Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, will be attending the 9th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers’ Meeting now being held in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The meeting focuses on the fact that “The majority of the Commonwealth finds itself with far fewer options for lessening the worst effects of the economic crisis than the advanced economies where the crisis originated”.
In response to this situation, the meeting is seeking to encourage partnership opportunities in which the Commonwealth can demonstrate global leadership in developing consensus and technical capacity for sourcing alternative development financing, and operationalizing appropriate institutional mechanisms.
Based on gender disaggregated data and utilising the most recent gender analysis of the global economic crisis and post crisis recovery trends, the plenary session of this meeting will chart the strategic terrain for engendering national efforts and responses to the crisis as well as strategies for promoting recovery and sustainable development.
The Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Meeting (WAMM), which is a sub group of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth, first met in 1987. It brought together representatives of 53 member states of the Commonwealth, and in the spirit and “Commonwealth” tradition of shared values diversities, consensus building, and collective responsibility, it has addressed critical issues affecting women in society.
It is committed to the promotion of a rights-based approach to gender equality and has advocated the achievement of gender equality and gender equity in partnerships with men and boys.
Some of the major undertakings of this group of ministers have been the formulation of a Commonwealth National Plan of Action which reflects the principles and values of the Commonwealth, while in many ways supporting the work towards the empowerment of women; and the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action which is the accepted framework within Commonwealth countries for the advancement of women and the attainment of gender equality and equity. In the same spirit, it supports the CEDAW Convention and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals which have been adopted globally and endorsed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
These ministers have persuaded Governments through the introduction of various budgeting strategies to ensure the availability of financial resources required for the implementation of plans aimed at gender equality.
Much has been gained in the past and there is awareness of the constraints that affect women in today’s society. It is now incumbent on the governments to implement positive policies and programmes to take women to the path of economic equality as advocated by these, Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers.
Minister Manickchand has been a champion for women’s issues and her work has borne positive outcomes.
In her budget presentation this year, Minister Manickchand had promised that 2010 would be a year when focus would be placed on women and this is being realized.
On April 22, the National Assembly unanimously passed the sexual offences bill , piloted by the Human Services Minister. This bill was assented to publicly by Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo on May 24.
She had also indicated that a women’s exposition would be held where women producers would be afforded the opportunity to showcase and sell their products and network with others. This will be held shortly.
A comprehensive review of major pieces of legislation was also spearheaded by Minister Manickchand.
Only as recent as Friday another of her initiative came to fruition when the single parent financial facility, Women of Worth (WOW), was launched. (GINA)