A day ahead of the United Nations’ 69th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations, countries of the Commonwealth gathered to discuss the progress made towards the advancement of women throughout its 56 countries. There, Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting the Hon. Myles Laroda opened the meeting, hailing the remarkable work that the Commonwealth has done to move the needle forward on gender equality. In The Bahamas, he said, the Government has implemented a National Strategic Plan to address sexual and gender-based violence.
One of the highlights of that plan is the establishment of multi-sectoral Family Island Coordination Councils (FICCs). To date, nine councils have been launched throughout the Family Islands. A part of their purpose is the intervention and prevention of gender-based violence within these communities. These councils will ensure that victims of violence receive professional support and clinical services.
In February 2025, Minister Laroda led a delegation to Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay, where town meetings were held and more FICCs established.
“Our effort was two fold as we also addressed the challenges of people with disabilities and provided much needed assistive devices to persons in those communities,” Minister Laroda told the Commonwealth meeting.
“One such presentation was to a blind young lady on Crooked Island who was presented with a tablet which contained the JAWS (Job Access with Speech Software, permitting her to have accessibility. We continue to seek inclusion.”
On a global scale, Minister Laroda encouraged fellow Commonwealth countries to continue to work together and contribute to shaping the next Commonwealth Secretariat’s Strategic Plan. In August 2003, the 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (13 WAMM) was held in The Bahamas with some 26 Commonwealth countries participating. There, The Bahamas assumed the Chair of WAMM for three years.
As chair, Minister Laroda has led a series of webinars that allow Commonwealth countries to consistently meet to discuss the progress made, current issues and the way forward on the priority areas: women’s economic empowerment; women in leadership; ending violence against women and girls; and gender and climate change. The Commonwealth has also taken an interest in advancing women with disabilities. Minister Laroda explained that the technical teams on the ground from the various countries meet specifically on their areas of expertise, to ensure that best practices are shared across the Commonwealth.
Head of Gender for the Commonwealth, Jennifer Namgyal commended Minister Laroda and Ministry officials for the leadership The Bahamas has provided for National Women’s Machineries throughout the Commonwealth.
“Minister Laroda has taken a personal interest in Commonwealth women’s affairs and therefore, his Ministry is very engaged and supportive in the process,” she said.
Minister Laroda said Sunday’s meeting and consultation for National Women’s Machineries offered an opportunity to share the outcomes of both the Commonwealth Women’s Forum and the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM meeting that was held in Apia, Samoa in. October, 2024.
“This consultation also permits us to explore the mandates on gender equality and women’s empowerment,” he said.
“We can consider ways to accelerate progress in these areas in the Commonwealth, in the context of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.”
Monday, March 10 marks the beginning of CSW69 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Minister will address the session during the week.
photo left to right: Jennifer Namgyal, Head of Gender, Commonwealth Secretariat; Hon Myles Laroda, Minister of Social Services, Information & Broadcasting; Minister Sinaitakal Tuitufa, Minister of Internal Affairs, Tonga; Hon. Imaan SulaimanIbrahim, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Nigeria; and Lagaaia Tufuga Minister of Women Communities and Social Development, Samoa.
Source: Felicity Darville
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