Caribbean News
Three Queens Reign in World’s Newest Republic: Barbados
By Dana Malcolm & Deandrea Hamilton
#Barbados, January 28, 2022 – Have the women of Barbados set off an unstoppable trend? Could 2022 be the Year of the Woman? Many are nodding in absolute agreement, as increasingly pioneering women with impeccable leadership abilities and stately stances are being bestowed the confidence of their people on a national, even global level and are taking on hierarchal roles in democratic governance.
On January 19th, 2022 the Barbabos Labour Party did what observers thought it would do. Led by the globally renowned Mia Amor Mottley, the BLP was expected to win the snap election. However, the nearly 260,000 voters in Barbados did more that resoundingly return Mottley to prime-ministership of the republic, the voters gave her a second sweep in a general election.
All 30 seats were won; a unanimous message was sent by the electorate and the responsibility was humbly accepted,
so said the second-term prime minister in the early hours of January 20 when she addressed throngs of supporters.
But we dare not digress as this feat achieved mere days ago in Barbados, goes beyond the shores of the country situated at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a global milestone which bears feature and focus.
Barbados is led by a new genre of democratically installed Queens. It is an all-female cast in upper governance of the country, which on November 30th 2021 severed the final colonial ties with Great Britain to become a Republic and a “truly” independent nation forging ahead without the Queen as Head of State.
The President of the Republic of Barbados is Dame Sandra Mason. At 73 years old, Mason went from being the last Governor General to becoming the first president.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Barbados is Hon Mia Amor Mottley. At 56 years old, Mottley comes from a family with a rich political history. The men in her family who led Barbados in a bygone era, obviously instilled within this United Nations Champion of the Earth Award winner the kind of grit which draws world leaders, award winning journalists and ceiling shattering opportunities to her court.
And the Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, is another Queen’s Counsel attorney-at-law who emerged as faithful, frugal and fair when the country needed her most. Hon Santia Bradshaw will also lead Government business in the honourable House of Assembly, as she brilliantly staffs this previously unfilled position of deputy prime minister.
Has this been done before and is this feat capable of evoking a shift from male-dominated democracies, to women included governance which is essential to demonstrating diversity.
The gravity of the occasion forces the intrigued to take note of how much space women truly occupy in politics.
“As of 1 September 2021, there are 26 women serving as Heads of State and/or Government in 24 countries. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years,” said information by the United Nations Women, in its Facts and Figures Women’s’ Leadership and Political Participation report.
Unquestionably, the statistics for women holding seats in parliament are improving but still abysmal. In its September 2021 general elections, The Bahamas similarly charted some records as among the Caribbean region countries to hold general elections within this era when the profile of gender equality has been raised. 
Compared to the 3.905 billion women alive who make up 49.58 per cent of the world’s population; “Only four countries have 50 per cent or more women in parliament in single or lower houses: Rwanda with 61 per cent, Cuba with 53 per cent, Bolivia with 53 per cent, and the United Arab Emirates with 50 per cent.” says the UN.
The women of Barbados are by no means alone in their accomplishment, countries like Trinidad and Tobago, where its president is a woman: Paula-Mae Weekes; New Zealand, Finland, Greece, Ethiopia, Togo, Tanzania, Gabon, Singapore, Taiwan and just elected today, January 28,2022 as president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro.
From Hon Akierra Missick, who served as the Turks and Caicos Islands youngest, female Deputy Premier there was high commendation, The Hon Prime Minister’s, second resounding victory in the general elections has firm placed her in the World’s history books, a place she already rested comfortably in, but showed that despite the naysayers women in politics and leadership are well suited and prepared to push their shoulders to the wheel and get the work done for their people.”
The selection of the two women – Dame Mason and Hon Bradshaw – to stand with her in leadership of Barbados, to those looking on is another demonstration of Prime Minister Mottley’s admirable boldness. Undoubtedly, she knew this unique appointment would not only help her to deliver on her campaign pledges to the people of Barbados, but it would upset and uproot old notions which need to go the route of colonialism, that is to be firmly placed in the Republic of Barbados’ past.
Castries, March 2025. Saint Lucia has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring human rights for all.
This was the collective assertion, as over 20 national stakeholders participated in a two-day national Human Rights workshop. This initiative was hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Regional Caribbean office, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s satellite office in Saint Lucia, and the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs. 
The workshop, was designed to enhance awareness of the International Human Rights System, including treaty bodies and human rights mechanisms; build capacity of government officials and civil society members in data gathering and human rights reporting; and to highlight the role that respective agencies and their constituents play within this system. The Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs is the focal agency for Human Rights in Saint Lucia.
In welcoming participants, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Janelle Modeste-Stephen, noted that advancing human rights was a shared responsibility. “Government must enact policies and safeguard rights. Civil society must continue to advocate and mobilize. The private sector must embrace inclusive practices. Communities must challenge discrimination and uphold the dignity of every individual,” She urged stakeholders to use the workshop as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and commit to concrete action that will make human rights a lived reality for all in Saint Lucia. “Together, we can build a society, where justice, equality and inclusion are not just aspirations but everyday realities”, she stated.
A key objective of the workshop was to reactivate and strengthen the capacity of Saint Lucia’s National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights, which was established by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019. The Ministry of External Affairs serves as the Chair and Secretariat of the Committee, which comprises representatives from various government ministries. The committee is responsible for analyzing the human rights situation at the national level and collaborates to report on recommendations aligned with Saint Lucai’s national priorities. The active
functioning of the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights is crucial for promoting and protecting human rights.
Reflecting on the utility of the workshop, Ms. Bynta Ernest, the representative from the Department of Gender Affairs on the National Human Rights Committee noted that the session was essential to the Committee’s revitalization and to demonstrating its importance in advancing human rights in Saint Lucia. “The practical sessions towards reporting on the recommendations from the last Universal periodic Review (UPR) were also very useful to kick-start the process towards meeting our October 2025 UPR reporting deadline,” she added.
In fulfillment of Saint Lucia’s human rights related reporting obligations and deadlines, workshop participants prepared a draft plan of action to devise next steps to advance Saint Lucia’s human rights agenda.
The workshop was held at the Harbor Club Hotel, from March 5-6, 2025. Participants included representatives from departments of External Affairs, Health, Education, Labor, Justice, Human Services, Gender Affairs, Immigration, Equity, Economic Development, the National Statistical Office, the Parliamentary Commissioner’s Office, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.
Photo Captions:
1st insert: Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs
2nd insert: Bynta Ernest, Gender Affairs
Kingston, Jamaica, March 10, 2025 – The Government has significantly increased investments in healthcare and should another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic hit the island, the country will be better equipped to deal with it, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, the Prime Minister said out of a commitment to strengthen the healthcare system and to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Government instituted the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024.
“We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields,” he said, adding that the fund is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Dr.
Holness said.
The Prime Minister underscored that the legacies of the healthcare workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied – care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the Prime Minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
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