March 9, 2016: The following is a statement Statement by the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, 2016.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) joins women and men globally to commemorate International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2016 under the theme Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality. The United Nations observance this year will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda to effectively implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the new global agenda to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.
Last year the world galvanized attention to this new 15 year journey following a review of the earlier framework, the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs. Despite evidence of progress, for example reducing by half the number of people in the world who live in extreme poverty, lessons have pointed to the need for increased action. To this end the SDGs aim to accelerate progress by establishing stronger links between economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability and placing gender equality as both a distinct goal and crosscutting theme.
The picture of gender equality in our Region is a mixed one. We now have more women entering and succeeding in secondary and tertiary education than two decades ago and more women in positions of public office. Yet, women still earn on average 19% less than men and a high proportion are concentrated in low paying jobs. In addition, in a Region where nearly half of all households are headed by women, there are consequences of trying to juggle work and home demands such as less time with their children and higher stress levels.
Since the beginning of the MDGs, the Region has boasted success in reducing infant and maternal mortality and the spread of HIV, particularly mother-to-child transmission which has almost been eliminated. Poverty, however, is significant among single mothers, elderly and disabled women.
Women who live in poverty experience additional vulnerabilities, such as higher infant mortality rates, higher likelihood of early pregnancy, lower school enrolment, lower employment rates and increased likelihood of experiencing violence. These are unacceptable circumstances that must be addressed if we are to achieve our vision of a Caribbean Community where every citizen is secure and has the opportunity to realise his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice.
We take seriously our commitment to meet the sustainable development targets including ending poverty and hunger. In so doing we must embrace a bolder and more transformative approach. We must strengthen our support for those organizations working tirelessly on gender equality issues, such as the National Gender Bureaux. We must step up our engagement of men and boys in the promotion of gender equality. And we must expand and increase our linkages with the private sector and civil society organizations.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those most vulnerable and who are at further risk of being “left behind” as the Region strives for increased economic, social and cultural prosperity and becomes a unified and competitive force in the global arena.
Let us come together, women and men, girls and boys, to celebrate this landmark event of International Women’s Day and to do our part to create a just and equal world - Planet 50-50 by 2030!
###
For further information please contact:
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Georgetown, Guyana
1-592-222-0001