OECS MEDIA RELEASE
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, with the support of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has officially unveiled the OECS Regional Child Policy and Strategic Plan 2026-2032, signalling a transformative step forward in strengthening the region’s commitment to safeguarding and advancing the rights, development and well-being of children. Held on July 15, 2026, at the Finance Administrative Centre in Saint Lucia, the launch brought together government representatives, development partners, child-focused specialists, educators, young people, students and parents.
The OECS Regional Child Policy and Strategic Plan 2026-2032 draws on insights gathered directly from stakeholders, parents and children. Adopting a comprehensive whole-of-the-child approach, they provide a structured framework to ensure that every child is protected and that children’s interests are prioritised. Built on evidence rather than assumptions, its vision is: “By 2032, every child in the OECS will feel valued, safe, supported, loved and empowered, while enjoying the full range of their rights, regardless of gender, disability, migration status, or background.”
In his address, Dr Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS, emphasised that the true measure of the policy’s success will not lie in the document itself, but in how meaningful it is translated into meaningful action that improves the lives of children. He stated:
“A child does not live inside a document. A child lives in a home, on a street, in a village. A child wakes up in the morning, eats- or does not eat- walks to school, sits in a classroom, plays in a yard, scrolls on a phone, visits a clinic when sick, and goes to sleep at night either feeling safe or feeling afraid. Every one of those moments is where this policy must live. Not on paper. In life. So what we are launching today is not a document. It is a promise, and more than a promise, it is a plan of action. A connected cluster of practical initiatives, working together across health, education, justice, protection and social support to build something our grandmothers understood long before any of us wrote a strategy: a whole community wrapped around a child.”
Reinforcing the OECS Commission’s commitment to safeguarding children through action and enforcement, Mrs Sisera Simon, Head, Human and Social Division, OECS Commission, highlighted the policy’s guiding principles, which include prioritising the best interests of every child, ensuring non-discrimination, listening to children’s perspectives, safeguarding their mental well-being and embedding strict accountability at every level of governance. She stated:
“To the children and families of the OECS, we accept this responsibility with the utmost gravity and enthusiasm. We will not allow this blueprint to gather dust on a shelf. We will live it, track it, and enforce it. By 2032, it is our collective mandate to ensure that no child in our region is left unseen, unprotected, or unloved. This is our promise, and this is our commitment.”
Framing her remarks around a story of a little girl named Aaliyah, whose hopes and aspirations represent the promise inherent in every child, Ms Maryam Abdu, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Eastern Caribbean Area, underscored the importance of ensuring that every child has the opportunity to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential. She stated:
“Today is about ensuring that every child like Aaliyah- whether in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, or the British Virgin Islands- has the opportunity to survive, thrive, learn, participate, and reach their full potential. The launch of the OECS Regional Child Policy 2026-2032 is more than a milestone. It is a regional commitment to move from shared concern to coordinated action for every child across the Eastern Caribbean.”
The launch of the OECS Regional Child Policy and Strategic Plan reflects the OECS’s enduring commitment to creating safe, inclusive and protective environments for children. Aligned with the OECS’s strategic imperatives, namely OECS Strategic Priority 5: Advance Equity and Inclusion to Reduce Disparities in Health, Education and Social Outcomes, it provides a practical framework for embedding child protection and empowerment across the region. Working collaboratively with partners, OECS Member States, and stakeholders, the OECS Commission will now focus on translating the policy and strategic plan into sustained action to create safer environments and better outcomes for every child.
