Bridgetown, Barbados - While Dominica, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago are among the countries in the Caribbean and Americas region where women ministers are nearing or exceeding the gender parity position of 30 per cent of representatives, the number of women in executive government and in parliament worldwide has stagnated.

Many countries including the Caribbean have created institutions that address gender inequality. Many have passed laws against gender-based discrimination. Many have made domestic violence a crime. There has been some progress in the last 20 years – but it has been slow and uneven. Today, not one single country has achieved gender equality as outlined in the BPfA.