Minister of Human Services, Jennifer Webster says the Caribbean Community recognises the impact the empowerment of women has on eradicating poverty and it continues to make significant strides towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set for girls and women.
Webster was at the time delivering her address on the priority theme ‘Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls’ as the Caribbean Community representative at the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday.
The minister said Caribbean Community member states are guided by a people-centred approach to development and have therefore accorded high priority to combating gender-based discrimination and promoting the advancement of women at the national, regional and international levels. Caricom has made important steps towards achieving the MDGs and has recorded positive results for women and girls, particularly in education and health.
“Great gains have been made in girls’ participation and enrolment in education, especially at the tertiary level. However, while primary school enrolment remains high for both sexes, the disturbing trend of decreased participation of boys at the secondary and tertiary levels continues,” she said.
“At the University of the West Indies (UWI), for example, nearly twice as many females are enrolled compared to males. Of note however, is the fact that the trend towards superior female enrolment and achievement does not always lead to better labour market outcomes for women, as evidenced by the fact that unemployment among youth continues to be higher among females.”
Webster also cited the sharp decline in the rate of HIV infection in the Region since 2011. “The Caribbean had achieved the sharpest decline in HIV incidence of any region, with 42% fewer HIV infections annually compared to 2001. In particular, with regard to maternal and child health, there has been a sharp decline in Mother to Child transmission of HIV,” she said. While high income countries have enjoyed nearly universal access to anti-retrovirals (ARVs) for pregnant women for some time, the Caribbean is the only developing region approaching similar levels of ARV prophylaxis among pregnant women.
The Caribbean has also been able to continuously decrease its Infant Mortality Rate and Under-5 Mortality Rate since 1990.
However, despite these successes major challenges persist. These include gender-based violence, adolescent pregnancy, the increased risk of the feminisation of poverty, and the burden and threat of non-communicable diseases.
“The experience both at the regional and global levels indicates that persistent inequality is a fundamental challenge to sustainable development,” she said. According to Webster the 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development concluded that in the context of gender equality, patterns of progress and persistence of inequality are both consequential to development outcomes.
“Corrective policies are needed that focus on persistent gender disparities, given the evident limitations of economic development in and of itself in addressing these disparities. Studies in the region have shown that gender inequality represented a socio-economic loss to our societies and a cost to human development,” she said.
Caricom is of the view that addressing the challenge of gender inequality requires a change of attitudes and approaches at multiple levels. In this regard, the role of men and boys and that of the family, as the fundamental unit of society, is crucial and should be strongly supported. Caricom also reaffirms the need to promote equal opportunities in the acquisition of assets, social protection, access to economic and investment opportunities which promote entrepreneurship and financial independence, as well as women’s participation in all levels of decision-making in society.
“Our Community remains committed to ensuring that women have equal access to education and health-care services, including primary health care as well as maternal and child health care.
Increased awareness through communication, information and education programmes is crucial to empower women to take care of their health,” the minister said. Webster also reaffirmed Caricom’s commitment to the acceleration of progress toward the achievement of the MDGs and towards a transformative post-2015 agenda that takes full account of the needs and priorities of the region.
“Such an agenda must address the structural foundations of gender-based inequality and contribute to a better world for women and girls,” she said.
