UNICEF launches U-Report in Haiti
Port-au-Prince, 27 June 2019 — UNICEF launched on 27 June U-Report Haiti, a tool that allows for young people to give their opinion. With the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), the International Labor Office (ILO) and the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL), the launch ceremony was attended by the Haitian singer and U-Reporter influencer BIC, in the presence of more 100 young people and 30 scouts.
“U-report is a free system that operates via SMS and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp) made available to young Haitians for them to express themselves on issues regarding their community,” said Maria-Luisa Fornara, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. “The tool helps gather unbiased opinions on important topics such as child protection, health, education, water, hygiene and sanitation,” she added.
Before the launch, some 1,000 youths had already registered on U-Report. In Haiti, the deployment of the platform is funded by the Government of Canada which the UNICEF Representative thanked in her speech.
Haiti is the 55th country to join the global U-Report network. Launched in 2011 by UNICEF to improve social mobilization, planning, monitoring and evaluation of programs, the tool facilitates civic engagement and information sharing on community issues and the impact of public policies on people’s lives. “The first survey we launched early June revealed that 80% of young people under 14 do not know that the law prohibits child labor under 16 years of age. Based on this information, we will be able to carry out awareness campaigns targeting adolescents,” explained Fornara.
“I discovered U-Report today, it’s great! It will help us to say things that will help our community. And it is so easy using Facebook and SMS. Our voice is important and it’s so hard to be heard when you are not well-known,” said Luxama Édouard, a young person who attended launch.
To bring more and more young girls and boys to register on the platform, the renowned Haitian singer BIC has made a song “Vwa pa ma konte”, which means “my voice counts” in Creole, the most spoken language in Haiti. “It’s easy to be useful to your community from your phone,” he said at the ceremony. “Since yesterday, I have become U-Reporter,” he added.
About 7 million people, mostly youths, are registered on the U-report platform around the world. For UNICEF Haiti and its partners, the goal is to reach the maximum of young Haitians possible, through social media as well as mobile phone operators.
U-Report is an integral part of Generation Unlimited. The global partnership brings youths, governments, international and local organizations and the private sector together, to meet the urgent challenge of a world where investments in learning and employment are insufficient. It links secondary school education and training to the world of work.
IBESR, the government institute in charge of child protection has praised the initiative. “U-report should become a reference for the participation of Haitian youth in public affairs,” said IBESR’s Diem Pierre while encouraging young people to register heavily on the platform. “Speak, act, participate democratically because you are role models”.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
For more information:
Ndiaga Seck, Chef Communication, +509 3744 6199, nseck@unicef.org
Jennifer Melton, Chief Child Protection, +509 3647 4020, jmelton@unicef.org
Pour plus d’informations sur l’UNICEF et son travail, visitez : www.unicef.org