New York

June 6, 2000

Mr. President

Secretary General of the United Nations

Honourable Ministers Responsible for Women's Affairs

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

It is with a deep sense of honour and privilege that I address this august gathering on the occasion of the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21 St Century.

I wish to take this opportunity on behalf of my delegation to extend to you and to the other members of the Bureau the congratulations of my Government.

Mr. President,

It seems not long ago that we gathered in Beijing to participate in the Fourth UN Conference on Women. The Beijing Conference and the resulting Platform for Action indicated the commitment of the international community to the goals of gender equality and development. In the process of consensus building, governments and civil society formed partnerships to further the global agenda for gender equality. Five years later, we are gathered here to review our achievements, identify obstacles and decide on the way forward.

Mr. President,

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda made a commitment to carry out the Platform for Action, and has made great progress in implementing the recommendations. Recognizing that a strengthened national machinery for women with a clear policy role is essential to the effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Directorate of Women's Affairs was renamed "the Directorate of Gender Affairs", restructured and upgraded. This emphasis on institutional strengthening forms one component of the government's efforts to mainstream gender in all government sectors. In this regard, a national action plan on gender and development is being developed with the involvement of all government agencies, this plan emphasizes cross-sectoral responsibility for gender-sensitive policy formulation.

In consultation with civil society organizations, five critical areas were prioritized for Antigua and Barbuda. These are poverty, education, health, women in decision-making and violence against women.

The prevention, elimination and punishment of violence against women continues to be a major area of concern. Law reform has been one of the primary responses undertaken by Government since Beijing. The Sexual Offences Act was passed in 1995, which increases the penalty for rape and sexual assault. It also addresses the issue of incest. The Domestic Violence Summary Proceedings Act was passed in 1999. This important legislation guarantees women access to the legal system for the purpose of obtaining quick and affordable protective relief from all types of abuse in the home.

Understanding that substantive changes in the law must be accompanied by cultural and attitudinal change as well as services for victims, several programmes have been initiated, including free legal assistance, a 24-hour domestic violence crisis hotline, a victim support group, advice counseling and a court advocacy service. Training and education programmes are targeted for health professionals, law enforcement personnel and other officials. Significantly, Antigua and Barbuda signed the InterAmerican Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women in November 1998.

My government's commitment to the international human rights system can also be discerned by its presentation of its combined first, second and third periodic report to the CEDAW Committee in 1997. The Government is now actively engaged in reviewing the Optional Protocol with a view to advancing its ratification processes.

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Mr. President,

In essence, the political will and commitment to gender equality on our part cannot be questioned. However, while this progress has been noteworthy, we are continually faced with many competing demands for our limited development capital and resources. This resource insufficiency hampers institutional capacity building as well as the effective and full implementation of those areas of critical concern. This challenge is one shared by many small island developing states and we call on this conference to address this issue.

Since Beijing, the terrain of operations have changed. One word captures the essence of the radical changes- globalization. Fuelling this revolution are the rapid information technology and computer advances. In the Millennium Report, the Secretary General pointed out that most developing countries have not been able to benefit from the globalization processes in an even and equitable manner. We wish therefore to endorse the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 54/231 of 22 February 2000, which urges the international community to adopt policies that promote equity in finance, trade and transfer of technology and address the problems of developing countries in the areas of external debt and transfer of resources, financial vulnerability, declining terms of trade and market access.

Mr. President,

As a small island state, Antigua and Barbuda, has, since Beijing, unfortunately been hit by five hurricanes. Assessment of damage shows that women because of their multiple family roles suffer disproportionately from these natural disasters. My country within its limited means has tried on each occasion to mitigate the effects on our women. We look forward to the international community in assisting vulnerable states like ours to meet the objectives of development, peace and equality.

Mr. President,

Having said all of the above, it is essential that an important factor be brought to the fore. Women's entitlement to the enjoyment of all human rights and to advance themselves within the matrix of society should be unquestioned. Throughout .the English speaking Caribbean, women have contributed more than their share with regard to the labour movement and in the process toward decolonization. In many instances, they provided the background for the struggle; and in Antigua and Barbuda, in 1917 they faced the advances of mounted police while the men were in the background. Yet still, then as now, women's involvement in the political process, as voters, campaigners and supporters has not been translated into significant and proportionate representation at the highest levels of political decision-making. Women have a right to be full partners in governance and this is a necessary component for the political, economic and social development of our society. We still therefore need to meet the challenge of creating that enabling environment in which women will have the resources and the support, from both the family and the community, to engage in political decision-making in our country. It is our right and we demand it.

This is a historic opportunity for us to move ahead. We therefore look forward to the adoption of further initiatives and programmes to advance the goal of gender equality and development. We look forward to action at national and international levels. The civil society organizations have proved themselves to be reliable agents in the advancement of the agenda for gender equity. We hope this meeting will expand the areas of cooperation between governments, civil society and the international agencies.

Antigua and Barbuda recognizes and appreciates the important role of international development cooperation in support of our efforts to create an enabling environment for the implementation of the Platform for Action. In this regard, we wish to acknowledge the contribution of UNECLAC, UNIFEM, UNICEF, UNFPA, and both the CARICOM and Commonwealth Secretariats, the latter particularly, for its assistance to the gender mainstreaming efforts of the national machinery.