“Another 30 years should not greet us speaking of potential and possibilities. Let us make good on our shared ambition to leave no one behind.”
The Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke – Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment of Saint Kitts and Nevis at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to Commemorate the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to Achieve Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls | 80th UNGA | 22 September 2025 | New York
Please read the full remarks below:
Mr. President, Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,
- St. Kitts and Nevis has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
- Excellencies, today marks thirty years since the world gathered in Beijing to make a bold promise to women and girls that their rights would no longer be violable, their voices and experiences no longer silenced, their inclusion no longer negotiable, and their lives and expertise no longer devalued or overlooked.
- The Declaration signaled the international community’s political will to serve and honour an undeniable requirement of sustainable development – gender parity.
- However, thirty years later, if we are to appraise the delivered outcomes of our actions, we would find clear signs of regression – promises reneged, actions unfulfilled, and the spirit of the Declaration, under-served.
- Despite their indispensable roles, women and girls continue to face unequal burdens, limited opportunities, and persistent threats to their safety and autonomy.
- They are often relegated to the informal sector, underrepresented in political leadership and disproportionately affected by poverty, climate change and gender-based violence – realities that are escalated by the climate crisis.
- Notwithstanding, women and girls especially in the Caribbean and across small island developing states, remain the fulcrum of our societies. Their stewardship and contributions are the axes on which families, communities and indeed nations turn.
- Acknowledging this, CARICOM reaffirms its commitment to the full implementation and acceleration of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and all other frameworks geared toward the realisation of gender equality.
- We must look at the numbers and decode the pictures the data paints. It is estimated that by 2030, around 8.1% of women and girls will live in extreme poverty.
- Only 28% of women across the world serve as Ministers of Environment. Women hold only 26.9% of parliamentary seats worldwide.
- Women perform 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men.
- Globally, the wage gap persists with women still earning 20% less than men for work of equal value. Women enjoy only 64% of the rights that men do. Sobering realities.
- In the Caribbean Community, we strive for a political culture that prioritises women in decision-making and leadership evidenced by our three (3) democratically elected female Heads of Government who we commend and celebrate – but we acknowledge that we still have far to go.
- Noting this, last Friday, Saint Kitts and Nevis, through our co-leadership with Ireland, facilitated the passage of the Resolution on the Revitalisation of the Commission on the Status of Women – a renewed commitment to women and girls.
- Translating intention into action can only be sustained with legislative and policy-backed reformations. As such, our Region remains steadfast in the cultivation of gender-responsive policies and legislation, and the review of outdated laws that perpetuate discrimination.
- Excellencies, we must recognise that equality has to be budgeted and planned for, especially for SIDS with limited fiscal space. To this end,
- CARICOM CALLs for increased accessible international financing that incorporates the needs of women and girls.
- For gender-responsive climate action that acknowledges the pivotal role of women and girls in leading the charge against climate change.
- WE EMPHASIZE the need for a paradigm shift in our educational sectors and digital systems in alignment with the needs of women and girls.
In Closing CARICOM:
- Recommits its policy towards gender empowerment
- Resourcing through gender–sensitive climate financing; and
- Accelerating the full force of political will.
Another thirty years should not greet us speaking of potential, possibilities or aspirations – let us make good on our shared ambition to leave no one behind.
