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CARICOM to adopt Gender Equality Strategy
…ministerial confab hears
Kaieteur News – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states will soon adopt a Gender Equality Strategy which will advance the protection and development of women and girls across the region.
This was revealed during the opening day of a three-day ministerial forum on gender empowerment and equality launched on Wednesday at the Marriot Hotel. The forum will see the participation of stakeholders from across the Caribbean. Present at the opening of the event was Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud.
The forum, which will continue until Friday, is geared towards the sharing of experiences by delegates to contribute towards the strategy to tackle gender equality and empowerment.
CARICOM’s Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development, Alison Drayton, during her address to the gathering at the opening, said that the strategy will be adopted within two weeks at an upcoming meeting of Ministers with responsibility for gender.
Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development CARICOM Secretariat Alison Drayton.
Drayton went on to say that the strategy captures the collective aspiration, shared dedication, and unwavering belief in the transformative power of equality. She urged participants that as they deliberate and collaborate in the days ahead, to hold that vision at the forefront of discussions and decisions.
She further stated that, “By doing so, we lay the foundation of a CARICOM community that is not only united by history and geography but more so by a resolute commitment to building a world where every woman man and child, regardless of gender stands on an equal footing.”
Dr. Vindhya Persaud in her address at the forum, spoke of the importance of empowerment. “Empowerment is an interesting word. Whenever people in Guyana or the region hear the word empowerment, they tend to associate it with women, because we’ve been doing so much work around the world, in the region and our various countries, when it comes to empowering our women.”
To the men in the room, she encouraged them to tell their brothers in the public domain that they, “are included and empowerment is an expansive word that encompasses the kind of mission we need to be on, to ensure that people have equal access to opportunity and the ability for self-development.”
Other regional ministerial officials participating in the forum are, Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister –Gender and Child Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Orando Brewster – Minister of Gender Affairs, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Philip Telesford – Minister of Social and Community Development, Housing and Gender Affairs, Grenada, Joachim Henry, Minister of Health and Wellness and Elderly Affairs, St. Lucia, and Oscar Requena, Minister of Local Government, Belize.
Over the next two days, the stakeholders will take part in round table discussions covering a wide range of topics including gender violence, support for women in the workplace, and poverty among women.
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- Assistant Secretary General, Caribbean Community, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Gender Equality Strategy, Human and Social Development CARICOM Secretariat Alison Drayton., Minister of Human Services and Social Security
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