UN Human Rights in English Speaking Caribbean and Suriname

Profile

Under the leadership of the OHCHR Regional Representative for Central America and the Caribbean based in Panama, Human Rights Advisors are deployed to the United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) in Barbados/Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Together, they cover Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Human Rights Advisors provide thematic support to the UNCTs, Offices of the Resident Coordinator and national counterparts in incorporating human rights into their programmes and activities. This includes providing human rights expertise to national authorities, civil society and UN partners, mainstreaming human rights in the UN approach, advocating for implementation of international human rights treaties and reporting to their monitoring mechanisms, and providing advisory services for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region.

Achievements

• Following OHCHR advocacy, in 2019 Dominica ratified the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; Antigua and Barbuda acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and St. Kitts and Nevis ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Effective implementation through legislative and institutional reforms call for further technical assistance and advisory services to continue. For example, in 2019 OHCHR provided capacity building to government officials in Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines  on reporting to the CRPD Committee.  
• OHCHR has started working with the Trinidad and Tobago Equal Opportunity Commission (TT EOC) on transitioning into a NHRI in compliance with the Paris Principles. OHCHR partnered with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty to raise awareness among young people in Barbados and strengthen human rights advocacy. In 2019 the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity and IACHR Rapporteur on rights of LGBTI persons, held a Caribbean Joint Consultation on the socio-economic and cultural inclusion of LGBTI persons in the region.
• In 2019, OHCHR in Jamaica worked closely with UNCT and the human rights and Gender Working Group and provided capcity building, training and technical advice on UN SDG operational guidelines on leaving noone behind, gender and migration as well as in regard to legislative reform and harmonisation of national laws with international legal framework.
• In collaboration with the National Police College of Jamaica, OHCHR developed a Pocket Guide on Human Rights in Law Enforcement to prevent human rights violations and to ensure accountability on violations committed by the police force. The guide also sensitizes the police on issues relating to women's rights and gender-based violence.
• In 2019, OHCHR took the lead on 4 reports by UN Country Teams to human rights mechanisms (Grenada: UPR; Guyana: UPR; Jamaica UPR and CRPD) and contributed to building the reporting capacity of relevant authorities in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. OHCHR also provided support to civil  society to further engage with human rights mechanisms, in particular in  Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
• In 2019 and 2020 OHCHR played a leading role in addressing protection and human rights concerns post Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and organised several missions and deployed surge capacity to monitor the situation of vulnerable groups and advocate for a human rights-based approach in the emergency response and recovery efforts. In 2020 OHCHR monitored human rights in the context of elections in Guyana, emphasizing the importance of human rights for peaceful, inclusive and credible elections.

Partners and Donors

Partners: UN agencies, International and regional organizations, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), States, Law enforcement and judiciary and civil society organisations.

Donors: Funded through United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

UN Human Rights Focus Areas

Last reviewed: March 2021