Stakeholders in gender development in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are examining women and girls’ empowerment in the context of climate change, the environment and in disaster risk reduction, as CARICOM prepares its positions ahead of CSW 66.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body, exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

It hosts its 66th assembly from March 14 – 25.

FIRST OF TWO MEETINGS

That meeting will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, under the priority theme: ‘Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls in the Context of Climate Change, Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies and Programmes’.

Against that backdrop, CARICOM said held the first of two preparatory meetings yesterday (February 3) to flesh out its needs and priorities going into CSW 66.

The second meeting will be held on February 17.

It is anticipated that the discussion will conclude with a regional position that can be incorporated into the CSW 66 Agreed Conclusions.

CARICOM’s gathering comes on the heels of the 62nd Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was held on January 26-27 to formulate the Americas and Caribbean Statement for CSW 66.

ADOPTION OF OFFICIAL STATEMENT

With support from UN Women Multi-Country Office Caribbean, the CARICOM meetings will bring together ministers responsible for gender affairs, environment, climate change, agriculture, national disaster and emergency management, other parliamentarians, permanent representatives to the United Nations, heads of directorates of gender affairs, representatives of civil society organisations and regional partner agencies.

The first sitting of the CARICOM Meeting was expected to sensitise all participants to the intersecting issues around the CSW 66 priority theme and the second sitting will focus on the adoption of the official statement by ministers responsible for gender affairs.