ST. KITTS-NEVIS LAUNCHES A NATIONAL GENDER EQUALITY POLICY

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 30, 2018 (SKNIS): A National Gender Policy is a state’s plan to integrate gender equality and equity concerns in every sector of the state, and it seeks to determine the role of state and non-state actors in the pursuit of gender justice.

The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, in collaboration with the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has joined others in the international community with the launch of a National Gender Equality Policy.

The launch that took place yesterday, November 29, under the theme “Enhancing Development through Gender Equality,” advocate for non-discrimination on the grounds of sex.

Project Consultant, Ingrid Charles-Gumbs said that in 2014, the Caribbean Development Bank funded a study in St. Kitts called the “Gender Equality Study” and one of the recommendations that came out of the study was the preparation of a Gender Policy as a matter of urgency and priority.

“The general objective of the gender policy is to provide a framework that will assist the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in facilitating gender equality and empowerment,” she said while noting that the policy will be broken down into two parts, which are gender mainstreaming and gender setting.

She explained that “Gender mainstreaming will ensure that gender issues are addressed within the existing development strategies and programmes” whereas “gender setting will seek to transform the existing agenda through the systematic application of a gender perspective.” She further noted that other strategies will include “gender sensitization, training, promotion, ensuring public ownership of the policy, ensuring data desegregation, promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality, and establishing a gender responsive, monitoring and evaluating mechanism within government and other agencies.”

She quoted the late United Nations’ Secretary General, Kofi Annan who said that “Gender Equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Gender Affairs, the Honourable Wendy Phipps commended UNESCO for its continued support and funding of the policy consultation and wished it every success.

“I wish the consultative process every success. The Ministry of Gender Affairs is fully committed to the task…we will continue to work to strengthen our relationships with UNESCO and other like-minded agencies wherever possible to achieve what we need to, in order to get St. Kitts and Nevis on the map when it comes to the goal and ambitions we have for maintaining and ensuring that women and men play their role in the development of this country for the sustainable future,” stated Minister Phipps.