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GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN SPOTLIGHT AT SPECIAL OAS SESSION

Critical gender and development challenges in the Americas – such as the disproportional impact of natural disasters on women, the link between gender and HIV/AIDS, the perspective of indigenous peoples and issues facing men – took the spotlight during a special meeting at the Organization of American States (OAS) held in advance of International Women's Day, March 8.

A panel of experts explored the progress towards equality of women, during Tuesday's meeting of the OAS Permanent Council, chaired by Saint Lucia’s Ambassador Sonia Johnny. The experts offered recommendations for pragmatic policies and strategies to deal with the problems underscored.

In opening remarks, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza lamented that most households afflicted by poverty are those headed by women. "Women and poverty are an unfortunate correlation which is too common in the Americas and which represents a major challenge for our organization,” he explained, expressing particular concern over domestic violence and “feminicide.” Insulza also touched on the need for women to be better incorporated into the labor force, and for guarantee of equal pay for equal work. He noted that while women have the right to vote, they are generally “still underrepresented in the various power structures.”

Drawing on the Commonwealth Caribbean experience, Violet Eudine Barriteau, Head of the Gender and Development Unit of the University of the West Indies(Barbados campus), argued that gender analysis should be made a vital component of development policies, especially in critical areas such as disaster management.

She cited authoritative studies showing women are more likely than men to die when natural disasters strike; are at increased risk of violence; do not receive the necessary health care; are more likely to be denied adequate relief or compensation for losses suffered in natural disasters; and are often excluded from having a say in recovery and rebuilding following such catastrophes. At the national level, policy makers should “ensure a national spread of skills training institutions, breaking the urban-rural divide," Barriteau said, adding that migration of women after natural disasters has serious implications.

Carmen Lomellin, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), an OAS agency, recalled the member governments’ commitment to combat HIV/AIDS as a threat to the security of the region. “It is imperative that we fully comprehend the nature of how the disease impacts the lives of women,” she said, accentuating this epidemic as the leading cause of death for the 15-44 age group in the Caribbean in 2005.

Meanwhile, Elena Crespo, Director of Gender Affairs in the Office of Bolivia's Vice Minister of Gender, stressed the need for “real political will” to incorporate aspects of ancestral wisdom into policy. She


described as “myth” the argument that gender-based inequality stems from economic recession or the legal system, and called instead for the full and “legitimate participation of all segments of society, especially those historically marginalized,” including women.

"Policymakers should fully examine the impact of global economic restructuring and neo-liberal policies on the role of men," asserted Guyanese-born Linden Lewis, associate professor of sociology at in Pennsylvania. Warning that "global capitalism is seizing on the differences between men and women, particularly the differential valuation of labor, and exploiting them for its own ends," Lewis called for new models to promote better balance between work and family for men. He suggested that the state, trade unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) must find ways to intervene to help men more constructively cope with the challenges.

A spirited discussion followed the presentations, with member state ambassadors and representatives commending the panelists and adding their own views and updates on initiatives by their respective governments to advance the status of women and give greater focus to gender-related issues.

Closing the session, Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin urged member states to ensure proper funding for CIM to help carry out its work, and to respond to a questionnaire sent to them so as to provide a better framework for policymaking.

Reference: E-050/06