Strengthening social protection and care systems for Jamaica
Date:
UN Women MCO Caribbean Deputy Representative and Head of Office a.i. Isiuiwa Iyahen and Jamaica Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr. UN Women Photo/Daniele Mariani
Kingston, Jamaica – May 21, 2026: On the recent follow up mission to examine the UN Women MCO Caribbean Hurricane Melissa response and 2026 hurricane preparedness, Ministry of Labour and Social Security and UN Women Caribbean teams discussed what UN Women and UNICEF teams saw on the ground while engaging directly with beneficiaries of the PATH, Jamaica’s flagship social assistance initiative.
PATH, which provides household income, pension and medical support, is meeting needs.
But, the intergenerational nature of care was evident, with grandmothers caring for grandchildren and elderly relatives, highlighting the importance of sustained and targeted support throughout one’s life.
Recognising that the global pattern that women carry the majority of the child and elder care work is also the case in Jamaica, and the majority of households are headed by women, Jamaica Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr., and UN Women MCO Caribbean Deputy Representative and Head of Office a.i. Isiuiwa Iyahen, agreed to mobilising support for UN Women to conduct an assessment of the care system in Jamaica.
Discussions also emphasised stronger collaboration with community organisations, alongside Government and partners, to reduce vulnerabilities for crisis-affected households.
Taking into account the findings and recommendations of the UN Women MCO Caribbean 𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂’𝒔 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒄𝒂, the UN Women Head of office assured that as the co-lead , alongside CDEMA of the Protection Cluster, UN Women would continue to lead on a gendered response through this coordination mechanism of development partners in response to hurricanes and other crises so that no one is left behind.