CHAIRPERSON of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) branch on Essequibo Coast, Mrs. Juliet Coonjah has disclosed that a conference was held recently, at Anna Regina, to mark the 56th anniversary of the parent body.

Speaking, last Tuesday, at a statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), of which she is a member, Coonjah said the WPO has a rich history and is the oldest women’s political association in Guyana and the Caribbean.

According to Coonjah, who also chairs the Women Affairs Committee of the RDC, the WPO was formed on May 27, 1953, with former President Janet Jagan at the helm along with Jane Phillips-Gay and Jessica Huntley, who was the Provisional Secretary.

Coonjah said the recent conference, which was attended by scores from across the Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon and Amerindian communities, had its focus on empowering women to lead.

She said the late Mrs. Janet Jagan was the woman who led by example and set the pace for the rapid development of the WPO that has made women dynamic leaders in the political arena.