Caribbean News

Jamaica Prepares Report to Advance Rights of Women

Published

5 years ago

April 26, 2019

#Kingston, April 26, 2019 – Jamaica – Jamaica is in the process of preparing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action (BDPfA) + 25 progress report.

The document is a visionary agenda for advancing the rights of women and gender equality worldwide agreed on during the 4^th World Conference on women in 1995.

The report is to be submitted by May 1, 2019 to UN Women through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and is being prepared by the Bureau of Gender Affairs. It is submitted every five years.

Details were outlined by Acting Senior Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Sharon Coburn Robinson, through an interview with JIS News during the national consultation meeting on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on April 25 at The Knutsford Court Hotel in St. Andrew.

The Platform for Action covers 12 critical areas of concern, including poverty, education, training, health, violence, armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, media, environment and the girl child.

The BDPfA +25 Progress Report includes an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the agreements enshrined in the BPfA.

It also highlights major achievements on gender equality and empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through a gender perspective.

Highlighting the significance of the document, Mrs. Coburn Robinson said it demonstrates the country’s commitment and obligation to Treaties that have been agreed on.

“It’s important to Jamaica because it shows our compliance with international treaties, agreements and conventions that we have signed on to, including the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women; the SDGs which we have signed on to, which has 17 goals, and particularly goal five that looks at empowering all women and girls and ensuring that our responsibilities to the other SDGs are also captured [in partnership with other stakeholders],” she said.

Mrs. Coburn Robinson said the five key priority areas are: eliminating violence against women and girls; women’s entrepreneurship and women’s enterprises; unpaid care and domestic work/work and family conciliation; gender responsive social protection; and gender responsive disaster risk reduction and resilience building.

“Those five we have unpacked and we have asked the relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as civil society organisations, to send us data in terms of their achievements, what have they done since 2015, so this is covering 2015 to 2019 data,” she said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Denzil Thorpe, said the BPfA remains the most comprehensive global policy framework and blueprint for action and is a current source of guidance and inspiration to realise gender equality and the human rights of women and girls everywhere.

The two-day national consultation seeks to examine the progress made and challenges encountered in the implementation of the BPfA; raise awareness on the BDPfA reporting process; share information on the progress and challenges on the implementation of the BPfA; and to arrive at consensus on the draft report.

Contact: Chris Patterson

Release: JIS

Header: Acting Senior Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Sharon Coburn Robinson (second right), converses with Deputy Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean, Seth Broekman (left), at a national consultation on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on April 25. Others (from second left) are Programme Manager, United Nations Development Programme, Cordia Chambers-Johnson; and Acting Director, Policy and Research, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Kristal Tucker-Clarke.

1st Insert: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Denzil Thorpe (second right), greets Deputy Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean, Seth Broekman (second left), during the national consultation on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on April 25. Also sharing the moment (from left) are Acting Senior Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs, Sharon Coburn Robinson and Programme Manager, United Nations Development Programme, Cordia Chambers-Johnson.

2nd Insert: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Denzil Thorpe, addresses the national consultation on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on April 25.

Photographer: Dave Reid

Caribbean News

CARICOM pushes need for Reparations Tribunal at Forum in Geneva

Published

3 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer

Words are in circulation in support for the establishment of an international tribunal, geared towards seeking reparations for centuries long transatlantic slave trade, after a CARICOM official made calls at the third session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

During day two of the gathering held from April 16 to 19, 2024, David Comissiong, Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, stated there is a need for the tribunal as there is currently no international court to deal with the issues of reparations.

Commision, like the other members that support his view, according to reports, are aware this won’t be an easy feat, as he expressed that establishing the tribunal would require a “positive decision” by the UN General Assembly, further calling on the officials at the Forum and the UN, to come together through international collaboration and “make this happen.”

The idea creation of the tribunal was born last year 2023, suggested by the PFPAD, now reiterated by Comissiong.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, in a video, addressing the opening of the forum, supported the ongoing calls for respiratory efforts, a sentiment not shared by many.

Mentioning that racism is still an issue in today’s society, Guterres said, “ now we must build on that momentum, to drive meaningful change by ensuring that people of African descent enjoy the full and equal realization of their human rights; by stepping up efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination, including through reparations.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM sends warning as Oil prices creep higher in the Israel v Iran conflict; 14 regional states import energy

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer

The recent attack on the Sate of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran, has delivered growing uncertainty across the Caribbean region, and the rest of the global economy.

Chief among the many concerns, is the free flow of oil from the Middle East, which stands at 31% of daily production for the global economy. At minimum, shipping costs are likely to increase based on the increased risk of military action in the Persian Gulf.

Pressure is also building on US and European insurance clubs to avoid any transaction, including those with China, that involve Iranian crude and additional rerouting of oil and gas shipments in response to Houthi threats, or Allied responses.

According to the Caribbean Community Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), “these developments not only exacerbate the already tense situation but also pose significant threats to regional stability and international peace,” the group warned in a media statement.

It added that the continued cycle of retaliation, including the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s “disproportionate response” in Gaza, and the “alarming new dimension of direct confrontations between Israel and Iran, leads to an untenable situation fraught with potential for greater regional conflict and global instability.

“The human toll of this conflict, highlighted by tragic incidents such as deaths and injuries to children, demand an immediate and empathetic response from the global community. It is imperative that there be no further escalation that can lead to more suffering and instability,” it said.

While calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the regional body underscored that it strongly urges both nations to halt any further military actions that could worsen the situation, endangering not only their own populations but also the broader international community.

“We implore all parties to consider the severe consequences of further conflict and to commit to diplomatic solutions that ensure the safety, sovereignty, and dignity of all people involved,” the CARICOM statement said.

On October 6, 2023, the day before Hamas attacked Israel, the international benchmark Brent crude was trading at $85 per barrel and has been fluctuating at up to $96.

On Thursday, it traded at $91 per barrel. With the exception of gas-rich Trinidad and Tobago, the 14 other countries of CARICOM, are energy importers.

Approximately 93 percent of the region’s energy needs are met by oil imports, which average 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Caribbean News

Gov’t Committed to Seeking Reparations for Chattel Slavery – Minister Grange

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 16 (JIS):

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the Jamaican Government remains committed to seeking reparations for the prolonged period of chattel enslavement endured by the African forefathers on the country’s plantations.

Minister Grange said that the historical events of the transatlantic slave trade continue to have a lasting impact on Black communities to this day.

She contended that the ongoing struggles to finance education and healthcare, address poverty and housing issues, respond to economic shocks and climate change impacts, and foster peaceful societies are all rooted in the historical legacy of enslavement.

Minister Grange was addressing a church service on Sunday (April 14) at the Webster Memorial United Church in St. Andrew, where an apology was issued on behalf of the United Reform Church (URC) in the United Kingdom (UK) by Moderator of the Assembly of the URC, Reverend Tessa Henry-Robinson, for the church’s historical involvement in slavery.

“We, the general assembly of the United Reform Church, mindful of our own history and that of our antecedent bodies, wish to confess and apologise for our role in transatlantic slavery and the scars which continue to blight our society, our church and the lives of Black people in our midst and around the globe today,” the apology read.

Minister Grange, in accepting the apology, urged UK churches, particularly those whose representatives were present for the historic apology in Jamaica, to communicate to their government the ethical imperative of admitting culpability through an apology and working with Jamaica to discern the potential avenues for reparations.

She said that the church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade has had significant and enduring effects on Black communities, impacting society, the church itself, and the lives of Black individuals worldwide.

“It is this complicity of the church that gave solace and comfort to the citizens and governments of UK and Europe as they endorsed and defended with their military project, that saw the capture, the torture, the dehumanisation, and devaluation of African people, legacies of which we experience today as racism, white supremacy, and discrimination,” she stated.

“We struggle to build peaceful, stable societies because of the perpetration of violence which was the platform on which enslavement was executed yet, in spite of this, we have been good converts to these same religions. Our people have adopted and adapted the doctrines and rituals of these new religions and in many instances have energised and revitalised them with cultural practices of African spirituality,” the Minister emphasised.

The URC is a community of Christians gathering in local churches across England, Scotland, and Wales, and is part of the global family of Reformed Churches, comprising more than 70 million Christians.

With approximately 42,000 members in around 1,200 congregations, supported by more than 600 ministers, the URC plays a significant role in the spiritual and communal life of its members and the broader community.

CONTACT: BRITNEY STEVENS