PM Kamla to open Regional Colloquium on Women as agents of change

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will on Wednesday deliver tyhe opening address at the two-day Caribbean Regional Colloquium on Women Leaders as Agents of Change at the Hilton in Port of Spain.

The Colloquium is an initiative of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. It's aim is to promote awareness of the challenges facing women today and to offer solutions to advance their empowerment.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with UN Women, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Institute for Women in Leadership (CIWiL), will host the event.

It a media release the PM said, “It is a truly historic moment when women leaders in the region can come together to decide on the path towards empowerment in the lives of women in both the public and private sectors. 

"It is true development when women are granted the agency to explore their own potential and contribute to the sustainability of a nation.”

The Colloquium will bring together female political leaders from the region, from across the political divide, as well as parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic community and civil society representatives.

They will: 

• Share their experiences and challenges as women leaders
• Raise awareness of the gender equality commitments made in key international agreements including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2011
• Agree on priority goals and strategies for advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality in the political, public and private sectors in the Caribbean
• Strengthen the regional network of women in politics 

Delegations from throughout the Caribbean, the Inter-American Commission of Women members from Latin America, and a high level delegation from the United States, will attend.

American Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will send a video message to delegates.