Johnson Smith attending global conference to end violence against children
JAMAICAN CHILDREN, like their peers worldwide, should benefit from the global conference to end violence against children, which enters its final day today in Stockhom, Sweden.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith is representing Jamaica at the two-day conference – the Agenda 2030 for Children: End Violence Solutions Summit.
It is hosted by the government of Sweden in collaboration with the United Nations Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, to which
Jamaica was i nvited as a Pathfinder Country in March 2016. To this end, Johnson Smith has been exchanging ideas on developing sustainable measures to prevent, mitigate and respond to violence against children.
A release from her ministry quoted her as saying that “The summit aims to raise awareness on the importance of protecting children from violence and to develop partnerships between government and civil society as we seek to increase the commitments to mobilise against this dark reality”.
“We will also continue to encourage new partners to join the global movement to end violence against children,” she added.
The release said that Johnson Smith would also use the opportunity to present Jamaican projects under the Pathfinder Country initiative to the Summit.
Dr Elizabeth Ward, coordinator for the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children, joined the minister for the summit.
In addition to meeting with members of the Jamaican Diaspora in Stockholm, Johnson Smith was also expected to participate in the high-level meeting on the Funding Compact for the United Nations Development System.