by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Tues. July 17, 2023
The National Women’s Commission of Belize hosted the CARICOM Regional Gender Equality Strategy Validation Meeting on Monday, July 17, 2023, at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza.
The meeting served as a platform through which the first draft of the CARICOM Regional Gender Equality Strategy (CRGES), a comprehensive roadmap developed by the CARICOM Secretariat to promote gender equality and empower women and girls across the Caribbean Community, was validated and refined.
The CRGES is a collaborative effort supported by the European Union, the United Nations-funded Caribbean Regional Spotlight Initiative, the UN Women Multi-Country Office, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Dr. Asha Kambon, a renowned expert in gender equality, was appointed to lead the in-person validation meetings held throughout the CARICOM region during July 2023.
The primary objective of the validation exercise was to gather feedback and input from representatives of government, civil society, and faith-based groups who actively participated in the Belize National Consultation held in 2022.
This process was aimed at ensuring that the strategy encompasses the aspirations and needs of the diverse communities it seeks to empower.
The CRGES, also known as “Stepping It Up: A Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality in the Caribbean Community,” aims to address the social and economic inefficiencies that hinder the lives of both men and women in the region.
Aligned with Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the strategy sets out to accelerate the implementation of priority actions through a coordinated regional approach to achieve gender equality.
Informed by international human rights commitments and regional policies, the CRGES outlines a mission, goal, and vision to advance key priority actions across seven thematic areas: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Freedom from Violence, Economic Empowerment, Good Governance, Access to Health Services, Inclusive Quality Education, and Sustainable Natural Resource Management.
During an interview with Ann-Marie Williams, Deputy Program Manager of Gender and Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, she explained that the strategy’s pillars were inspired by the 1995 Beijing Declaration of Platform for Action, a groundbreaking document focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
“Some member states did 12 areas. Belize did 5,” she stated, highlighting the focus areas most pertinent to the Belizean context.
Williams emphasized the importance of the validation process in ensuring consensus among stakeholders. She highlighted that the consultation aimed to establish shared goals in crucial areas such as health, education, and freedom from violence.
Globally, intimate partner violence affects one in three women, and the Caribbean region’s statistics exceed the global average. Although Belize lacks a comprehensive survey on the matter, surveys conducted in Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname highlight the pressing need for a multisectoral approach to combat violence against women.
“We know what works — multisectoral approach. We have to look at legislation; we look at service, and not only safe houses, but we look at that continuum of care,” she emphasized, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the strategy.
Thea Garcia-Ramirez, president of the National Women’s Commission, expressed her hopes for the validated strategy. “At the end of the day, our hope is that we will have a usable document that will then hopefully be ratified, and we will have the overarching policy regionally to guide us to reduce inequality through equity,” she stated.
Recognizing that certain communities require additional resources and support, Garcia-Ramirez stressed the need to address the unique challenges faced by vulnerable groups, including indigenous women, rural women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
No date is set yet for the strategy to be implemented, according to Garcia-Ramirez, though it is a decision that is left up to CARICOM to make.