Locations
Mitzian Turner, director of projects and strategic management at the MultiCare Youth Foundation; Alicia Bowen McCulskie, executive director of Circle of Care Jamaica; UNDP Programme Analyst (monitoring and evaluation) Kimberley Wilson, representing UNDP Resident representative, Kishan Khoday ; Shehryar Sarwar, head of international cooperation, Canadian High Commission, during the World Social Justice Day Civil Society Organization (CSO) Impact Showcase at the AC Hotel in New Kingston on 20 February.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Ministry of Justice to consider establishing an official referral system for CSO clients to strengthen efforts to bolster demand for the Ministry’s social justice services.
Since 2024, seven CSOs commissioned by the Ministry of Justice under the Government of Canada-financed Social Justice project, have been conducting cross country promotions of the Ministry’s restorative justice; mediation; dispute resolution; victim support and child diversion services, among vulnerable groups like women, children, rural communities and persons with disabilities. An official referral system could take the current partnership to the next level, ensuring that the justice needs of CSO clients are met and tracked, to support improved service delivery and targeting.
The call came from UNDP Resident representative, Kishan Khoday, represented by UNDP Programme Analyst (monitoring and evaluation) Kimbereley Wilson on World Day of Social Justice last week. She was speaking on Mr. Khoday’s behalf at a CSO Impact Showcase convened under the Social Justice project which is implemented by the Ministry of Justice in Partnership with UNDP.
Highlighting the success of the outreach efforts, Mr. Khoday said the CSO partnership should also be expanded to youth-led groups, citizen safety and security groups, and other potential allies to expand outreach and referrals to many more vulnerable groups. “I call on the wider CSO community to join these important efforts to bolster access to social justice services, share information where access is being denied, share contact information with those in need and to engage with us to discuss how they can participate in our outreach programmes,” Mr. Khoday stated.
Shehryar Sarwar, Head of Development Cooperation, High Commission of Canada in Jamaica recognized CSOs as playing a vital role in promoting social justice by raising awareness, advocating for policy changes, and delivering essential services. “CSOs are often the bridge-builders between government, communities, and other stakeholders, bringing about inclusive change … without the knowledge and expertise that these civil society organizations bring to the table, we could not advance social justice as quickly or as effectively as we desire”, he said.
Mr. Sarwar said Canada remains engaged and committed to working with the Government of Jamaica and local stakeholders to advance equitable access to justice and create a better, safer, and more inclusive society.
The CSO Showcase featured presentations and exhibits from the Ministry’s seven CSO partners. They presented on their various outreach efforts which included justice and school tours, information sessions, cognitive and behavioral therapies, sign language interpretation classes and other innovative outreach strategies which are tailored to bridge gaps and boost demand for the Ministry’s social justice services.
The CSO partners under the Social Justice project are: Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica; Circle of Care Jamaica; Jamaicans for Justice; Jamaica Association for the Deaf; Jamaica Professionals Youth Workers Association; Children First and the Multi Care Youth Foundation.
The seven-year Social Justice project (2023 to 2023) aims to improve access to social justice in Jamaica, using an equitable human rights and gender responsive approach focusing on vulnerable communities such as women, girls, persons living with disabilities and other key populations. The pillars of the project are Gender-Responsive Alternative Justice Services and Strategies; Support for the Legislative, Policy and Programmatic Framework for Gender Responsive Justice Services and Support Systems; Strengthened Legal Aid Services to Women, Girls and Underserved Communities; Gender-responsive Witness Care and Child Jus-tice Coordination Systems; Gender-Responsive Justice Informational, Educational and Communication Products; Strengthened Capacity of Justice Training Institute; Courts Records Management System.
