Break The Bias and the prospects, challenges and opportunities for gender equality into the Post Pandemic Planet. How a small island can make a difference. International Gender Development Strategist and Multimedia Educator and Journalist, Dr Kris Rampersad discusses futuring gender equality into the Post Pandemic Planet, the role of Caribbean Women Leaders, the impact of Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, cultural change and transformations and the challenge onward towards effective sustainable development in changing the culture of politics, culture of business, commerce, trade and economics, culture of education... and so much more at the GloCal Knowledge Pot
Thru Novel Lenses! New Vision New Perspectives New Ideas New Directions For the New World! Futuring Sustainable Development in the Post Pandemic Planet From Pre School to Policy Making
Showing posts with label gender equality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gender equality. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Friday, September 2, 2011
Network of NGOs hails women awardees
Network of NGOs hails women awardees
by
Thu Sep 01 2011
The Network of NGOs of T&T for the Advancement of Women has extended congratulations to this year's women recipients of national awards, including its members-Hazel Brown, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt and Brenda Gopeesingh. They each received the newly-created award, Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) for their dedicated work in advancing women's rights and issues, at Wednesday's Independence Day awards ceremony at Queen's Hall, St Ann's.
In a release issued yesterday, Dr Kris Rampersad, international relations director for the Network of NGOs, stated: "The awards to these women are particularly significant as the Network ends a quarter century of activities in T&T. "The three women singled out for their contribution to women are among those who have over the years been relentless in the efforts for recognising the contribution of women to our society. "The Network is particularly proud that the work of its members has been recognised so profusely in this, the first year, of a special category of awards for women.
"We, of course, also acknowledge with pride the work and achievements of our co-ordinator, Hazel Brown, who, despite personal challenges, continues to diligently keep the women's agenda in focus."
The Network said it was pleased to see that this year's awardees recognised "the exemplary work of several other professional women as key contributors to national social and economic well-being, among them, two of four recipients of the highest honour, the Order of T&T in Mrs Zalayhar Hassanali and Helen Bhagwansingh."
Other national awardees were not left out of the Network's congratulatory message. "That at least one-third of the awardees this year were women tells that we are moving closer to full recognition, acknowledgement and factoring of the value of women's work to the development of our society in all spheres," the release said. "We hope that these awards will bring into sharper focus the merits of our slogan that all issues are women's issues, as is implied in awards to Bhagwansingh, a pioneer and entrepreneur; attorney Stephanie Daly, educator Susan Craig, entertainer Denyse Plummer, Judge Gladys Gafoor, businesswoman Irma Simonette, Joan Bishop, nurse Jean Grayson and Bernice Parris, policewomen Margaret Sampson-Brown and Sheila Prince.
"The Network looks forward to equally meaningful incorporation of women's perspectives across all sectors and into policy, decision making, implementations and actions for more meaningful and equitable development of T&T."
For more updates visit and subscribe to www.krisrampersad.com
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Radical Radiance: Meena Keshwar Kamal | Imagine Today
When she was just a nineteen ear old student in Kabul Meena founded an organization called RAWA in 1977, which stands for The Revolutionary Association of the Woman of Afghanistan. RAWA is an organization that strives to “give voice to the deprived and silenced women of Afghanistan.” In 1981 she launched a bilingual feminist magazine called Payam-e-Zan (which means Women’s Message in English). This magazine, which was produced through RAWA exposed the criminal activities of fundamentalist groups that were damaging to basic human rights.
In addition to being a powerful and passionate advocate for Women’s Rights Meena was also a talented writer. I’d like to share one of the poems she wrote that I found particularly inspiring as a feminist:
***************************************************
I’ll Never Return
I’m the woman who has awoken
I’ve arisen and become a tempest among the ashes of my burnt children
I’ve arisen from the rivulets of my brother’s blood
My nation’s wrath has empowered me
My ruined and burnt villages fill me with hatred against the enemy.
I’m the woman who has awoken,
I’ve found my path and will never return.
I’ve opened closed doors of ignorance
I’ve said farewell to all golden bracelets
Oh Compatriot, I’m not what I was
I’m the woman who has awoken
I’ve found my path and will never return.
I’ve seen barefoot, wandering and homeless children
I’ve seen henna-handed brides with mourning clothes
Ive seen giant walls of the prisons swallow freedom in their ravenous stomach.
I’ve been reborn amidst epics of resistance and courage
I’ve learned the song of freedom in the last breaths, in the waves of blood and in victory
Oh Compatriot, Oh brother, no longer regard me as weak and incapable
With all my strength I’m with you on the path of my land’s liberation.
My voice has mingled with thousands of arisen women
My fists are clenched with the fists of thousands of compatriots
Along with you I’ve stepped up to the path of my nation,
To break all these sufferings all these fetters of slavery,
Oh compatriot , Oh brother, I’m not what I was
I’m the woman who has awoken
I’ve found my path and will never return.
Visit for more https://krisrampersad.com/
Radical Radiance: Meena Keshwar Kamal | Imagine Today
Friday, March 4, 2011
100 Days-100 Ways for UN Women. Stimulating the gender agenda
The challenge to the gender agenda is real to impact effective change.
Deeper analyses on capacity of women leaders for change; challenges, solutions given belief that even where women’s leadership and participation have increased, there has not been concurrent impact on their spheres of leadership. As primary transmitters of culture, knowledge, education, women have not been changing, but replicating and transferring habits, beliefs and practices that promote inequalities to the boys as much as girls. Address perceived lack of impact women leaders have been making in their spheres beyond the victims’ veil/as recipients to shapers and molders of modes/models of governance to direct targeted programmes/actions and meet targets for gender equity.
Listen: Changing the Conversation Gender & Development at Inauguration of First Female President
“100 Days → 100 Ways” for UN Women e-camp@ign launched!
The official launch of UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment, took place on Thursday, February 24th, marking a new era for women not only at the UN but around the world. The event, “Honouring the Past: Envisioning the Future for Women and Girls,” was an historic occasion. The new women’s entity is now in the midst of its first 100 days and in the process of developing its strategic plan. Now is the time to provide inputs and suggestions to UN Women on how it can best serve the needs of women and girls around the world. What type of new UN Women are you envisioning? What concrete suggestions can you provide to Ms. Michelle Bachelet, the new Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women?
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day this year on March 8th, and the first 100 days of the new UN women’s entity, the “100 Days → 100 Ways” for UN Women e-camp@ign is being launched to collect over 100 contributions from around the world on how the UN Women can better serve women, promote women’s human rights and be a champion for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. These contributions will be directed to, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, and delivered to the UN Women. March 8th will be a day of action for the “100 Days → 100 Ways” e-camp@ign.
At the UN Commission on the Status of Women at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Feminist Task Force of the Global Call to Action against Poverty, organizers of the “100 Days → 100 Ways” e-camp@ign is being formally announce the “100 Days → 100 Ways” e-camp@ign at the Grassroots Women’s Speakout on UN Women event on Wednesday, March 2nd which Ms. Bachelet will attend. The final compilation of the 100 Days -> 100 Ways e-camp@ign will be delivered at the end of the 100 Days in April.
DemokrissyMarch 4, 2011 at 7:12 AM
Deeper analyses on capacity of women leaders for change; challenges, solutions given belief that even where women’s leadership and participation have increased, there has not been concurrent impact on their spheres of leadership. As primary transmitters of culture, knowledge, education, women have not been changing, but replicating and transferring habits, beliefs and practices that promote inequalities to the boys as much as girls. Address perceived lack of impact women leaders have been making in their spheres beyond the victims’ veil/as recipients to shapers and molders of modes/models of governance to direct targeted programmes/actions and meet targets for gender equity.
Dr Kris Rampersad,
Media, Cultural and Literary Consultant
Author: Through the Political Glass Ceiling & Finding a Place
International Relations Director, Network of NGOs of Trinidad & Tobago for the Advancement of Women
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Letter to UN Women
Dear Michelle Bachelet,
Congratulations on your appointment as the first head of UN Women.
Congratulations on your appointment as the first head of UN Women.
Like others in this forum, I am thrilled to learn of the creation of a new space for women’s voices and activities within the UN system.
Indeed, it signals a broadening of the approach to international governance and for recognition of the contribution and potential contribution of women to the process and to balancing the equation for nearing the millennium development goalposts.
However, I believe there is need for significantly deeper interrogation and analyses on the capacity of women leaders for change; to identify challenges and come up with solutions given that there is widespread belief that even where women’s leadership and participation have increased, there have not been concurrent reflection related to their impact on their spheres of leadership.
I may refer to a recent analysis, for example, which highlighted the clear disjoint between increased women’s participation, in this instance, political participation, and the impact they have had on their areas of jurisdiction in the Caribbean where, not only efforts at increasing participation are sporadic and piecemeal, research and documentation in this area are also poorly lacking.
That report looked at efforts by the Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women, of which I am international relations director, in increasing political participation by women through training, networking, funding and documentation.
It found that representation of women’s interests by women in power did not increase, despite increases in their numbers and the exposure to ideas and tools of gender equity. Women MPs and decision makers are not raising issues of concern to women as they should.
For this, there may be several reasons. These are the reasons that UN Women needs to unearth and turn its focus on. Not to discount the fact that in several societies, including our own, there are substantial numbers of disadvantaged, disempowered women, it seems for too long we have hid behind the victims’ veil; as recipients rather than shapers and molders of modes and models of governance whether at the domestic, national or global levels.
But there is an inherent paradox that most of the societies where the problems seem most endemic, boast of matriarchal systems. There is another paradox that UN Women can lead the way in deciphering: that while women – stereotyped as we are – have for centuries formed the majorities in the nurturing category and hence part of the baseline in shaping character, habits, beliefs and behaviour – as care givers, mothers, teachers, nurses –there does not seem to have been any equivalent transference of notions of gender equality, equity and respect for women across the board in our societies.
In effect, it seems to me that as architects of the perspectives and outlooks of boys as much as we are of girls and as primary transmitters of culture, knowledge and education, women have not been changing, but replicating and transferring habits, beliefs and practices that promote inequalities to the boys as much as the girls who grow up to become leaders.
We need to examine more deeply and find means of addressing perceived lack of impact women leaders have been making in their spheres in a more holistic manner. Commendations to the Organisation of American States for organising the upcoming symposium on women’s leadership in collaboration with your organization, UNIFEM and others, but unless the outcomes of this are not collated and critically analysed and set before the global public, it runs the danger of becoming another talkshop.
What are the anticipated outcomes of this forum? Increasing numbers and increasing awareness are clearly not enough. There must be deeper focus on targeted programmes and actions that can bring desired results for gender equity, as well as for women to not just pass on responsibility for shortcomings and failures on historical and/or patriarchal systems and beliefs, but also to come to terms with and admit our own failures as well as part of the process of mapping a way forward.
I would like UN Women to deepen the introspection and interrogation of the intrinsic ways women have been shaping our societies – to unearth both the negatives and the positives and so advance and evolve more meaningful solutions for new directions. In doing so we can celebrate successes, but we also need to own our shortcomings.
Qualitative is as important as quantitative change. Are we owning-up to our own responsibilities for the gender gaps and development divides? What have we as women, mothers, as executives and leaders not done? Where have we fallen short? This seems to me to also be a crucial element in the way forward.
However, I believe there is need for significantly deeper interrogation and analyses on the capacity of women leaders for change; to identify challenges and come up with solutions given that there is widespread belief that even where women’s leadership and participation have increased, there have not been concurrent reflection related to their impact on their spheres of leadership.
I may refer to a recent analysis, for example, which highlighted the clear disjoint between increased women’s participation, in this instance, political participation, and the impact they have had on their areas of jurisdiction in the Caribbean where, not only efforts at increasing participation are sporadic and piecemeal, research and documentation in this area are also poorly lacking.
That report looked at efforts by the Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women, of which I am international relations director, in increasing political participation by women through training, networking, funding and documentation.
It found that representation of women’s interests by women in power did not increase, despite increases in their numbers and the exposure to ideas and tools of gender equity. Women MPs and decision makers are not raising issues of concern to women as they should.
For this, there may be several reasons. These are the reasons that UN Women needs to unearth and turn its focus on. Not to discount the fact that in several societies, including our own, there are substantial numbers of disadvantaged, disempowered women, it seems for too long we have hid behind the victims’ veil; as recipients rather than shapers and molders of modes and models of governance whether at the domestic, national or global levels.
But there is an inherent paradox that most of the societies where the problems seem most endemic, boast of matriarchal systems. There is another paradox that UN Women can lead the way in deciphering: that while women – stereotyped as we are – have for centuries formed the majorities in the nurturing category and hence part of the baseline in shaping character, habits, beliefs and behaviour – as care givers, mothers, teachers, nurses –there does not seem to have been any equivalent transference of notions of gender equality, equity and respect for women across the board in our societies.
In effect, it seems to me that as architects of the perspectives and outlooks of boys as much as we are of girls and as primary transmitters of culture, knowledge and education, women have not been changing, but replicating and transferring habits, beliefs and practices that promote inequalities to the boys as much as the girls who grow up to become leaders.
We need to examine more deeply and find means of addressing perceived lack of impact women leaders have been making in their spheres in a more holistic manner. Commendations to the Organisation of American States for organising the upcoming symposium on women’s leadership in collaboration with your organization, UNIFEM and others, but unless the outcomes of this are not collated and critically analysed and set before the global public, it runs the danger of becoming another talkshop.
What are the anticipated outcomes of this forum? Increasing numbers and increasing awareness are clearly not enough. There must be deeper focus on targeted programmes and actions that can bring desired results for gender equity, as well as for women to not just pass on responsibility for shortcomings and failures on historical and/or patriarchal systems and beliefs, but also to come to terms with and admit our own failures as well as part of the process of mapping a way forward.
I would like UN Women to deepen the introspection and interrogation of the intrinsic ways women have been shaping our societies – to unearth both the negatives and the positives and so advance and evolve more meaningful solutions for new directions. In doing so we can celebrate successes, but we also need to own our shortcomings.
Qualitative is as important as quantitative change. Are we owning-up to our own responsibilities for the gender gaps and development divides? What have we as women, mothers, as executives and leaders not done? Where have we fallen short? This seems to me to also be a crucial element in the way forward.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Skewed development vision in CHOGM concept paper
Skewed development vision in CHOGM concept paper
by
20091129
Dr Kris Rampersad
Despite its very clear identification of Commonwealth challenges, and its theme Partnering for a More Equitable and Sustainable Future, the CHOGM concept paper gives unequal focus to its three key words, 'partnering, equitable, and sustainable.' The paper is heavily slanted to climate change, almost to the oblivion of all else, and even that is skewed to the perspective that all the world's ensuing problems will arise from the climate change phenomenon. This constitutes a business-as-usual, plaster-on-the-sore approach that holds the symptoms for the cause.
It ignores the reality that anticipated challenges from changing climate patterns are really manifestations of the continued imposition of culturally alien financial and other systems on many of the world's communities, unbalanced economic development, neglect of the contributions of women and girls, and inequitable investments in the largely rural-based agricultural sectors in favour of close-to-the-nose urban sectors.
The paper's approach is analogous to the get-rich-quick models that spiraled the financial crisis in the first instance; the failures that have arisen from focus on economic security at the expense of food security; and the disrespect for home-grown, culturally evolved modes of coping with life's challenge that have excluded large segments of the world's peoples from an equal share of development – spring-factors that will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, not the other way around!
The concept can certainly benefit from strengthened emphasis on the need for integrated and multi/cross sectoral approaches that promote balance and equity and that recognise different notions and cultures of development that can add enormously to solutions for the current crises of finance, food security, water and land management, soil conservation, rising temperatures and ocean levels.
As it treats with climate change, there is need in the concept for dedicated attention through paragraphs that:
1. recognise that peoples' cultures are central and pivotal to development around which all else orbits if there is to be widespread buy-in-to the Millennium Development Goals;
2. account for the conditions of and contributions of two-thirds of the Commonwealth–who are women and children–as key starting points (not endpoints) to reversing the horrifying imbalances of poverty, malnourishment, child and maternal mortality that will be aided and alleviated through - not token - but revisionist priority positioning of agriculture, food security and rural in the Commonwealth and others' development agendas.
This would go a long way to help right the lopsided vision in the concept, clouded as it is by climate change as the looming tsunami bearing down on the world, by sharpening its focus on the real subjects of the MDGs: the neglected communities that huddle on tsunami-endangered coastlines, farmers who are squeezed onto precarious hillside to produce the world's food as concrete encroach on prime agriculture lands and the plight of the disadvantaged, including women and children.
1. The CHOGM 2009 Concept Paper: http://www.chogm2009.org/pdf/October%20Concept%20Paper%20Final.pdf
2. Dr Kris Rampersad, a T&T based media, cultural and literary development consultant and international relations director of the Network of NGOS of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women, reviews the Concept Paper for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the context of status of the global development agenda.
Visit for more https://krisrampersad.com/
Skewed development vision in CHOGM concept paper | The Trinidad Guardian
Book on Woman bid for Political Leadership & Premiership launches
Culture, gender and geography in the arena of politics - A new book by Dr Kris Rampersad
From the Trinidad Guardian
Book on Kamla launches today
by Shaliza Hassanali
Book on Kamla launches today | The Trinidad Guardian (From the Trinidad Guardian
A book highlighting the quest by the country's first female leader of the United National Congress, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, for prime ministership is to be launched today
Written by journalist, researcher and publisher Dr Kris Rampersad, the book entitled Through The Political Glass Ceiling–Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago's First Female is a compilation of selected speeches of Persad-Bissessar against the backdrop of contending minority-versus-dominant factors of culture, gender and geography, as T&T struggles for articulation and definition of a truly encompassing national identity. The book is expected to be launched at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, with the blessing and presence of Persad-Bissessar. Rampersad says the book presents the paradox of politics and society in T&T in the context of the contest for leadership between the country's longest standing political identity, the PNM, and Persad-Bissessar, who is vying for the office of Prime Minister. The book, consisting introduction, context and analyses ranges through the country's experiences with political parties under Dr Eric Williams to the period of voting deadlock at the turn of the century, involving Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning.
Book on Kamla launches today, 20100515 by Shaliza Hassanali
A book highlighting the quest by the country's first female leader of the United National Congress, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, for prime ministership is to be launched today
Written by journalist, researcher and publisher Dr Kris Rampersad, the book entitled Through The Political Glass Ceiling–Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago's First Female is a compilation of selected speeches of Persad-Bissessar against the backdrop of contending minority-versus-dominant factors of culture, gender and geography, as T&T struggles for articulation and definition of a truly encompassing national identity. The book is expected to be launched at MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, with the blessing and presence of Persad-Bissessar. Rampersad says the book presents the paradox of politics and society in T&T in the context of the contest for leadership between the country's longest standing political identity, the PNM, and Persad-Bissessar, who is vying for the office of Prime Minister. The book, consisting introduction, context and analyses ranges through the country's experiences with political parties under Dr Eric Williams to the period of voting deadlock at the turn of the century, involving Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning.
Book on Kamla launches today, 20100515 by Shaliza Hassanali
Women's Action Mandate
Women’s action mandate
International Relations Director of the Network, Dr Kris Rampersad said the Network is demanding these issues be integrated into all policies and decision making, budget design and implementation and action.
The release stated that the Women’s Mandate for Action presents women as a political constituency as has labour, the private sector and religious groups.
“Our constituency is one to whom political parties can make commitments for action and to whom they can be held accountable,” she said.
Rampersad noted that their goal is to transform the culture of politics in the country by ensuring all persons have equal opportunity to participate in public life and to ensure there is no discrimination either direct or indirect, on the basis of gender, ethnicity, class, age or sexuality.
She explained that women have been excluded from political decision-making at the highest level but they are confident of the positive impact their contribution will have on the development of our society.
“Our mandate for action which has emerged from our work of women’s organisations over many years and from commitments agreed to by successive governments as the Convention of the Elimination of All Rights and the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies. These provide the basis for a comprehensive framework for the advancement of women and the enjoyment of basic rights to gender equity, the principles of which must further inform the national gender policy,” she said.
Rampersad added that a gender policy must reaffirm the commitment in the constitution to gender equality and social justice and provide a framework to guide and inform transformation of existing inequitable gender relations.
Two women not good enough - Dr Kris on Senate Appointments
two out of nine is tremendously disappointed...It is high time we move beyond the rhetoric and value and recognise the potential for leadership at all levels in our country's women - Dr Kris Rampersad Education, Outreach and Advocacy SpecialistNGOs on Independent senators: Two women not good enough by 20100613 The Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women is disappointed that of nine Independent senators named by President George Maxwell Richards, only two are women. "This is by no means intended to cast aspersions on the choices of Independent senators," said Network International Relations Director Dr Kris Rampersad, "but two out of nine is tremendously disappointed given that over the past few terms, precedent has been set to keep an almost 50 per cent gender balance on the Independent benches with four or five female Independent senators. "And it is particularly unsatisfactory, given the President's own acknowledgement of the lack of appreciation of the capabilities of women in our country at the swearing in of Trinidad and Tobago's first female Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar," Rampersad said. "We all heard how eloquently the President lamented the 'deficit' in the country's dealings with women and to quote him: 'There is no gainsaying that our women have made tremendous strides in the public as in the private sectors...and there have existed and continues to exist a certain reservation, on the part of men as well as women, in genuinely respecting the ability as well the entitlement of women...and many of us do not repose full confidence in our women to act independently of patronage of one kind or another.' "Given that, the network finds it very difficult to believe that the President could not find women in our population who could competently occupy seats on the Independent benches. "It is high time we move beyond the rhetoric and value and recognise the potential for leadership at all levels in our country's women. "Meanwhile, the network congratulates the announcement of Opposition Leader Keith Rowley to have its two female senators lead Opposition business in the Upper House with Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald as the country's first ever woman chief whip and Pennelope Beckles as the first female Senate minority leader. "We note that the People's Partnership has not yet named its full slate of 16 senators, and given its strong gender appeal in the campaign for the elections, we anticipate that it will ensure that women share an equal number of seats to men in the Government benches of the Upper House," Rampersad said. For more visit the GLoCal Knowledge Pot https://krisrampersad.com/ and make contact to support development of these archives for learnings and research. Two women not good enough | The Trinidad Guardian
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