Basseterre, St. Kitts (March 20, 2005): Two representatives of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) arrived in the Federation today to launch an advocacy tour.
During this tour, UNIFEM, in collaboration with the division of gender affairs, St. Christopher and Nevis is undertaking an information programme on the optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The general assembly of the United Nations adopted the 21-article optional protocol on 6 october 1999. This human rights mechanism offers the opportunity to strengthen understanding of CEDAW; to stimulate changes in discriminatory laws and practices if these exist; to enhance existing mechanisms for the implementation of human rights within the un system; and to create greater public awareness of human rights standards relating to discrimination against women.
During the visit, july 20-22, 2005, the Hon. Madame Justice Desiree Bernard and Professor Joycelin Massiah will have the opportunity of meeting with representatives of government and civil society to discuss the significance of the optional protocol for advancing gender equality in the Caribbean.
In addition, they will both participate in a panel discussion on the 'optional protocol and gender equality' to be held at the UWI Centre on July 21 at 7.00 p.m.
Participating in this panel discussion will be ambassador plenipotentiary Rosalyn Hazelle, who was a member of the united nations committee on the elimination of all forms of violence against women from 1999-2002.
The Hon. Madame Justice Desiree Bernard is the first female judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), and is the eighth recipient of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Triennial Award for Women. Amongst her many accomplishments, Justice Bernard served on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) and was chairperson of that committee for two terms from 1982 to 1998.
Like Justice Bernard, Professor Joycelin Massiah was also a recipient of the Caricom Triennial Female award and was the first regional programme director of the UNIFEM Caribbean office. Professor Massiah was also the first Caribbean female professor in the faculty of social science; the first female director of any of the branches of the institute of social and economic research; and the first coordinator of a major programme of research about women in the region.
They will be joined during this visit by Roberta Clarke, regional programme director of the UNIFEM Caribbean office.
