The Tribune

THE 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women opened this week at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with the Bahamas among the 159 countries and national organisations scheduled to address the Session.

Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie Griffin will bring remarks on behalf of the Bahamas.

Mrs Griffin was accompanied to New York by Christine Campbell, Officer-in-Charge of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs; Anita Turnquest, Assistant Director, Department of Social Services; Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, consultant, Ministry of Social Services/Department of Social Services; and Patrice Johnson who has oversight of Women’s Affairs in Grand Bahama.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

It is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women.

Every year representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.

The commission was established by ECOSOC Resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946 with the aim to prepare recommendations and reports to the Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields.

The Commission also makes recommendations to the council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.

Mrs Griffin left the Bahamas over the weekend and is expected to remain in New York for the first week of the two-week Session.

The minister’s group includes 11 persons representing several local, non-governmental organisations operating in the Bahamas.

These include two representatives from the National Association of Women’s Associations in the Bahamas; four representatives from the New Providence Branch of the Progressive Liberal Party; three representatives from the Bahamas Crisis Centre; two from civil society and individuals from New Providence and Grand Bahama.

“It is customary for, and in fact, the United Nations welcomes the attendance of non-governmental organisations to the Session,” Mrs Griffin said. “The 11 persons accompanying us this year, marks the largest number of persons attending the Session in that capacity.

“I am pleased to report that all of the persons representing the non-governmental organisations have paid their own way,” Mrs Griffin added.

She said the Session allows women and ministers responsible for women’s affairs to “deal with issues that face women globally.”

“The CSW is one of the leading organisations with regards to the development and advancement of women internationally and is an opportunity for ministers responsible for women affairs globally to come together to be able to caucus; to be able to have discussions; to have exchanges on all topics negatively affecting women.

“You will find that the issues that face Bahamian women are the same issues that face women all over the world to different degrees and so this gives us an opportunity to also share solutions,” Mrs Griffin added.

She said gender-based violence will be the major focus of the 57th Session “because so many countries around the world are being impacted by that ugly scourge”.

“Each country will be allowed to speak for three to three an a half minutes to explain what they are doing with regards to this issue and so the address has to be concise and on topic and I am really honoured and privileged to represent the Bahamas,” Mrs Griffin said.