The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of Bahamians visited SuperClubs Breezes yesterday to take part in consultations and give recommendations on the draft CARICOM Regional Gender Equality Strategy (CRGES), which aims to strengthen gender equality and women empowerment in the Caribbean.

In her welcoming remarks, Ann-Marie Williams, deputy programme manager for gender of the CARICOM Secretariat, spoke on the importance of the meetings and what officials are hoping to achieve.

“Today marks the fifth in a series of seven in person consultations, mostly by Secretariat gender development programmes which I lead on in partnership with the various member states,” she said.

“Today, it’s The Bahamas’ turn. So far, since the start of August the fifth to be exact, I’ve been to Belize. We’ve covered St Lucia, Trinidad, Dominica. We came from Dominica over the weekend and after The Bahamas, then we want to (go to) Anguilla and finish with Jamaica.”

She added: “The Caricom Secretariat developed ‘stepping it up’, a draft strategy to achieve gender equality in the Caribbean community to focus attention on actions to reduce social inequalities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic that adversely affected and continue to affect the lives and circumstances of women, men, boys and girls in our region.

“As part of our mandate to achieve regional integration within the 20 member states, 15 full members and five associate members, The Bahamas being a full member, the ideas, experiences and voices of all citizens must be considered across all policies and programmes and their interventions.”

She said the strategy provides a roadmap for member states to report on mainstream gender-based issues and also coordinate a regional approach to achieving gender equality and promoting women empowerment.

It also focuses on several key areas, including social inclusion; freedom from violence; economic empowerment; good governance; access to health services; inclusive quality education, and sustainable natural resource management.

According to Ms Wiliams, the strategy is guided by several international human rights obligations, regional policies and frameworks among other factors.

“There’s a monitoring and evaluation accountability and learning plan or meal plan for short that’s attached to the strategy,” she added, “and this plan use the CARICOM gender equality indicators which is rights base and was developed with support from UN Women and is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, which we follow which we all pledged to achieve by 2030.

“I look forward to a spirited discussion in an effort to finalise the first ever CARICOM regional gender equality strategy and count yourself lucky that The Bahamas is a part of it. A document that member states are encouraged to use to align their strategies and their policies and take action in order to accelerate the effective implementation of key priority actions through a regional coordinated approach, which is gender equality, equity and to empower all women and girls.”

At yesterday’s meeting, Leslia Miller-Brice, ambassador to CARICOM, also delivered brief remarks, telling those in attendance that she was looking forward to the lively discussions.

She also expressed hope that the outcome of the discussion will prove fruitful and bring Bahamians closer to the “day when every young woman in The Bahamas experiences the same level of empowerment and opportunities.”

“For many in our country, the issues surrounding gender equality are discussed in the narrow confines of a particular referendum question or a single legislative proposition,” Mrs Miller-Brice said. “Such discussions often become mirrored in politics and dominated by competing interests, creating barriers and obstacles to meaningful dialogue.

“The strategy put forward for consultation across the Caribbean community takes a different approach - I have every confidence that within this framework, we will discover a pathway for real progress.”