(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community is strengthening its efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment through the Sixth Meeting of Directors/Coordinators of Women’s/Gender Bureau being convened 6-7 May in Bridgetown, Barbados. The meeting is being held in partnership with the UN Women Multi-country Office (MCO) for the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Development Bank.
It focuses on institutional strengthening of gender equality mechanisms within the Post 2015 and SIDS agenda. The aim is to begin planning for Beijing 2015 progress review; and discuss items related to gender and economic security and labour. The meeting will also address items including: gender impact of the CSME; harmonization of labour legislation; addressing gender equality and reducing discrimination; advancing the role of information and communication technology (ICT); and gender and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Issues and recommendations coming from the Women’s/Gender Bureau meeting will be discussed at the Twenty-sixth meeting of the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) being held in Georgetown, Guyana on 14 – 15 May, 2014.
The COHSOD meeting will focus on Gender and Labour and will bring together Ministers and/or their representatives from CARICOM Member States and Associate Member States as well as representatives from various international organizations including the International Labour Organization (ILO).
It is expected that decisions emanating from COHSOD will serve to advance policy, legislation and other relevant matters toward gender equality in the Region.
In addition to the participation of Women’s/Gender Bureaus, the meeting will bring together representatives of Commissions responsible for gender equality, representatives of international and regional organizations while taking into consideration those that were formerly part of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC).
