Remarks by Ms. Mariko Kagoshima on the Occassion of International Women's Day 2022

Acknowledgements/ Protocol

• The Honourable Olivia Grange, Member of Parliament, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport,
• Your Excellency, Ambassador Marianne Van Steen, Head, European Union Delegation in Jamaica,
• Mr. Denzil Thorpe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport
• Ms. Sharon Colburn Robinson, Principal Director, Gender Affairs and colleagues in the Bureau
• Mrs. Julian Davis-Buckle, Assistant Commissioner, Jamaica Fire Brigade
• Ms. Monique Long, Planning & Coordination Specialist, UN Women and other colleagues of the UN System

Greetings

The UN is proud to be recognizing IWD with the people and Government of Jamaica, under the theme, "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow."

This month, as the Ministry also acknowledges the mobilizing power of empowered women and girls, we celebrate with you the courage, resilience and leadership of women and girls as solution multipliers against the challenges faced by Jamaica and the wider world.

The Gender Equal Future We Want

You will agree that the heroes of the foremost global crisis of our time – the COVID-19 pandemic – were undoubtedly the women who predominantly serve as doctors, teachers, nurses and care workers. And even as they stand on the frontline, women and girls are still the first to lose out on jobs or schooling, first to take on more unpaid care work, and the most exposed and made victims of skyrocketing levels of family violence.

As a result, in good times or bad, women are more likely to face vulnerabilities, and also most involved and engaged in response and recovery.

As such, the Sustainable Tomorrow that we seek, must prioritize 'girls and women' today.

To summarize the UN Secretary-General's Women's Day Call to action, a sustainable tomorrow involves:

1. Economic progress which must target investments in women's education, employment, training and decent work.
2. It involves social progress through investments in social protection systems and the care economy with sustainable green jobs, that supporting members of our societies that need assistance, including children, people living with disabilities, older people and the sick.
3. It should involve financial progress, that prioritizes a woman-centered economic recovery that is green, gender-inclusive and sustainable and that recognizes and protects our most vulnerable who are most affected by climatic and economic shocks. Again, women and girls.
4. Finally, a more sustainable tomorrow must involve political progress through targeted measures that ensure women's equal leadership and representation at all levels of political decision-making.

Jamaica is notably on the right track with 18 of the 63 members of parliament and 8 of the 21 senators being women - the first time in the history of the Jamaican Parliament that women represent more than 30 per cent of lawmakers.

Across the world, we are seeing that having more women in parliaments is linked with stronger climate commitments and higher levels of investment in healthcare and education. And so, to my fellow women in leadership let me say that the expectations of our constituents and the wider development community is high. As they anticipate our championing of not only transformative political and economic reforms but also to play an active role in reducing the barriers that impede how women and children progress in the society.

Support of the United Nations in Jamaica

The UN in Jamaica continues to support the people and government on a number of these issues.

• With our partners we have supported the recently passed Sexual Harassment Bill which we hope will strengthen the elimination of sexual violence in all its forms and wherever it occurs.
• In partnership with the Government of Jamaica we’ve supported the operationalization of the first National Shelter.
• In collaboration with Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) we have supported the increase of Domestic Violence Intervention Centres (DVICs) across Jamaica.
• We have also supported the expansion of the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS) in training staff and providing resources for collection and analysis of violence against women at girls at target hospitals.
• This week we will launch the second of two Teen hubs providing adolscenent friendly and appropriate information in sexual health – empowering girls and boys to keep safe.
• And over the next coming months, we will expand education, prevention and awareness campaigns among the wider population, community leaders, Civil Society, Media, among others, to build a social movement of women, men, girls, boys and other vulnerable people as champions and agents of change ready and committed to end family violence in Jamaica.

Much of this work, is made possible through the kind financial support of the European Union and our multi-stakeholder Spotlight Initiative in Jamaica. Ambassador Van Steen, thank you for your exceptional partnership.

At the United Nations, we are attempting to walk the talk. As we have recently achieved - for the first time in the organization's history - gender parity in senior management at headquarters and around the world. This has dramatically improved our ability to better reflect and represent the communities we serve.

Call to Action

Colleagues, friends, while we have seen advancements, we still need more women in leadership in government and business, who are not just in the room, but who are also sitting at the head table – advising, influencing, directing and leading.

The body of evidence proves, that when women are at the head of the table, the results are more socially progressive policies that benefit the climatic, economic, and educational health of the society.

A sustainable tomorrow means therefore that - today – there is critical need for the meaningful participation of girls and boys and their unhindered access to quality education.

In societies where women's rights movements are vibrant, and when women and girls are active engaged and consulted, democracies are stronger. When the world invests in expanding opportunities for women and girls, all of humanity wins.

I’ll rephrase that to say, when Jamaica invests in expanding opportunities for women and girls, all of Jamaica wins.

Are we ready to win?

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