...PM Browne and Minister Clarke urge global action on gender equality
MANHATTAN, New York — AS the 80th United Nations General Assembly opened on Monday (September 22) at UN Headquarters in New York, the role of women and the fight for gender equality took center stage, with Caribbean leaders underscoring both progress made and challenges that remain.
Thirty years after the landmark Beijing Declaration, which set out a blueprint for women’s empowerment and gender equality, leaders questioned whether the world is living up to its promises.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his country has moved from “promise to action” in advancing women’s rights, but acknowledged that much remains to be done.
"We have made significant progress. More than ever, gender-based violence and sexual offences against our women and girls, which collectively remain a global challenge. Gender equity is not only a matter of rights, it is essential for justice, development, and sustainability of families and communities,” Browne told the Assembly.
He stressed that governments must recommit to the Beijing agenda, including “ensuring equal pay for equal work, protecting women from violence, investing in health and education, and opening doors to leadership”.
For small island states like Antigua and Barbuda, he said, empowering women is critical " to survival and sustainability because women are at the heart of family, community, economy, and resilience in the face of climate change”
St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Environment, Joyelle Clarke, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), struck a sobering tone, warning that progress has stalled in key areas, showing “ signs of regression, promises reneged, actions unfulfilled, and the spirit of the declaration underserved”.
She highlighted that women and girls continue to bear unequal burdens — facing poverty, limited opportunities, and persistent threats to safety and autonomy.
"They are often relegated to the informal sector, underrepresented in political leadership, and disproportionately affected by poverty, climate change, and gender-based violence, realities that are escalated by the climate crisis. Notwithstanding, women and girls, especially in the Caribbean and across small island developing states, remain the fulcrum of our societies. Their stewardship and contributions are the axis which families, communities, and nations turn,” the Minister explained.
Clarke pointed to stark global statistics, which estimated that by 2030, around 8.1% of women and girls will live in extreme poverty.
“Only 28% of women across the world serve as ministers of environment. Women only hold 26.9% of parliamentary seats worldwide. Globally, the wage gap persists, with women still earning 20% less than men for work of equal value. Women enjoy only 64% of rights that men do. Sobering realities,” Clarke added
Still, she commended CARICOM’s strides, noting the region has three democratically elected female heads of government.
Prime Minister Browne closed his remarks with a powerful pledge, emphasizing that Antigua and Barbuda will “stand firm, work harder, and speak louder because the rights, dignity, and potential of women and girls everywhere must never again be negotiated”
He called on the global community to act with urgency, declaring, “equity must become equality.”
