PRESS RELEASE

Integrated Health Outreach (IHO) stands in solidarity with the numerous Caribbean civil society organisations (CSO) that together, on Wednesday, during the 55th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) underway in Antigua, called for bolder action to secure human rights and prosperity for the people of the Americas and a genuine commitment by OAS member state governments to more robust implementation of the pledges and policies made and endorsed at the OAS level.

During the official Dialouge of Representatives of Civil Society Organsiations on June 25th, the statement of the Caribbean Coalition of CSOs, of which IHO is a member, was ably delivered by Antigua and Barbuda’s Alexandrina Wong, a tireless advocate against sexaul and gender-based violence (GBV) and Executive Director of Women Against Rape Inc. On behalf of Caribbean CSOs, Wong declared that “strategic unity and bold action never seen before” were imperative to meeting the challenges of “escalating climate disasters, global financial instability, and entrenched inequalities [that] threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions”.

She also reminded OAS member state governments that such action must “prioritise the most vulnerable” and “transform promises into tangible action”, noting that civil society in the Caribbean, working in communities and with the most vulnerable people, often witnesses “the gaps between policy and reality”. Implementation and commitment to pledges made were a recurring theme throughout the official Dialogue on Wednesday.

Representing IHO during the event was its Communications Officer, Kieron Murdoch, who afterwards said, “The OAS mantra — more rights for more people — that is what civil society throughout the Americas has essentially spoken about here today. Representatives from all sectors of society are here championing causes that affect the lives of citizens in the member states. But the implementation and fulfilment of pledges made is a problem. But I believe that is why we are here. Civil society’s role is to make government more accountable, not just in official forums like these, but through daily engagement in our domestic spaces. That is where it counts most.”

ntegrated Health Outreach (IHO) stands in solidarity with the numerous Caribbean civil society organisations (CSO) that together, on Wednesday, during the 55th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) underway in Antigua, called for bolder action to secure human rights and prosperity for the people of the Americas and a genuine commitment by OAS member state governments to more robust implementation of the pledges and policies made and endorsed at the OAS level.

During the official Dialouge of Representatives of Civil Society Organsiations on June 25th, the statement of the Caribbean Coalition of CSOs, of which IHO is a member, was ably delivered by Antigua and Barbuda’s Alexandrina Wong, a tireless advocate against sexaul and gender-based violence (GBV) and Executive Director of Women Against Rape Inc. On behalf of Caribbean CSOs, Wong declared that “strategic unity and bold action never seen before” were imperative to meeting the challenges of “escalating climate disasters, global financial instability, and entrenched inequalities [that] threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions”.

She also reminded OAS member state governments that such action must “prioritise the most vulnerable” and “transform promises into tangible action”, noting that civil society in the Caribbean, working in communities and with the most vulnerable people, often witnesses “the gaps between policy and reality”. Implementation and commitment to pledges made were a recurring theme throughout the official Dialogue on Wednesday.

Representing IHO during the event was its Communications Officer, Kieron Murdoch, who afterwards said, “The OAS mantra — more rights for more people — that is what civil society throughout the Americas has essentially spoken about here today. Representatives from all sectors of society are here championing causes that affect the lives of citizens in the member states. But the implementation and fulfilment of pledges made is a problem. But I believe that is why we are here. Civil society’s role is to make government more accountable, not just in official forums like these, but through daily engagement in our domestic spaces. That is where it counts most.”