The Permanent Mission of Guyana, Geneva joins other member states in observing International Women’s Day (IDW) 2025 on March 8, under the theme, “Accelerate Action”. Embedded in the theme are calls for accelerated advancements in gender equality and recognizing strategies and
tools that drive women’s progress in education, employment and leadership.
This year, as Guyanese celebrate IWD, we pause to recognize and denounce the horrific
conditions that women and girls, and other citizens, continue to experience in Gaza and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), while the world looks on helplessly, or unwilling to help.
While highlighting the horrific situation in the OPT, we are also conscious that women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected in other conflict situations, such as in Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, the Sudan, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Guyana, much progress has been made in achieving equal rights for women and girls. The Government of Guyana continues to prioritise investments in education, healthcare,
infrastructure and housing. In fact, women, including youths and those of indigenous
communities, are increasingly trained in entrepreneurial and technical skills.
In the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, Guyana is ranked 35th, moving up from 53rd in 2021. In the LAC, Guyana is ranked #6.
Thirty-nine percent of the members of Parliament, 36% of the cabinet, and 34% of the
Permanent Secretaries, the most senior of the public servants in Guyana, are women. In the
world, Guyana is ranked 25th for women MPs, and 34th for women in cabinet. More than 70% of the judiciary are women, the highest in the western hemisphere.
Our Mission in Geneva continues to recognize gender-based violence (GBV) as a major social
justice and developmental challenge in Guyana. We commend the GoG on enacting the Family
Violence Act 2024 which repealed the Domestic Violence Act 1996, strengthening and providing more safeguards against domestic violence.
We urge that the Ministry of Human Services to work with other agencies to convene in 2025 a national dialogue on gender-based violence and to have an annual report card on GBV.
As we celebrate this important occasion, and to commemorate the progress made, it is timely to recall Beijing Plus 30. From both a national global perspective, Beijing 1995 remains a milestone, a modern revolution for women’s rights and for gender equality. There cannot be any doubt that Guyana and the world have made significant advancements in reducing
the gap in terms of gender inequality.
Since 1995, following the Beijing Conference, we have seen:
• For 89 per cent of governments, ending violence against women is a top priority today, and 193 countries have legal measures against it.
• Data shows that countries with domestic violence laws have seen less cases of violence
against women.
• Most of the world has reached parity in education. By bridging the gender gap in accessing and shaping science and technology, we clear the remaining bottlenecks to equal opportunities, and create technology that serves more people and the planet.
• More states have strengthened care services, and 32 per cent of countries globally now
promote better pay and safe working conditions for care workers.
• There are 112 countries with a national plan to engage women in peace and security
processes – a significant increase from 19 countries in 2010.
But there continues to be an unacceptable level of inequality between men and women, between girls and boys in the world. Note the following:
• 47,000 women and girls were killed by their male partners or family members in 2020 –
and those are only the deaths we know about
• 47 countries still have no repercussions for husbands who rape their wives
• 2.7 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men
• 20% is the size of gender gap pay globally
• 45 countries do not have specific laws against domestic violence
• 30% of women globally have experienced sexual or physical violence in their lifetime
The Geneva Mission for Guyana will continue to work with partners to ensure equality for women and girls in Guyana and around the world. The time is overdue. Let us ensure that a new Beijing 1995 begins now.
Ambassador Leslie
Ramsammy
Ambassador to
Switzerland, &
Guyana’s
Permanent
Representative to the
UN, Geneva
