Caribbean Parliamentary Workshop Promotes Gender-Responsive Legislative Approaches
Date:
Port of Spain (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO), December 6, 2024 — Today marked the conclusion of the Caribbean parliamentary workshop on “Making the Work of Parliaments Responsive to the Needs of Women and Men.”
This three-day event, held from December 4-6, 2024, brought together parliamentarians, civil society representatives, and experts from 11 Caribbean countries. Organized by ParlAmericas, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) - Caribbean, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the workshop aimed to enhance parliamentarians' capacity to adopt an inclusive and gender-responsive approach to their legislative responsibilities.
Monique Long, Planning and Coordination Specialist at UN Women MCO - Caribbean, shares insights on how a gender-sensitive approach can strengthen outcomes for the public. Ms. Long was participating in a panel with The Honourable Justice Peter Jamadar of the Caribbean Court of Justice and Bénite Dibateza, Programmes Manager and Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Network Coordinator at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), to discuss the importance of integrating gender equality in parliamentary work.
Over three days, participants engaged in interactive exercises, policy dialogues, and thematic working sessions addressing the application of a gender lens in parliamentary oversight, legislative processes, workplace practices, and constituency engagement. These sessions facilitated the exchange of good practices to address the diverse needs of women, men, and marginalized populations and foster inclusive and representative practices across parliament’s work.
The workshop also laid the groundwork for a forthcoming gender equality guide for Caribbean parliamentarians, providing practical strategies and references to ensure that diverse experiences are accounted for, with specific attention to the most marginalized, across various dimensions of parliamentary work. The creation of this tool responds directly to a request from parliamentarians inspired by the gender equality protocol for judicial officers developed by UN Women, the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers and the JURIST Project, which was presented at the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia on October 31-November 1, 2023.
Tonni Brodber, Representative, UN Women MCO – Caribbean delivers remarks at the workshop.
Tonni Brodber, Representative, UN Women MCO – Caribbean commented on the significance of the workshop saying: “Legislation shapes the lived realities of women, men, boys and girls. Gender-responsive approaches are essential to ensuring that parliaments reflect the realities of our societies and address systemic inequalities. This workshop reinforces the power of inclusive governance as the cornerstone of sustainable development.”
The Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George (Trinidad and Tobago), Speaker of the House of Representatives and Vice-President of ParlAmericas “As parliamentarians, our duty is to serve the diverse needs of the Caribbean’s vibrant and multicultural populations. Factors such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity intersect to shape unique challenges and opportunities across the region. Adopting an inclusive approach to legislative work is not just beneficial—it is mandatory.”
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About ParlAmericas
ParlAmericas is the institution that promotes parliamentary diplomacy in the inter-American system. Composed of the 35 national legislatures in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, ParlAmericas promotes cooperative political dialogue, facilitates the exchange of good legislative practices, and produces tailored resources to support parliamentarians in their work. The International Secretariat of ParlAmericas is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.
About the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an international community of 180 Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance. Founded in 1911, the CPA brings together Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) is the CPA’s network of women Members of Parliaments, and it campaigns for women to be more effective in their roles, improving the awareness of gender for all Parliamentarians, male and female, and helping Parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions. Visit https://www.cpahq.org for further information.
About UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean
UN Women is the United Nations (UN) organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls.
Visit https://caribbean.unwomen.org for further information.