The Ministry of Social Development, Housing & Community Empowerment and the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs are now better equipped to respond to the needs of communities across Grenada impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is thanks to the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. The PPE, which includes 3,000 masks, will be used to reduce the exposure to health risks faced by those in the Ministries as well as relevant community service organisations responsible for providing psychosocial support to the victims of gender-based violence (GBV) during the pandemic.

UNDP Resident Representative Magdy Martinez-Soliman stated “In Grenada, like most of the countries in the region, swift and decisive national interventions restricted the spread of the virus and prevented the major health emergencies observed in other regions; nonetheless, as countries begin to re-open their borders, PPE will play a crucial role in the reducing the transmission risk and minimizing the potential for a second wave.” Mr. Martinez Soliman also noted that with global evidence of an increase in GBV linked to the major socio-economic dislocation caused by the pandemic, it is important to ensure that those on the front lines of responding to and preventing GBV are fully protected.

The protective equipment was distributed as part of the Spotlight Initiative’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and operates around the world, including in Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

UNDP is committed through partnerships with governments to providing the necessary support to Grenada and countries in the Eastern Caribbean to ensure a full social and economic recovery.