Antigua and Barbuda champions gender equality at major United Nations conference

NEW YORK, 11th March, 2025…President of Parliament’s Upper House in Antigua and Barbuda, the Hon. Alincia Williams-Grant is leading a three memberdelegation to the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women taking place from March 10 – 21 at the United Nations in New York.

After meeting with Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Walton Webson and members of the Mission, Senator Williams-Grant delivered statements this morning on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda as well as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at the General Assembly. Her statement on behalf of the regional body is on account of Antigua and Barbuda’s chairmanship of the Caricom Caucus of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations for the next two months.

In her national statement, Senator Williams Gant elaborated on a number of achievements that is distinguishing the country’s efforts in advancing the principles of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the landmark document that sets out the framework for achieving gender equality and women empowerment globally. The meeting will undertake a review of progress of the main goals of the document so far and assess current challenges.

Senator Williams Grant proudly reflected on her country’s key achievements to include the establishment of the Support and Referral Centre, the creation of the Entrepreneurial Development Fund and the opening of the 4th landed Campus of the University of the West Indies. She said they serve as tangible examples of Antigua and Barbuda’s committed efforts to go beyond the goals of gender equality and empowerment but also to create opportunities for the social and economic advancement  of women in Antigua and Barbuda.

“Antigua and Barbuda has been proactive in tackling gender-based violence against women and girls through the Support and Referral Centre established in 2017 which allows women to access medical, legal and psycho-social services at one convenient location,” she told colleagues.

On the EDF, Senator Williams Grant revealed that women are playing a phenomenal role in the success story that the initiative has become by taking advantage of the financial assistance, training and opportunities to start new micro-enterprises it affords.

“Currently, 47% of the Fund’s active clients are women, most of whom have successfully applied for and received loans to support their businesses,” she stated.

However, she acknowledged that there is still work to be done, particularly in addressing the existing gender disparities in Antigua and Barbuda.

“Despite the progress, women in Antigua and Barbuda continue to face challenges, including limited representation in parliament, with only 5.6% of seats held by women as of February 2024 . Additionally, the country still lacks comprehensive data on key gender-related indicators, such as violence against women and unpaid care work,”  Senator Williams Grant lamented.

This morning’s session begins a packed agenda of meetings forSenator Williams Grant, who is leading the country’s delegation on behalf of the Minister of Social and Urban Transformation, the Hon, Rawdon Turner. Her delegation includes Executive Director of the Directorate of Gender Affairs, Jamie Saunders and Programme Officer, T’Chell Looby-Antonio.

Ambassador Webson along with the other members of the Mission, Counsellor Glentis Thomas and First Secretaries Paxton Duberry and Asha Challenger, will also be involved in the various events and meetings of CSW 2025.