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St Maarten Speaker calls for renewed global commitment for gender equality
THE Speaker of Parliament of Saint Maarten, Sarah Wescot-Williams has warned that gains made over the past three decades remain vulnerable amid new and emerging threats.
She has therefore called for urgent global action to accelerate gender equality.
She said this in Accra last Thursday at the opening of the 3rd International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE 2025).
The three-day conference was attended by delegates from Africa, Caribbean and Europe and held under the theme “Charting the next frontier, to advance gender equality in developing economies in post 30 years Beijing declaration.”
She also challenged delegates to confront the unfinished work of the 1995 Beijing declaration and platform for action.
“30 years later, the promise of Beijing remains unfinished, and we do not have the luxury of time. Every barrier to the equality of women and girls anywhere becomes a threat to all of us.”
Mrs Wescot-Williams, who is also a gender advocate, emphasised that achieving gender equity requires more than acknowledging the problem.
She said it demands structural reforms and argued that although progress has been made in representation, education, and legal protections, women remain underrepresented in the spaces where the most critical decisions were made.
She urged governments to adopt gender-responsive budgets, strengthen parliamentary committees focused on gender affairs, and expand leadership pipelines for young women.
The Speaker warned that without intentional empowerment, gender equity will remain an aspiration rather than a lived reality.
On her part, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey reiterated the need to protect women and girls, particularly in domestic spaces where discrimination and violence are often hidden.
Dr Lartey, stressed the need for survivor-centered systems that address the emotional, psychological, and social effects of gender-based violence.
She highlighted the persistence of sexual and physical abuse within families, a subject often shrouded in silence, saying, “we cannot speak of equity when girls are unsafe in their own homes,” she said.
She reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing gender equality, describing the Beijing declaration as one of the most progressive global compacts on women’s empowerment.
According to the Minister, the Beijing conference has often been misinterpreted as a movement for women to dominate men and clarified that the declaration instead called for equal opportunities, dignity and full participation for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The 24 Hour Economy Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hunan Architectural Design Institute Group to support the planning of the Volta Economic Corridor.
The agreement aims to guide how land within the corridor will be used, design key infrastructure, and develop systems that will support large scale production.
The partnership will focus on detailed planning to make the area ready for investment and smooth business operations.
The project will include the development of agroecological parks, industrial zones, and transport networks to connect production centres to markets.
According to the Authority, proper planning is critical to building strong economic systems and expanding production across the corridor.
It noted that the collaboration with the Chinese design firm will help lay a solid foundation for industrial growth and long term development within the Volta Economic Corridor.
By: Jacob Aggrey
President of the Ghana Bar Association, Efua Ghartey, has called on judges and lawyers to carry out their duties with humility, fairness, and a strong sense of responsibility.
She made the appeal during the Supreme Court at 150 celebration held at the University of Ghana, under the theme “Honouring the past, celebrating the present and defining the future.”
Addressing participants, she noted that those in the legal profession occupy positions of great power and influence, and must therefore remain humble in the discharge of their duties.
She urged both the bench and the bar to deliver justice without fear or ill will, stressing the need for fairness in handling cases.
Reflecting on the significance of the celebration, she explained that the year 1876 marks not only the establishment of the Supreme Court but also the beginning of formally trained lawyers in the Gold Coast.
The GBA President questioned what Ghana would be without the rule of law, which is upheld by judges and lawyers, adding that the country could descend into a system where only the strongest survive if justice is not properly administered.
She further encouraged legal practitioners to reflect on their responsibilities and remain committed to upholding the rule of law for the benefit of all citizens.
By: Jacob Aggrey
