Minister Grange Commends WiMAC

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES), Hon. Olivia Grange, has commended Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) for its commitment to targeted advocacy and resolute action to create tangible benefits for its members.

The Minister pointed out that the Association is an integral part of the Gender Architecture, which, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), supports the efficient use of human and financial resources for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women across the UN system.

In her message to the Association’s Regional Conference and Sixth Annual General Meeting, which was held from October 3 to 5 at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Minister Grange congratulated the Association for consistently tapping into opportunities for personal development.

This, she said, was exemplified through the conference theme, ‘Navigating Horizons: Mobilising stronger Networks for Caribbean Women towards a Sustainable Maritime Industry’.

“Through your focus on Gender Transformative Leadership, WiMAC prioritises the importance of coaching and mentorship for personal and professional growth,” Minister Grange highlighted.

“Your ongoing and strategic focus on capacity-building has created ‘waves’ in the Maritime industry and facilitated increased access to maritime training and employment opportunities for several women,” she added.

Minister Grange challenged the WiMAC Delegates to “leave no one behind as you continue to blaze a trail towards achieving the UN 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the Gender Transformative Stand-Alone Goal Five”.

She further encouraged the maritime women to be tireless and resolute as they continue to empower women across Jamaica and the global arena to become beacons of sustainable development.

The Minister committed, on behalf of her team at MCGES, to continue to partner with WiMAC towards the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in alignment with the Government of Jamaica’s National Policy for Gender Equality.