Minister for Social and Community Development, Housing, and Gender Affairs, Honourable Gloria Thomas, addressed the resumed General Discussion of the Commission on the Status of Women, Sixty-eighth Session (CSW68) on March 14, 2024, on the priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Minister Thomas, in her statement, underscored the importance of adopting a transformative agenda to bring about change that aims to empower women and girls, as well as men and boys, in various settings such as their homes, schools, and workplaces, to make a direct impact on lives, in urban and rural communities.

She further opined that the Ministry for Social and Community Development, Housing, and Gender Affairs has successfully introduced and begun the implementation of gender-responsive budgeting. This reaffirms Prime Minister Hon. Dickon Mitchell’s dedication to implementing strategies that promote gender equality.

While noting improvements to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, Minister Thomas stressed the need to implement effective good practices for strengthening institutions and maximising financing necessary to achieve gender equality.

The sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women began on March 11 and ends on March 22, 2024.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) serves as the primary global intergovernmental entity focused solely on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.