Grenada prepares for finalisation of population policy

The Grenadian Ministry of Social and Community Development, Housing and Gender Affairs is working towards establishing the country’s national population and development policy to facilitate the government’s vision to establish a modern, innovative and productive economy in the Caribbean nation. On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, key stakeholders related to the issue met to discuss the policy document which it is likely to present to the Cabinet by the end of the month.

It was the second time that the document discussed with key expert inputs after the first meeting held in December 2024. The initial deadline for its completion was before Christmas 2024 but it got delayed.

The ministry has collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to ensure that the development of the policy is aligned with the country’s demographic and developmental needs. 

UNFPA consultant demographer speaks

Godfrey St. Bernard, a consultant demographer from UNFPA, stressed the significance of the second round of talks for the policy which reflects the needs and aspirations of the people of Grenada. He said with more inputs from UN experts coming in, the discussions held in the February session helped in having a cleaner version of the document compared to what it was in December. 

“I have delivered today is a major improvement over what could have been delivered back in December. We are in a better place to incorporate comments that would have come from today's deliberations. I hope the document will be available by the end of this month (February),” he told a government news outlet.

St. Bernard also said that inputs that came from the people of Grenada were invaluable since the policy would eventually be owned by the government and the people of Grenada. He said many of the participants who took part in the February 12 discussions represented key stakeholder groups that are critical in terms of institutional, social, cultural, economic and environmental imperatives of any population policy and the actions involved in it. 

He added that those people played an important role in the development of the policy because they not only contributed initial valuable data but also it is them who have to endorse the population policy of Grenada. 

During the December meeting, St. Bernard said while speaking on the policy, “A national population policy is a very important instrument that declares population, demographic and other non-demographic goals that would facilitate the human development of Grenada’s population and all of the institutions allied to facilitating the human development goals of Grenada.”

He also said the policy-development efforts were mindful of the island-state’s national sustainable development goals and how the new policy could facilitate them. Significant research and interactions were done with relevant stakeholders to make the policy a reality, he added.

‘A timely endeavour’

De-Jane Gibbons, UNFPA’s liaison officer for Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) said during the February meeting that a population policy is key for addressing unique demographic and developmental challenges. 

“It is a timely endeavour. Grenada and a number of other Caribbean countries are experiencing a population decline. Grenada has taken a proactive approach to developing this policy that speaks of measures it is putting in place to address social and economic issues. UNFPA is privileged to be able to recruit St. Bernard who has been working closely with partners in both Grenada and UNFPA to develop this policy that speaks of the needs of Grenadians,” she said. 

Gibbons added that the UNFPA will continue to support the policy’s development process and also after it is approved by the Cabinet, through technical assistance. She said partnerships are also being forged with other UN agencies, such as UN Women, to implement policies in Grenada and other East Caribbean nations. 

The population policy also emphasises other critical areas such as expanding access to tertiary education and vocational training to ensure quality universal healthcare and provision of affordable land and housing solutions. 

Why Grenada seeks a population policy

The Grenadian government wants to have a population policy to ensure that the citizens are fully equipped with skills to compete in a dynamic and global market. Grenada’s ability to establish a high-skilled, knowledgeable and globally oriented economy is also dependent on the size, growth, distribution and structure of its population. 

Grenada’s population policy has become all the more significant since the Caribbean region has seen a decline in population growth in recent years. According to one report, the sub-region will see a reduction in the population from 2038 and by 2050, as many as 21 Caribbean countries and territories will have declining populations. Having a viable population is therefore the goal of many of these countries.