“Ministry of Social Development kicks off 2017 with Men’s Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals”

CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS – Wednesday 18th January 2017 – In keeping with its continued commitment of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and broadening the scope for debate of government’s social policy, the Ministry of Social Development, through its Department of Sustainable Development and Gender Affairs Division, will on Wednesday 25th January 2017 convene a one day Men’s Forum at the Mount Nevis Hotel from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm to examine the role which men have to play in the delivery of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The initiative, which is the brain child of the Junior Minister of Social Development in the NIA, the Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, represents a concerted effort on the part of her and her Ministry to expand the avenues for civil society to give its input for shaping the Ministry’s development plan and keep abreast of external developments.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda adopted in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly covers a number of critical areas where men’s participation is crucial. Consequently, issues pertaining to men’s health and well-being, labour rights in the workplace, and obstacles and opportunities in accessing legal/judicial recourse are all matters which will be ventilated, as the Government seeks to extract its areas for legislative priority. This all important forum will bring together male leaders in government, business, religious, youth and community-based organizations for a day of dialogue as we seek to bring the gender and development debate full circle and develop a more comprehensive national framework that considers gender as a system which affects both women and men.