??

Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo????

Gender issues will take centre stage over the next few days, when three important meetings are held in New York. Barbados will be represented at some of the talks by Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, and Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, John Hollingsworth.

The first symposium, the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group (CGPMG), will be held tomorrow, Saturday, February 27; while the annual Consultation of Commonwealth Heads of National Women’s Machineries (NWMs) is scheduled for Sunday, February 28. The 54th Session of the United Nations Commission(UN) ??on the Status of Women will run from March 1 to 5.??????

Dr. Byer Suckoo will leave the island tomorrow to attend the 54th Session of the UN. She is expected to deliver an address to the Commission on "The Linkages between the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals".??????????????????????

On the other hand, Mr. Hollingsworth left the island today to participate in all the conferences. He will, among other things, deliver a report on Sunday outlining Barbados’ preparation for the hosting of the 9th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting, to be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in June, 2010.??????????????????????

The CGPMG is a working group which brings together several National Women’s Machineries and civil society organisations from various countries to oversee and track progress on gender equality in the Commonwealth. The meeting of the CGPMG will examine the findings of the mid-term review of the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015, formulate the work plan for the following year and consider issues related to peace and security.??????????????????????

Meanwhile, the items on the agenda for the 54th Session of the UN include a continuation of the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century," with the focus on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.????saustin@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest