Charlestown-Nevis-The Mount Nevis Hotel was the venue for the hosting of a one day working session for CIWiL (The Caribbean Institute for Women in Leadership), which was held on Monday 23rd November.
The session was facilitated by CIWIL and hosted by Minister of Social Development, Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams and her Ministry of Social Development.
Also featuring on the day, were representatives of CIWIL, Ms Una Mae Gordon and Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles who also gave outstanding presentations.
Also making a significant input was Member of the federal parliament, Hon. Marcella Liburd who opined that the day was well spent and hoped that after all of the meaningful discussions and opinions expressed, the plans made, will soon come to fruition.
During the opening ceremony, Premier Vance Amory also delivered brief remarks and indicated his administration’s support of the organization and wished the ladies well in all of their endeavours to lead and to excel.
The various sessions which included presentations by select speakers and an open discussion forum, were very interactive and lively and saw a fair representation of women in leading positions within the community, from across the island.
The Caribbean Institute for Women in Leadership (CIWIL) was conceptualized in 2005 by a collective of women dissatisfied with the continued marginalization of women from positions of leadership and power.
They understood that to achieve more just, poverty-free, violence-free and equitable nations throughout the region, women must be fully involved in the decision-making processes that impact their lives.
Since then, CIWIL’s network of activists, female parliamentarians, national and regional development program directors, and heads of national women’s machineries have been training and supporting fellow sisters of the region in their bids to gain elected office, or assume other positions of leadership in their respective states.
CIWIL is supported by the Organization of American States (OAS), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Commonwealth Secretariat.