant stride in the development of a common regional policy to strategically leverage migration as a development tool for the Caribbean Community. The opening session will be streamed live on CARICOM's social media pages at 9 am AST, Monday 8 July.

Workshop On Strengthening Sustainable Financing for HIV Programmes 

Monday 8 - 9 July - UNAIDS will support the CARICOM Secretariat as participants in their "Workshop On Strengthening Sustainable Financing for HIV Programmes", hosted in Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Guillermo Marquez, Regional Advisor, Community Support, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will deliver remarks at the Opening Ceremony. Ricardo Casteneda of UNAIDS will chair a session, titled, Service Provision for Key Populations.

Global Multi-Stakeholder Small Island Developing States Partnership Dialogue

Wednesday 10 July - This event will be broadcast live by the UN Department of Global communications on UN Web TV at 10 am AST.

Upcoming United Nations Observances

Thursday 11 July - World Population Day 2024 is a moment to ask who is still going uncounted in the global population count and why. In Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth Talbert, Director of the United Nations Population Fund Sub-Regional Caribbean Office (UNFPA SROC), will deliver opening remarks at a 'Midyear Review Meeting' marking this observance. 

The meeting aims to showcase achievements in advancing reproductive health, gender equality, and populations issues by UNFPA partners. It also aims to identify challenges and lessons learnt in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action, which endorses a new strategy that emphasizes the integral linkages between population and development and focuses on meeting the needs of individual women and men, rather than on achieving demographic targets.

On this day, the UN Department of global Communications will broadcast 2024 United Nations Population Awards ceremony at 3 pm AST.

Thursday 11 July -  International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica will be observed for the first time in 2024.

Friday 12 July - International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms raises awareness about the need to prevent, manage and mitigate the effects of sand and dust storms through the enhancement of early warning systems and the sharing of climate and weather information to forecast sand and dust storms.