UNITED NATIONS, New York – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell delivered the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Report at the Sixty-Third Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), Tuesday, March 12, 2019.

CSW63 got underway, Monday, March 11, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America, and will conclude on March 22.

The Bahamas was asked to “pinch hit” on behalf of the 14 Caribbean countries that comprise the regional bloc.  

“The Bahamas has always been respected as a leader in CARICOM and so this was yet another opportunity to step in and show that leadership; to step in and be a team player; to step in and ensure that there is no void, if and when it is necessary for CARICOM to be represented as long as The Bahamas is present,” Minister Campbell said.

“I was pleased and humbled to have been asked to deliver the report as a Member State of CARICOM. The Bahamas shares many of the views and objectives of CARICOM, and so I felt duty bound when asked to deliver the remarks because I knew that those would be remarks we in The Bahamas could identify with.”

The Statement addressed a number of critical issues for regional countries among them, climate change, the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, unemployment and underemployment, gender-based violence, women’s health, the negative impacts of non-communicable diseases, ageing populations, and the importance of literacy and education, among other matters.

“Among the key for us is this whole question of climate change and of building resilience which is critical not only to ensure an acceptable quality of life for all, but also to ensure that States are equipped to respond to existential threats that challenge our efforts to sustainable development,” Minister Campbell said.

“Caribbean Community countries contribute very little to the carbon emissions that are causing this climate change, yet still, we are on the receiving end of the negative impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, coastal erosion and larger, stronger and more vicious hurricanes as we have experienced over the last few years.

“That is a very important common denominator that we are all very much concerned about, along with the question of ending gender-based violence and empowering our women and girls, especially our rural women, ageing populations and the negative impacts of non-communicable diseases, etcetera.”

The Statement said the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls continues to be an important priority for CARICOM Member States. Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is a priority theme at CSW63.

“Collectively, we pursue initiatives that are geared toward the enhancement of the status of women and girls in our region, guided by key international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among others,” the Statement read.

“CARICOM welcomes this year’s theme, which underscores the importance of addressing social protection systems, in conjunction with access to public services and sustainable infrastructure in order to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and mitigate economic, social and environmental challenges.

“The areas under focus are important and timely for us as Small Island Developing States, particularly, as we prepare to address these issues in several high-level meetings at the first High Level meeting on Universal Health Coverage, the mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway and the High-level Political Forum Summit.”

The Statement further read: “CARICOM Member States persistently dedicate efforts toward building economic, social and environmental growth and development of our region and for the well-being of our people, including our women and girls, as we remain vulnerable to the effects of climate change and external economic shocks, among other challenges.

“Therefore, we deem building resilience as necessary not only to ensure an acceptable quality of life for all, but also to ensure that States are equipped to respond to existential threats that challenge our efforts to sustainable development.”