The Week Ahead with the UN in the Caribbean: 20 - 26 May 2024

Monday 20 - 22 May: Various UN System representatives participate in the Caribbean Regional Freedom from Slavery Forum, taking place under the theme, "Demystifying Human Trafficking in the Caribbean Context: The Intersection of Culture and Human Trafficking". Click the following link for the programme and livestream — programme and livestream here.

Tuesday 21 - 24 May: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) together with the Government of Barbados will host the first-ever Global Supply Chain Forum in Barbados. Find the schedule and live stream links using this link — https://unctad.org/conference/global-supply-chain-forum-2024

Tuesday 21 May - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with CARICOM launch the 7th Caribbean Food Security and Livelihoods Survey Results. click here to register to attend virtually — https://wfp-org-conference.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TlEXGJK-RWeexhMRTahLbw#/registration

Wednesday 22 May, the Official Launch of the UN Global Compact Caribbean Network & UN Global Compact’s Sustainable SME & Supply Chain Programme will take place at the Global Supply Chain Forum, Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Bridgetown. The UN Resident Coordinator (RC) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean has been a close collaborator in developing this initiative.

Events Preparing for SIDS4 

The 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) will take place in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 to 30 May 2024. Below is a list of side events being hosted by the UN System in the Caribbean in the lead up to the conference.

Wednesday 22 May: The United Nations Information Information Centre for the Caribbean Area and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean subregional headquarters for the Caribbean (ECLAC Caribbean) will host a media sensitisation event called Eye on Island Issues - Development Stories and SIDS4 to prepare storytellers in latin America and the Caribbean to report on SIDS4. The event will be hosted virtually and the following link can be used to register — https://cepal-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CvwgRDZJQFSnQrY8-kntbw#/registration

Saturday 25 - 26 May: The The UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean and UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office with support from their partner, The Caribbean Development Bank, will host the SIDS Gender Equality Forum at Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua and Barbuda. Leanr more here — https://caribbean.unwomen.org/en/our-work/gender-equality-forum-2024 

Upcoming United Nations Observances

20 May — World Bee Day

21 May — International Tea Day

21 May — World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

22 May — International Day for Biological Diversity

23 May — Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon

23 May — International Day to End Obstetric Fistula

24 May — International Day of Markhor (The markhor is a wild goat species indigenous to the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia)

25 May — World Football Day 

25 May — Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories, 25-31 May