Phylicia Alexander Lavia is the Foundress & Executive Director of Red Root SVG, a nonprofit in her home country of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. Phylicia is a gender-based violence survivor and activist who advocates for the empowerment & support of underserved women, LGBTQ+ communities & children.

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.

UN Women and the Directorate of Gender Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda recently supported consultations on CEDAW reporting and implementation for state partners and members of civil society organisations.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Director of the Programme Division, Maria Noel Vaeza and UN Women MCO Caribbean Representative Christine Arab recently met with the CARICOM Permanent Representatives to the United Nations and Permanent Mission