Trinidad and Tobago committed to gender equality

Tuesday, July 07 2009 @ 03:03 PM AST

The following is the Ministerial speech delivered by the Honourable Marlene McDonald, Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs at this morning’s inauguration ceremony of the 43rd Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean held at the Hyatt Regency.

“It is with immense pleasure that I welcome you all to this the Inauguration Ceremony of the 43rd Meeting of Presiding Officers of Conference of Women of Latin America and the Caribbean. Let me take this opportunity to especially welcome our visiting delegates, observers of International and regional agencies, and staff of ECLAC to Trinidad and Tobago. It is my hope that you experience the warmth and beauty of our twin island nation.

It is a special honour for me to welcome the Acting Prime Minister, Senator, the Honourable Dr. Lenny Saith. Thank you for accepting our invitation to deliver the feature address at this morning’s proceedings. Indeed, your presence with us signals Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to promoting gender equity and equality in our nation.

It is also a very distinct pleasure for me to welcome Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps of ECLAC member countries, Permanent Secretaries, and members of gender affiliated Non-Governmental Organizations. I am heartened by the interest you have demonstrated by your presence here today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this the very first time the Meeting of Presiding Officers is being held within the Caribbean region, and so this Meeting is of tremendous significance to us. I look forward to working with my colleagues of Presiding Officers of the Women’s Conference of ECLAC over the course of the next two (2) days. This is indeed a unique opportunity to share our individual achievements, challenges and constraints and to chart the way forward for the collective advancement of women and the promotion of gender equality within the region of Latin America and the Caribbean.

We are happy to partner with ECLAC in hosting this forty-third meeting. This is in keeping with the Government’s policy of promoting collaboration and partnership in the execution of its work. Indeed, Trinidad and Tobago has always benefitted from collaborative interventions with the various agencies of the United Nations System. And my Ministry, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, continues to work closely with the various arms of the UN System in executing many of its programmes.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is fifteen years post the Beijing Conference on Women. Many of our nations have experienced significant strides in the advancement of women and improvements in gender equality outcomes since then. I would like to submit, however, that in spite of the gains of the past decades, resulting in women’s greater visibility and increased economic participation, the work of attaining gender equality has only just begun.

From 1995 to now, we would have all found it necessary as individual nations to review our approaches, to adopt improved strategies to promote gender awareness, deepen the analysis around gender issues, and include men as partners in the quest to promote the equitable advancement of both men and women. However, we must continue our commitment to the mandates set out in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, cognizant of the many victories yet to be won.

Gender inequalities still continue to impact adversely on sustainable development in our region. As a result we must continue to pursue gender and development initiatives that

- Acknowledge and respond to the different needs of women and men and girls and boys, and include them in government policies and programmes;

- Analyse the situation of different groups of women and of men recognizing that they are not a homogenous and will require varying strategies to promote their inclusion in development; and

Gender inequalities in large measure determine which households are the poorest in our societies and which women, men, girls and boys will face the greatest disadvantage.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is committed to mitigating gendered disadvantages and has taken a number of initiatives to foster a just society in which there is gender equity.

The Gender Affairs Division, of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender affairs, continues to administer policies and programmes which foster gender equality. These initiatives foster the socio- economic independence of the most vulnerable women in society; empower men to adjust to changing gender roles, and promote public education and sensitization through workshops, seminars and conferences, television and radio productions, and the dissemination of literature.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me briefly share some of these initiatives with you. We have two programmes at the Ministry. The Women in Harmony and the Women in Non-traditional skills Programmes both address the problem of unemployment among women who are mainly single heads of households with low skills and little or no income.

Participants in the Women in Harmony Programme can take advantage of either the Elderly Care or the Agriculture and Landscaping Programme. Participants in the Non-traditional Skills Training for Women Programmes can choose from a wide array of skill in areas traditionally dominated by men. These skills include: Automotive repairs; Cabinet Making; Masonry/bricklaying/tiling; Welding; Plumbing: Electrical Installation; Upholstery; Domestic appliance repair; Small engine repair and maintenance; wooden toys and wooden craft items; Air conditioning repair and maintenance; and Sound engineering.

Ladies and gentlemen, the needs of the men and boys of Trinidad and Tobago have not been neglected. The Defining Masculine Excellence Programme targets men and boys fourteen years and older with the aim of stemming the tide of problems associated with the concept and perceptions of masculinity.

The programme objectives are to foster improved gender relations between men and women; to reduce the incidence of domestic and other forms of violence; to reduce the number of men imprisoned; to allow men the space to share their concerns and feelings openly and non-violently; to encourage men to pursue excellence in their private and personal undertakings and to increase the number of boys staying in school, and in the education and training system.

The Division continues to educate and empower the public of Trinidad and Tobago through the television and radio Series, Gender on Your Agenda; and also the Distinguished Lecture Series which address various gendered issues, and the wide dissemination of printed material.

Legislation has also been introduced and strengthened to protect the social, human and economic rights of women and men, and boys and girls. These include Laws relating to Matrimony, Minimum Wages (Amendment), Counting of Unwaged Work, and Attachment of Earnings (Child Maintenance), Maternity Protection, Domestic Violence, Occupational Safety and Health, Older Persons, and the protection of Children.

My Ministry has developed a National Policy on gender and development, which I am pleased to say, has been approved by the Cabinet and will be laid in Parliament by way of a Green Paper shorty. This Policy provides an invaluable framework for including gender perspectives in all activities of government and civil society, thereby promoting the full and equal participation of men and women in the development process.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is committed to the attainment of gender equality. As a nation we are cognizant of its importance to our attainment of Vision 2020: which is our national socio-economic policy framework aimed at attaining developed country status on or before the year 2020.

Your participation of this meeting of Presiding Officers signals that your nation shares this commitment to the promotion of gender equality as well. It is therefore my fervent wish that the deliberations of the next two days are fruitful and successful, and that the recommendations arising will be valuable in our efforts to ensure the equitable advancement of every woman, every man, girl and boy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

I take this opportunity to again welcome each and every one of you and to convey by best wishes for a productive and rewarding conference, and of course for an enjoyable and memorable sojourn in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you.”

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