High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana Pierre Giroux gave up his seat temporarily on Friday last to allow Guyanese teenager Kendra Warner to be High Commissioner for a day.
Friday marked International Day of the Girl, and Warner, 18, won the opportunity through a social media competition held by the High Commission.
According to a press release, Warner, who is a volunteer with the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association, is currently leading an anti-bullying campaign for the month of October.
Her one day stint saw her touring the High Commission, meeting with Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and UNICEF’s acting country representative Paolo Marchi and hosting a lunch at the High Commissioner’s official residence with guests such as Minister within the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Member of Parliament Dr Vindhya Persaud and founder of Youth Media Guyana Andrea Bryan-Garner.
According to the release, Giroux believes that girls are powerful agents of change and need to be included as full participants in decisions that affect their lives. He was quoted as telling Warner, “Everyone has a role to play in making gender equality a reality.”
He was also quoted as saying, “In Canada, there is a growing recognition that, in addition to children’s issues and women’s issues, the intersection of age and gender in girls gives rise to unique issues requiring special attention.
The International Day of the Girl provides a mechanism to enhance awareness and understanding of girl-specific issues. But we have to build on this and continue the conversation and intervention even after the commemoration is over.”
The High Commissioner’s action mirrored that of Canada’s Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau, who gave up her seat for a day to a dynamic Canadian girl. Four other Canadian ministers did likewise, the release said.
Meanwhile, Warner, who described Friday as the best day of her life, was quoted as saying: “I was able to have my voice heard by key decision makers which is important to me because I think that girls’ voices need to be heard.”
Three other girls, Sarah Mohan, Nirmala Persaud and Rebecca Low whose submissions topped the social media competition, were also invited to visit the High Commission on Friday where they met Giroux and Warner and held discussions.
The International Day of the Girl is a special day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness of girls’ rights around the world. The release said that Canada led the call for an International Day of the Girl at the United Nations to help raise awareness of the discrimination girls’ face, as well as their tremendous potential.
