-Minister Persaud outlines measures targeting skills, entrepreneurship, housing, representation
GUYANA’S progress on gender equality must continue to translate into practical opportunities for women in their everyday lives, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, told women parliamentarians from around the world on Monday.
She used the opportunity to highlight measures being advanced in Guyana to strengthen women’s economic security, safety, and participation in decision-making.
She was at the time representing Guyana at the 56th Session of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, held during the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania, on Monday, where she shared the country’s experience and the work being undertaken towards gender equality.
Thanking the Government and people of Tanzania for their hospitality and highlighting the significance of the platform, Minister Persaud said gender equality must extend beyond formal discussions and be reflected in the everyday experiences of women.
“I feel that gender equality must be felt in a woman’s everyday life, her safety at work, her ability to earn, ownership of homes and her freedom to pursue opportunity,” she said.
Minister Persaud said Guyana’s progress has been supported by political will and committed leadership, which she said have allowed the country to advance both practical and systemic measures aimed at expanding equality for women.
“In Guyana, there is political will. The strides have been made because there is that political will and there is leadership from His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and all of us who sit in cabinet. And this leads to us advancing practical and systemic measures so that we have these freedoms,” she said.
Among the initiatives highlighted was the National Equality and Empowerment Gender Seal, which the minister said she launched in 2025 as a transformative initiative for both the private and public sectors. According to Minister Persaud, 20 private-sector companies have embraced the seal, while the initiative has recently been extended to the public sector. She said the programme incorporates equal opportunity, the prevention of sexual exploitation and harassment, and the advancement of equality in workplaces. “It is a very big step for us. And it is really putting what we need to happen in the workplaces on the front burner,” Persaud said.
She also pointed to gender-responsive financing as an important aspect of the country’s equality efforts, particularly in addressing gender-based violence and supporting survivors. Minister Persaud said Government has established one-stop-shop hubs offering shelter, counselling, medical and legal support free of charge, alongside a round-the-clock toll-free hotline for reporting and a free application designed to assist women affected by gender-based violence.
“Survivors of gender-based violence benefit throughout all our programmes,” she said, adding that the Government is also working to provide survivors with free technical and vocational training and financing for start-ups to support entrepreneurship.
Moreover, women’s economic empowerment, Minister Persaud said, remains a major focus of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, with at least 30,000 women trained in various technical and vocational skills leading towards entrepreneurship and employment. She also highlighted ‘We Lift,’ Guyana’s women-owned business expo, which she described as the country’s and one of the Caribbean’s largest expos of its kind, involving at least 350 women-owned businesses. She said the initiative has helped connect women with national and local markets, as well as export opportunities.
Another area the minister highlighted was the National Co-Invest Care Economy Initiative, which sees Government financing and supporting women in communities to establish care centres for community-based child and elder care.
Minister Persaud described the initiative as “very, very transformational,” saying it provides safe spaces for children and elderly persons while also creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment. “It really works to provide care so that women can achieve their dreams of education and employment,” she said. The minister also pointed to the increased representation of women at the level of national decision-making, including in Parliament and the judiciary. “We have a female chancellor. And we are also having more women at all levels of national decision making,” she said.
Housing and land ownership were also identified as important elements of women’s independence. Minister Persaud said that, for 2026, women received 48.3 per cent of all land and housing allocations.
She also highlighted the Homestead Project, through which women receive homes along with shade houses intended to provide additional income and food security. “What we are doing is converting our skills to income, enterprise to markets, and land ownership to greater security and independence,” she said. The minister further highlighted legislative measures, including the Protection from Harassment Bill and amendments she said she had tabled to the Sexual Offences Act of 2010, which introduce a sex offenders register.
Making a call to the international stage, Minister Persaud said gender equality must involve access to resources, rights, and decision-making power, including for women living in remote, rural, and isolated communities. “Services must always reach the most remote, rural, isolated communities,” she said.
The minister also called for women’s representation to translate into meaningful influence, urging parliamentarians to share what works, speak openly about remaining gaps and learn from one another. “Because really, the measure of our success must be the woman everywhere across the world who can say, I am safe, I can provide, and I can choose. I have choices,” she said.
