I salute the women of The Bahamas on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which is being observed on March 8th. This observance provides an opportunity to put the spotlight on women and achievements made to address issues that concern women and girls. The United Nations theme for this year’s observance, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”, calls for committed actions on empowering our women and girls.
This year, countries around the world are celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in September, 1995. Outcomes from the World Conference included twelve critical areas of concern for women including: Women and Poverty, Education and Training of Women, Women and Health, Violence against Women, Women and Armed Conflict, Women and the Economy, Human Rights of Women, Women and the Media, Women and the Environment, Power and Decision Making, Mechanisms for Advancement of Women and the Girl Child.
I will lead a delegation to the Sixty-Ninth Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which will be held at the United Nations headquarters from 10 to 21 March 2025. During the Session, countries from around the world will review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Upon review, we can say that The Bahamas has made good strides with respect to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Policies and strategies have been put in place to address the issues of rights, equality and empowerment.
I take this opportunity to thank the various Ministries, Departments, Agencies as well as civil society, non-governmental organizations and the private sector who have, in many instances, demonstrated their commitment to the empowerment of all women and girls by networking and forming partnerships to advance women’s empowerment over the many years. I commend you all.
Happy International Women’s Day!
