Jamaica Committed to A Transformative Post-2015 Agenda, Minister Falconer Tells U.N.

Minister without Portfolio (Information) in the Office of the Prime Minister, Sen Hon Sandrea Falconer is currently in New York where she is leading Jamaica’s delegation to the 59th Meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, CSW 59.

Delivering the Country Statement to the Assembly on Monday (March 9), Minister Falconer stated Jamaica’s commitment to a “transformative Post 2015 Agenda with the sustainable development goals and equal rights for women and girls at its core. We must ensure the creation of a holistic, practical and meaningful framework that builds on the positive foundation and conquers the scourges of poverty, marginalisation, gender-based violence, discrimination and social exclusion which affect so many women and girls.”

Minister Falconer also updated the CSW 59 Assembly on the progress being made by Jamaica in the Millennium Development Goals with specific reference to areas such as women and poverty, education and training, health, violence against women, women in power, decision making, the economy, media and human rights.

Minister Falconer highlighted such advances as the improvement in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV from 25 percent in 2007 to below 5 percent currently; the 2012 Survey of Living Conditions which reported that over 84 percent of Jamaicans are in good or very good health and that women accounted for as much as 70 percent of loans disbursed within the micro-finance portfolios of the Development Bank of Jamaica and the Micro Investment Development Agency.

Minister Falconer reaffirmed Jamaica’s commitment to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and to accelerate its efforts and actions to eliminate remaining challenges and barriers so that women and girls may realize the full enjoyment of their human rights and the achievement of the country’s sustainable development goals.

Minister Falconer will participate in roundtables on ‘Transforming politics and public life to achieve gender equality’ and ‘Accountability for realizing de facto equality for women and girls’.

The delegation will return to the island on the week-end.