This year's commemoration of International Women's Day, 8th March 1999, is of very special significance. The World stands on the threshold of a new millennium and the next message will be the very first of the new century. The United Nations has already begun preparations for a Special Assembly on Women to be held in June 2000. There, the Caribbean will join the rest of the world in assessing the progress made in achieving greater gender equality for women in the period following the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. This year will also provide us with the opportunity to consolidate the gains made, by identifying and focussing our efforts on those areas which continue to be of greatest concern to us.
It is our hope that the result of that assessment will be positive and encouraging. It is almost three decades now that countries throughout the world have been adopting policies and developing programmes to improve the status of women and to achieve greater gender equality. This process entered a new and enhanced phase with the declaration in 1975 by the United Nations of the International Year of the Woman and the convening of the First World Conference on Women in that same year. Our programmes here in the Community are now being guided by the CARICOM Post-Beijing Plan of Action to the Year 2000 for the achievement of gender equality and social justice. Our priorities include action to alleviate poverty among women; to improve women's representation in political leadership; to eradicate violence against women; and to improve women's health.
Over all, while there have been some improvements in the status of women – and this has been to the benefit of our entire society – the progress achieved has been slow and uneven among the Member States of the Community. We have observed that while our women continue to excel in education, they continue to be under-represented at all levels of leadership. Recent elections in CARICOM Member States bear testimony to women's under-representation in political leadership. But the major issue which continues to plague the Community is that of violence against women, and in particular, domestic violence.
Today, I issue a challenge to each and every one of us within the CARICOM family, and particularly our men, to help find solutions to this problem of violence against women. Where and why have we failed in equipping our men with the tools for resolving conflict in non-violent ways? How can we begin to address this deficiency?
In addition to the opportunity which it provides for us to consolidate such gains as we have made, International Women's Day 1999 is significant for the Community, for it is in this year in the triennium, that another CARICOM Woman is being honoured for her outstanding contribution to the Community. In this regard, it is my distinct pleasure to announce that Dr. Joycelin Massiah has been chosen to be the recipient of the Sixth CARICOM Triennial Award for Women. Dr. Massiah joins an illustrious group of women, namely, Nesta Patrick of Trinidad and Tobago; the late Dame Nita Barrow of Barbados; Peggy Antrobus of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Magda Pollard of Guyana; and Lucille Mathurin -Mair of Jamaica who are the previous recipients of this Award.
To you, Dr. Massiah, I offer on behalf of the Caribbean Community heartiest congratulations on your outstanding achievement as the Winner of the 1999 CARICOM Triennial Award for Women. You have been a role model ever since I have had the pleasure of knowing you as a student colleague at the University of the West Indies. Now, more than ever, as we seek to secure a place for the women of the Region in the Community of the twenty-first century, which is worthy of their aspirations, your contribution will be invaluable. Congratulations!
