Guyana has made significant strides in achieving gender equality

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OVER the years, Guyana has made significant strides in achieving gender equality when compared to other countries globally. This results from implementing and adhering to various plans of action, guidelines, and laws among other forms of charters. It has seen women being equally involved in decision-making within various forums in the country such as cabinet, parliamentary, judicial sittings and business. According to Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) Dr Leslie Ramsammy, the country’s push for gender equality has reaped success in several consensuses such as the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination recently launched General Recommendation 40 (GR40), the Beijing Platform of Action of 1995 and the Global Gender Gap Index.

In a recent letter, Dr Ramsammy pointed out that GR40 allows women to be involved in decision-making processes on the global, regional, and national levels while seeking parity. CEDAW, adopted in 1979, is an international bill of rights for women, that defines discrimination and sets national action agendas. It was ratified by Guyana in 1980. Additionally, while the Beijing Platform mandates a 30 per cent national participation by women, Guyana has managed to achieve this to an extent.

In fact, Guyana is a part of the six CARICOM countries that have had a woman head-of-state. The other countries include Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and Haiti. Guyana is also one of the countries that have made a concerted effort to achieve the Beijing Platform targets for parliaments. The 2001 constitution mandates 33 per cent of national and local government election lists to be women. Guyana’s parliament currently comprises about 40 per cent of women Members of Parliament (MPs).

It must be noted as well that presently in CARICOM, only two countries have met the 30 per cent Beijing target for women MPs, these are Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile, the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index (GGI), introduced by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2006, ranks 146 countries based on their progress in economic opportunities, education, health, and political leadership.

Guyana was one of the 146 countries that met the eligibility standards for being included. Guyana’s GGI scores improved from 35th with a score of 76.5 per cent in 2024 to 53rd in 2021 with 72.8 per cent. The average (mean) score for the 146 countries was 68.5 per cent, showing that Guyana was eight points above the global average. Guyana is also ahead of the average score for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) which was 74.2 per cent in 2024, with Guyana 2.3 per cent above this average.

The country’s average score for economic participation and opportunity for women is 72.8 per cent with a rank of 47 in the world. Furthermore, with an aggressive mission by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to engage women and youth in agriculture, the country’s GGI scores will drastically change.

Last week, President Ali addressed the closing ceremony for the World Food Forum which was held in Rome through a video message where he committed that women will own 30 per cent of agri-businesses in the near future. Fifty per cent will also be owned by both women and youths. Guyana is one of few countries in the LAC with a Women and Gender Equality Commission. In every sector of the country, there is women’s involvement such as construction, infrastructure, technology, and health. (DPI)

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Guyana has made significant strides in achieving gender equality

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