THE Women and Gender Equality Commission, at its first meeting last Wednesday, encouraged the commissioners to peruse global conventions and other documents relative to their advancement.
Chairperson, Mrs. Indranie Chandarpal said, in a release, that the documentation includes the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action and the Belem Do Para Convention.
She pointed out that, while the CEDAW speaks to compliance, the Beijing Platform provides a comprehensive framework in a number of critical areas of concern to women.
The Wednesday agenda addressed, among other things, the orientation of the Commission’s mandate as outlined by the Guyana Constitution.
According to Chandarpal, some of the issues identified were non-compliance by some employers who under pay women, even though they entered into agreements to provide better wages.
She said the commissioners also discussed the plan of action for the remainder of 2010; the need to prepare women for leadership positions; the advancement of mechanisms to ensure that women access opportunities in political parties; the need to ensure women from Amerindian communities can access positions where councils are elected and the modus operandi.
Chandarpal said, too, that members acknowledged the need to work collectively for the promotion, protection and advancement of women in all aspects of development.