Message by Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton
Today, the Ministry of Social Cohesion salutes and celebrates the achievements of Guyanese women, and women all across the globe on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Today, we remember women’s struggles for equality, for the right to education, for the right to vote, for the right to work, for the right to fair remuneration and access to support services. Today, I applaud their perseverance and accomplishments and commit to supporting initiatives that acknowledge their human rights.
It has been said that a feminist is anyone who recognises the equality and full humanity of women. I am proud to sit at the helm of a Ministry that promotes and fights for women’s rights, and equality for both men and women. The Ministry of Social Cohesion was birthed by a vision to create a country where all are equal, regardless of race, religion, gender or any other demographic.
We also recognise that in order to achieve gender parity the role of both parents is most important. Parents are a child’s first teacher and their influence on their choices, both as children and later, as young adults, and their role in nurturing children, who become productive members of society can never be overemphasised.
Proper nurturing of children in the home by parents cultivates positive values and virtues such as love, respect, care, consideration, discipline and responsibility. It is important too for fathers to be positive role models for both their sons and daughters. In the absence of a father figure, the burden falls on the mother to ensure that boys and girls grow into young men and women who respect each other.
As the Minister charged with the responsibility for Sport, I also want to underscore the importance of equal participation of girls and boys in sports as it teaches the values of perseverance and discipline. It only takes one determined effort to shatter barriers and create a level playing field, whether in the sport arena, in the classroom, in tertiary institutions, in the professional field and in the wider society.
As a country, Guyana has made significant strides in ensuring equality and equity. Women have taken charge of their households, although more often out of necessity rather than by choice; have taken charge of their education and their earning power and have inspired other women to do the same.
Today, Guyanese women, and those around the world are not only excelling in traditional fields of employment, but they are successfully forging their way into careers that were once male-dominated and considered unsuitable for women.
Today, Guyanese women are surpassing their male counterparts in education; they are taking the lead in higher paying, once male-dominated occupations, such as in Information Technology, Engineering and Finance and they are pursuing non-traditional careers such as auto electricians, minibus and taxi drivers, carpenters, farmers and so many more.
Guyana also has a vibrant complement of female activists, law enforcement officials, social workers, journalists, politicians and other professionals. Importantly too, we have women working tirelessly with and without a second parent in the home to raise their children. Since women account for more than 50 percent of our population, it is clear to see that Guyana has a bright future.
The Government recognises that more has to be done to protect our women from gender-based violence and to strengthen the capacity of more women to take on leadership positions and become strong drivers of economic growth and social change. We will continue to work to achieve these goals.
Women, today we celebrate and commend you for your contributions towards building our beautiful country.
PPP statement for International Women’s Day 2018
The People’s Progressive Party extends greetings and best wishes to all women and girls for International Women’s day 2018.
This year’s UN theme “Time is now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives” is most applicable to Guyana, both historically with a long tradition of women’s participation in political struggle for human rights and democracy, and a downward trend at this time in women’s rights. Many have been our women’s achievements are being reversed.
The PPP sees movement forward on too few relevant issues such as economic empowerment of women while retrograde steps like the practical abolition of the “Women of Worth” programme, and the increase in poverty and hardships on our people continue unabated.
The PPP wishes to place on record it’s condemnation of the suffering being endured by the women in the sugar belt where estates have been shut and calls on the Government to immediately to put comprehensive programmes in place to alleviate the punishment of the women workers, entrepreneurs and housewives alike.
This day was set aside to raise awareness of the beauty and effectiveness in advancing a country generally with the tangible contributions once women were empowered in every field and sector. This intention needs to be realised in our land.
On this IWD, the PPP encourages women to stand firm in defending their hard fought for achievements and to unite actively to advance their economic and political empowerment for the betterment of themselves, their children, communities and nation.
Joint statement from the European Commission
Equality between women and men is one of the fundamental values of the European Union enshrined in our treaties. Our Union is a pioneer in tackling gender-based discrimination and we can be proud of the progress achieved: Europe is one of the safest and most equal places for women in the world.
But our work is not over – the path to full equality in practice is still a long one. Women and girls still face harassment, abuse and violence. And women are still too often prevented from breaking the glass ceiling, receiving lower pay and fewer opportunities for career and business development.
We want girls and women to achieve equality in all aspects of life: access to education, equal pay for equal work, access to top positions in companies and politics as well as protection from violence.
Advancing women’s leadership and economic empowerment is an absolute priority for us. The European Union has put forward new legislation to improve work-life balance for working parents and caregivers, and an Action Plan to close the gender pay gap; and we are making sure that we lead by example: in February 2018, the number of women in managerial positions in the European Commission reached 36%, up from 11% when we took office in November 2014. President Juncker has committed to reaching 40% by 31 October 2019 at the end of our mandate.
We are also consistent in all aspects of all our policies, both inside the EU and in our external action by promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Our policy contributes to the successful global implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
This year’s European Development Days will focus on the vital role of women and girls in sustainable development, their equal participation and leadership in all walks of life. In addition, this year the EU has the leadership of the “Call to Action for Protection Against Gender-Based Violence”, which brings together over 60 countries and organisations striving to ensure that gender-based violence is addressed in humanitarian crises.
The European Union assists women and girls across the world who are on the move or displaced, who are victims of violence, such as through the Spotlight initiative, or who are excluded from education, equal access to health and family planning services, the labour market, and political life more generally. Over 15 million girls of primary school age do not go to school around the world, so the EU is helping boost access to education from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, to South East Asia.
Gender equality is not just about fairness and justice in Europe – it is also a necessity to achieve sustainable peace, security, development, economic prosperity and growth around the world.
Investing in the potential of women and girls is an investment in our whole society and is the responsibility of men and boys as much as women and girls.
Signatories:
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans
EU High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy /Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini
Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Commissioner / Vice-President of the Commission Jyrki Katainen
Budget and Human Resources Commissioner Oettinger
European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn
International Cooperation and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos
Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Commissioner Marianne Thyssen
Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner Christos Stylianides
Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc
Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Commissioner Vera Jourová
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Commissioner Tibor Navracsics
Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Crețu
Research, Science and Innovation Commissioner Carlos Moedas
Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel
