The time is right for Guyanese women to take up leadership roles and fully participate in decision making and the governance process, according to Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy Bryan Hunt.
Hunt was speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony of a Guyanese Women’s Roundtable (GWR) three-day conference.
The conference, which is open to all, is being held at the Cara Lodge on Quamina Street. Because yesterday was a national holiday, it will recommence today and conclude tomorrow.
“Now is Guyana’s time and what better time than during this 50th anniversary of independence. With the first local government elections in 23 years, women have an opportunity to step forward and have a greater role in governance,” Hunt charged.
He remarked that women’s political participation, in government decision-making and in civil society are “key ingredients in building a strong and enduring democracy.” He said that democracy without the full participation of women is a contradiction as it is “a simple fact that no country can progress or prosper if half its citizens are left behind.”
Hunt added that progress for women and progress for democracy go hand and hand. “Women are a vibrant force in civil society and every place… in their communities as they work to advance social economic causes and safeguard human rights,” he said.
Hunt stated that because of the work of US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton (past) and John Kerry (present), investing in women is at the very heart of the United States foreign policy.
He said that it is known that women’s participation is essential to addressing “virtually every challenge that we face as nations and as a family of nations.” It is for this reason that the US Embassy in Guyana has chosen to be one of the sponsors of conference. Among the other partners are the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Social Protection and the UNDP.
Hunt informed that with local government elections less than four weeks away, the conference is a historic opportunity to promote civic engagement and widespread participation by all Guyanese citizens.
He said that an electoral process that is free, fair and credible can only occur if all citizens feel not only that they can participate but are motivated. He applauded the GWR and Monique’s Caring Hands Support Center for leading this effort and bringing experts to Guyana to start what “will be a long and meaningful dialogue that leads to a stronger, more robust democracy in this great country.”
Hunt said that with the significant oil find off the Stabroek Block, Guyana is in a position to be transformed from one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere to one of the wealthiest. He stressed that it will take great leaders – men and women – to help Guyana “navigate through and address the challenges of the future.”
Meanwhile, Roslyn Wade, GWR Co-Chair, said the conference is about engaging persons on cohesion, empowerment and civic participation among Guyanese women. She said that the discussions are timely as “we move ahead to face the challenging opportunities facing us as a relatively new democracy.”
It is important that Guyanese seek a broader understanding of the barriers which remain in the way of women fulfilling their potential and maximising their contributions, at the level of political engagement, the family, wider society or beyond, she added.
“It is our hope that as a consequence of these discussions, the participants in this conference will take the message beyond the environs of this conference and so stimulate persons throughout the society to understand that empowerment of women… is everyone’s responsibility and to everyone’s benefit,” she further said.
Wade noted that to the GWR empowerment means a whole range of things and among those that she mentioned were the removal of institutional barriers including cultural norms and practices that discriminate against women and to strengthen legislation already in place or to enact legislation which guarantees equal access to opportunities and resources and equal protection under the law.
“Essentially, empowerment to us implies, improving the status of women through the expansion of personal choice and the creation of conditions which promote the achievement of economic independence,” she said before adding that this independence is a core objective of empowerment and a critical element in the fight against poverty and social disintegration.
Wade said that many studies worldwide have shown that although poverty is not “peculiar to women,” the burden is undeniably heavier. She said that as the main provider in many households, women have to bear the financial burden in addition to providing emotional and psychological support, a “double burden which makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for women to free themselves from the grasp of poverty.”
However, she said the cycle of poverty can be broken through the empowerment of women.
Among those who will be making presentations at the conference are Zinelle October, the Vice President of Network Advancement at the American Constitution Society; Makani Themba-Nixon, Executive Director of Praxis Project; Marcia Johnson-Blanco, co-director of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project; LaTosha Brown, founder of Truth Speaks Consulting Inc, a US based philanthropy advisory consulting business; and Dr. Elsie Scott, founding director of Ronald W Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center. Sita Nagamootoo, wife of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally and Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence are expected to be in attendance today.
