My fellow Guyanese,
Today March 8th, 2015, International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. Governments and various organizations celebrate this day by highlighting the achievements and challenges in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women at the national and global levels.On International Women’s Day, women throughout the world and more so here in Guyana are recognized for their achievements, in whatever form or fashion. It is also an opportune time to look back, upon past struggles and accomplishments, but more importantly, to look ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women. Global activities to recognize the contributions of women have grown from strength to strength and have become an event which brings women, and all other stakeholders together to promote and advocate for a more cohesive and coordinated intervention towards effectively addressing the strategic and critical needs of women in the social, political and economic spheres.
This year’s theme is:
“Empowering Women- Empowering Humanity,
Picture it”!
It envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choice, such as participating in politics, decision making, expanded social networks, having access to financial and other resources and education, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination. In Guyana, as in all other parts of the world, we cannot over emphasize, the relevance and timeliness, of this year’s theme, on empowering women.
In Guyana, we have a lot to be proud of today as we celebrate International Women’s Day. Whilst we still face many challenges, our Government knows that it has a major responsibility to continue in its efforts to promote the empowerment of women. The empowerment of women can lead to economic growth, poverty reduction and good governance. Effective actions to empower women and girls require a comprehensive national approach, which should include preventative measures, punitive consequences for perpetrators, and the protection of victims, and their families’ human rights.
Our government continues to invest in the development of our women.
A long struggle going back over a century has brought women their rights to property, voting and equality in civil rights, and employment. In the past, women faced tremendous difficulties as they sought opportunities that would set them on an equal balance with men. Women were continually being treated as second rate citizens across the globe. According to the World Bank’s 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development, “closing the gender gaps matters for development and policymaking”. Greater gender equality can enhance economic productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions and policies more representative. In Guyana, in areas such as education, the gender gap has closed for almost all women. Our country has made considerable progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 3 on “promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women”. We have met the target of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education. The objective of achieving Universal Secondary Education (USE) is one of the key priorities of the Government of Guyana, as we see the education of women as an important step in the elevation of the quality of her life and that of her family. It is a fact, that an educated woman will definitely support the education of her children especially a girl child, thus enabling her to provide better guidance to her children. An educated woman will easily inspire an independent and progressive outlook in her children.
Today in Guyana, we can now see women in almost every professional field including: architecture, legal services, mining, agriculture, teaching, banking and financial services, engineering, health and Information and Communication Technology. They are increasingly seen marching into domains which were previously reserved for males such as police officers, drivers, military personnel, pilots, chartered accountants among many others. Guyana’s revised 2003 Constitution has enshrined as a fundamental Right ?“equal rights and status with men in all spheres of political, economic and social life” ? as is embodied in the CEDAW Convention.
Cognizant of the incidence of violence against women and girls, and its horrendous effect on their fundamental rights and freedoms, and physical and mental health, the Government of Guyana has adopted several legislative measures to address these criminal acts.
In observance of International Women’s day this year, let us dedicate our efforts to end violence against women and girls. Our government is dedicated to developing programmes for the empowerment of our women, so that women in every section of our society can benefit. Gender equality is, first and foremost, a human right. A woman is entitled to live in dignity and in freedom from want and from fear. Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities and to improved prospects for the next generation. Women also have a great responsibility in the transformation of their own lives. An educated woman who asserts herself in matters of her life and her family would lead to a change in society’s views and prompt many others to follow.
As the United Nations Secretary General-Ban Ki-Moon said
“ Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth.
Companies with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all.”