Institutional Framework
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the State institution in Antigua and Barbuda responsible for maintaining alignment between State policies and the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and, in this way, it maintains a permanent concern for population issues that are part of the Montevideo Consensus. To carry out this task, the State has formed a national committee involving not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its International Trade Department but also the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Transformation, and other state agencies such as the National Office of Statistics, the Department of Environment, and the Division of Prices and Consumer Affairs. This Committee operates on a permanent basis and meets on a quarterly basis to plan and coordinate its actions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acts as focal point for monitoring the implementation of the Montevideo Consensus in the country. It acts as an intermediary with the Regional Conference on Population and Development, facilitates connections with other State’s agencies, and is responsible for the preparation of the voluntary national reports for the CRPD.
Participation
The National Committee for Sustainable Development Goals has the concurrence of three international NGOs that participate in the Committee's activities for information purposes, these are: The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) and the Antigua Planned Parenthood Association (APPA). The Committee has a nine-member board of directors that contribute to the development of policies and programmes, while the Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean provides technical support.
The information on Institutionality comes from the regional survey for the update of the Virtual Platform for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, implemented by the technical secretariat in 2023.