Letter of the Day | Revisit the Vision 2030 gender sector plan

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Hurricane Melissa’s landfall in New Hope, Westmoreland, was in my view, an urgent call and ripe opportunity to build better future – in our relationships structures critical for creating flourishing communities.

The Caucus of Women Parliamentarians (CWP), which recently met to discuss the ‘gender agenda’, could consider advocating for the review, update and rigorous implementation of the 2009 Vision 2030 Gender Sector Plan (GSP), to help guide national reconstruction as Hurricane Melissa directs.

At their meeting issues such as lack of trust, absence of safe space for honest dialogue, personal and political manipulation, lack of respect, and fear that the Caucus could with a wrong quorum threaten government’s political agenda, dominated discussions. This shows that winning a seat, is only one set of barriers faced by women who sit in Parliament. It leads us to recognize as well, how urgent but difficult the task is for political parties to be transformed to become agents for participatory democracy, including women’s empowerment.

At the same time, the public is looking for these women to make a real difference in the lives of constituents and the nation. This calls, among other things, for a holistic agenda to eliminate the numerous biased gender social norms that impede women’s progress and women’s agency in the intersecting socio -economic, political , environmental planning and management structures. These harmful gender norms and power imbalance, which benefit but also harm men and boys, perpetuate the many manifestations of gender based violence and also must be eliminated. In its place we should pursue over the next four years to 2030. a gender agenda anchored in the 2009 GSP whose goal was for “ a society free of sex and other forms of discrimination in all spheres that creates and maintains a socio-economic, cultural, political and legal environment, in both the public and private domains free of sex discrimination, where all males and females, at all stages of the life cycle can enjoy full human rights and develop their full potential as productive citizens”.

Is the Caucus up to the task of consulting with their constituents, civil society and other partners to agree on gender responsive policies and measures that can help to chart a new path towards building flourishing communities and respond to the post Hurricane Melissa mandate?

For example, how about opening up the construction sector for women and for expanding construction skills upgrading and certification among men? What would this need? What could be the impact?

LINNETTE VASSELL