FLOTUS powers up Hilary Clinton campaign

Michelle Obama fired up the Democratic campaign with a heartfelt emotional and sizzling endorsement of Hilary Clinton...wonder if the US Presidential candidate could match that herself  #FLOTUS for #USPresident....powerful endorsement of #HilaryClinton #USElection #GenderBender @flotus @potus @krisramp @lolleaves @glocalpot #Demokrissy #LeavesOfLife

T&T Author To Chair UNESCO Education Commission

Trinidad author to chair UNESCO Education Commission
Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative on UNESCO Executive Board, 2013 to 2017 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The particular challenges of small island developing states (SIDS), and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets, according to recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative to the UNESCO executive board during its 196th session in Paris, France. Rampersad was unanimously presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and accepted by the executive board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO general assembly to take place in November. The decision took place at the 196th session of the UNESCO executive board, on which Rampersad serves as the representative of Trinidad and Tobago. She has been unanimously elected to co-chair the executive board’s Programme and External Relations Commission for the three consecutive sessions since 2013. The general assembly and the executive board are the two governing organs of UNESCO. “These provide considerable opportunities to advance Trinidad and Tobago’s presence in UNESCO which is working to build a culture of peace and share our experiences and challenges in the region in this respect in the face of numerous challenges, including size and capacity as small island sovereign states,” she said. Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has commended Rampersad’s work on the UNESCO board and her upcoming chairmanship of Trinidad and Tobago, recognising the significant place Trinidad and Tobago has occupied within UNESCO, now celebrating its 70th anniversary. The Trinidad and Tobago representative maintained a high level of participation and representation in the numerous activities of the executive board strengthening networks with representatives of SIDS, the Commonwealth, GRULAC, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) within UNESCO. She presented the Trinidad and Tobago national Leading for Literacy Now! project as a model approach to address challenges with literacy; and identified challenges identified in the allied National Commission Leading for Numeracy initiatives. Leading for Literacy Now was a programme introduced during her term as chair of the National Commission (2011-2015) in conjunction with declaration of a Decade for Literacy for Trinidad and Tobago implemented by the Elizabeth Crouch-headed Education Committee of the National Commission. It was inspired by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova’s 10,000 Principal Leadership programme, with financial support from UNESCO, the ministry of education, the private sector and also represents a model UNESCO-public-private sector partnership initiative. Rampersad has actively contributed to UNESCO’s efforts over the past two years in defining actions for programmes and budgets that will meet the needs of small island states; and suggested ways of deepening synergies across UNESCO programme areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings. She advocated the need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on UNESCO’s role in the UN post-2015 education agenda; UNESCO’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of UNESCO Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDS. She further participated in UNESCO’s introduction of a new International Day of University Sports, the rights to learning without fear and making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education and education in the digital age; the place of information and communication technologies to advance learning of persons with disabilities; developing global citizenship, among others. Rampersad is an author and an independent media, cultural and literary development educator and consultant. She was appointed to the UNESCO executive board in 2013, following UNESCO elections in which Trinidad and Tobago polled the highest number of votes within the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC). http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Trinidad-author-to-chair-UNESCO-Education-Commission-27489.html http://newsday.co.tt/news/0,216691.html UNESCO rep calls for help for Small Island States Monday, September 7 2015 The particular challenges of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets. This was among the recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Representative to the UNESCO Executive Board during its 196th session in Paris, France. Rampersad was presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and accepted by the Executive Board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO General Assembly to take place in November. The decision took place at the 196th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, in which Rampersad serves as the TT Representative. She has been elected to co-chair the Executive Board’s Programme and External Relations Commission for the three consecutive sessions since 2013 – 194th, 195th, and 196th. The General Assembly and the Executive Board are the two governing organs of UNESCO. “These provide considerable opportunities to advance Trinidad and Tobago’s presence in UNESCO which is working to build a culture of peace and share our experiences and challenges in the region in this respect in the face of numerous challenges, including size and capacity as small island sovereign states,” she said. Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has commended D Rampersad’s work on the UNESCO Board and her upcoming chairmanship of TT, recognising the significant place TT has occupied within UNESCO, now celebrating its 70th anniversary. The TT representative maintained a high level of participation and representation in the numerous activities of the Executive Board strengthening networks with representatives of SIDS, the Commonwealth, GRULAC, and CARICOM within UNESCO. She presented the TT national Leading for Literacy Now! Project as a model approach to address challenges with literacy; and identified challenges identified in the allied National Commission Leading for Numeracy initiatives. Leading for Literacy Now was a programme introduced during her term as Chair of the National Commission (2011-2015) in conjunction with declaration of a Decade for Literacy for Trinidad and Tobago implemented by the Elizabeth Crouch-headed Education Committee of the National Commission. It was inspired by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova’s 10,000 Principal Leadership programme, with financial support from UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, the private sector and also represents a model UNESCO-public- private sector partnership initiative. Rampersad has actively contributed to UNESCO’s efforts over the past two years in defining actions for programmes and budgets that will meet the needs of Small Island States; and suggested ways of deepening synergies across UNESCO programme areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings. She advocated the need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on UNESCO’s role in the UN post- 2015 education agenda; UNESCO’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of UNESCO Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDS. She further participated in UNESCO’s introduction of a new International Day of University Sports, the rights to learning without fear and making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education and education in the digital age; the place of information and communication technologies to advance learning of persons with disabilities; developing global citizenship, among others. Rampersad is an author and an independent media, cultural and literary development educator and consultant. She was appointed to the UNESCO Executive Board in 2013, following UNESCO elections in which TT polled the highest number of votes within the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries.  Trinidad author to chair UNESCO Education Commission Saturday Read more: Caribbean News Now! PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The particular challenges of small island developing states , and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets, according to recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative to the UNESCO executive board during its 196th session in Paris, France. Rampersad was unanimously presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group and accepted by the executive board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO general assembly to take place in November. Start the conversation, or Read more at Caribbean News Now! T&T author chairs Unesco Education Commission http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-09-06/tt-author-chairs-unesco-education-commission Radhica Sookraj Published:  Sunday, September 6, 2015 Dr Kris Rampersad Author and former T&T Guardian Sunday editor Dr Kris Rampersad says special focus should be give to small island states by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Rampersad, who represented T&T at the Unesco Executive Board during its 196th session in Paris, said because of the challenges of small states, countries like T&T required special focus within Unesco programmes and budgets. She suggested ways of “deepening synergies in the areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings.” Rampersad also said there was a need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on Unesco’s role in the UN post-2015 education agenda. She also called for “Unesco’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of Unesco Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDs.”  Rampersad has also advocated the rights to learning without fear, making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education in the digital age, helping the disabled with ICT and developing global citizenship. Trinidad and Tobago vice-chairs UNESCO's programmes/external relations commission Published on October 25, 2014 Email To Friend    Print Version PARIS, France -- Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago’s representative to the UNESCO executive board, was elected unopposed as the vice-chair of UNESCO’s programmes and external services commission (PX) to the board for the second consecutive time. The PX Commission is one of two commissions of the UNESCO executive board and is charged with examining and directing UNESCO’s programmes. It is chaired by Porfirio Thierry Muñoz Ledo of Mexico. Dr Kris Rampersad Now chaired by Egypt’s Mohamed Sameh Amr, the 58-member executive board, currently in its 195th session in Paris, is one of three governing organs of UNESCO with the General Assembly and Secretariat. It is responsible for appraising and informing UNESCO’s work programme and budgets. This is the first year of Trinidad and Tobago’s term on the board since it was elected by the 2013 General Assembly, when it polled the highest number of votes among candidates for the Latin American and Caribbean (GRULAC) region. Rampersad, a cultural heritage researcher, educator and multimedia journalist, is a former independent member of the consultative body of UNESCO Inter-Governmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage, and chair of the Trinidad and Tobago National Commission for UNESCO. She also serves on the advisory boards of the International Culture University and the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism, and has worked across the UN, Commonwealth and OAS regions working with multisectoral partners in civil society, government, private sector, academia and intergovernmental agencies to devise multidimensional approaches to addressing challenges of change sustainable development. She has devised and conducted creative interactive courses, seminars and education programmes that encourage critical interrogation of development agendas to stimulate people-centred, gender and culture-sensitive paths to progress. These include evaluations and assessments of north-south relations and particularly the small island developing states of the Caribbean in international policy arena, particularly in relation to gender, governance, culture and education at such forums as Commonwealth and OAS Summits; World Summit of Information Society; World Summit on Arts and Culture, Commonwealth Diversity Conferences, International Conferences on Cultural Policy Research, Brussels Briefings on Agriculture of the ACP-EU, among others. Her successful pilot strategy for such round-table engagements to explore solutions towards food security was adopted as the model for the ACP-EU International Seminar on Media and Agriculture in Brussels. Rampersad is the author of the three acclaimed seminal groundbreaking works: Finding a Place on the Indo-Trinidadian literary history of Trinidad and Tobago; Through the Political Glass Ceiling – Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female and LiTTscapes – Landscapes of Fiction from Trinidad and Tobago which features its literary heritage through more than 100 works by more than 60 writers since 1595.  http://174.142.167.193/topstory-Trinidad-and-Tobago-vice-chairs-UNESCO's-programmes_external-relations-commission-23366.html http://www.cnc3.co.tt/aggregator/sources/1

Countdown to the 25,000 reader of Demokrissy begins now

Countdown to the 25,000 reader of Demokrissy begins now....

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."

Network of NGOs hails women awardees | The Trinidad Guardian Thu Sep 01 2011

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Celebrating the role of women

Celebrating the role of women by Dr Kris Rampersad 20110831 The recognition given to the work of a number of women who have been toiling in the vineyard for many years, working at the human development of women and their communities, is of great significance and so for a number of reasons. The first and perhaps most important element of the recognition is that the work in communities and amongst women has been done. The historical reality is that women have been among the most disadvantaged groups in Caribbean society while making great contributions to family and social life, education, economic development, even in the severe business of the development of the political culture and its organisations. The fact that a woman now sits in the highest political office of political leader and prime minister is testimony to that fact. But even more important has been the work of tens of thousands of women in holding their families together, with grandmothers, aunts, even the traditional "aunty" and "nennen" from next door featuring in the bringing up of children. Award recipients such as Hazel Brown, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt and Brenda Goopeesingh, in their own right and representative of dozens of women going back over several generations, deserve being recognised for the work they have done to empower women to believe in themselves and to take charge of their lives and those of their children. The second important consequence of the recognition must be the message it sends to the national community that the Government believes that women and the work they do are important for national development. Too often has that fact gone unrecognised. One classic example of the non-recognition, even in these supposedly evolved times, is the fact that work in the household, done mainly by women, is not included in the national statistics. In identifying and awarding women who have made their contribution in the home-and surely the modern woman who is making a double contribution through the work they do in the office, farm and elsewhere-the society has an opportunity to make a quicker transit to a greater level of consciousness about the role of women in modern society. For the likes of the specific women mentioned above, the award must be particularly satisfying. This is so because for decades these women and the causes they have stood for have not always been popular. In particular Brown and Mahabir-Wyatt have not been afraid to say publicly and loudly things which have not been popular. Indeed they have been the butt of male-oriented humour, which has mocked their gender and their capacity to lead in a meaningful manner. The society as a whole must salute them and be happy for them for having the courage (perhaps at times it required not being afraid) to take on physically opponents by marching and holding the placards on the picket lines. The work of Helen Bhagwansingh, separate and apart from being part of a team to have developed and now manage a massive and successful commercial organisation, has been her generosity to deprived persons and communities. She has also funded community-oriented health research. The former first lady has quietly gone about the community work she has been engaged in over many decades and it is good too that that work has been recognised. Outside of that group of women recognised specifically for their community-oriented work, women in public life such as retired judge, Gladys Gafoor, academic sociologist, Susan Craig, retired police officer, Margaret Sampson-Brown, Irma Simonette, culture and calypsonian Denyse Plummer are all deserving. It is a sign of maturing society by this special recognition. Celebrating the role of women | The Trinidad Guardian

A Medal for Development of Women?

Awarding, Rewarding Women's Achievements

From the GloCal Archives: 

Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.

“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.

“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”

She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.

“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”

She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”

Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.

See More: GloCal Knowledge Pot https://krisrampersad.com/

NEWS

Division over Medal for Women

SEAN DOUGLAS

 SUNDAY 17 JULY 2011

“The medal for women would be awarded for contribution to the development of women’s rights and issues,” said the notice. The medal will be awarded in the classes of gold, silver or bronze, and up to ten such medals will be awarded in any one year, it added. Nominations must be sent to the OPM or any TTPost office by July 29.

However, Sunday Newsday found a difference in views over whether or not a specific award for women is a good idea or not.

Public relations consultant, Denise Demming, disliked the idea. “To me, the existing national awards are not sexist in their appeal. To me, that is a more worthy approach to recognising people,” Demming said.

“Focus less on the things that separate us and more on the things that bring us together. If you have a national award for women, do you now introduce a separate national award for men? What are the current national awards now going to represent?” She did not think there was bias in the existing national awards.

“Lots of women got it in the past and were worthy. A national award is not gender specific. Why do we want to polarise the society even more and have a separate award for women?” Saying this society now has a gender bias in favour of men _ such as the Government placing very few women on State Boards _, she asked if the woman’s award was now simply for public relations purposes. “They prefer to focus on form and not function,” she said of this administration.

Demming called for a more worthy initiative on gender-imbalance. “One solution to gender issues is if they would fund a women’s think tank, that would consist of women in academia and women in business, who would come up with specific issues that affect women, as opposed to a recognition (that is, the medal) that is just another cocktail party.”

She said she had not heard of any consultation being held before the medal was initiated, saying, “There is a tendency to consult after the fact.”

Women’s rights activist, Hazel Brown, told Sunday Newsday she had no opinion on whether an award only for women is a good or bad idea.

Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.

“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.

“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”

She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.

“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”

She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”

Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.

newsday.co.tt

Caribbean women want gender-sensitive decision-makers

Caribbean women want gender-sensitive decision-makers 

Dr Kris Rampersad in the News

Caribbean women want gender-sensitive decision-makers

by

Thu Jul 07 2011

Kris Rampersad

Adequate maternity and paternity leave for parliamentarians and increases in women's representation in cabinets, parliaments and local governments to a minimum of 30 per cent, and where this has already been achieved to 50 per cent. These are among some 17 recommendations to regional and global governments in a communiqué from regional women leaders which also asks that political parties include a minimum of 40 per cent of either sex on their lists of candidates for parliamentary and local government elections and senatorial appointments. The communique titled the Port-of-Spain Consensus on Transformational Leadership for Gender Equality, was drafted at the Caribbean Regional Colloquium on Women Leaders as Agents of Change held in Port of Spain on June 29 and 30, 2011.

The women leaders are also recommending that governments and political parties:

• Develop and implement initiatives that facilitate women's full participation in all internal party policy-making structures, appointments and electoral nominating processes;

• Review of the criteria and processes for appointments to decision-making bodies in the public and private sectors to facilitate increased women's representation;

• Gender-sensitive leadership training programmes for men and women, including young people who are preparing to assume or are in decision-making positions in the public and private sectors;

• And provision of resources to national gender/women's machineries so they can effectively implement, monitor and mainstream commitments on gender equality.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has already announced the report would be presented at a fringe meeting of global women leaders on the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York in September and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia in November.

•

For more visit https://krisrampersad.com/

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, Break the Bias Women and Development Interview 

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 24^th, 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 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day this year on March 8^th, 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 8^th 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 2^nd 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

100 Days-100 Ways for UN Women: “100 Days → 100 Ways” for UN Women e-camp@ign launched!

Kamla's Path To Power Review Through Political Glass Ceiling

Kamla’s path to power

CLAUDETTE MITCHELL

 MONDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2010

That the new incumbent is a woman, of rural background, of Indian descent, forces academics to work outside the traditional tool box of investigation.

First out the post is Dr. Kris Rampersad, a journalist, lecturer and political observer in her own right. Rampersad has brought out a selection of Persad-Bissessar’s speeches showing how the path to power was cut and maintained right up to the weeks before that euphoric night of celebration.

What gives the author’s book an insightful quality is that it was launched the week before Persad-Bissessar’s massive electoral win. Few guessed what the result was going to be because commentators, inured by decades of assessing a two-party system along racial lines, hardly bothered to look behind the scenes at a fluid seething electorate, many voting for the first time.

Rampersad’s opening essay to the book, titled “A Clash of Political Cultures: Cultural Diversity and Minority Politics in Trinidad and Tobago”, sets new interpretations for future elected office holders. This essay could be a good starting point for political scientists taking a new look at the twin island republic’s evolution into its now open accepted multicultural face.

“The whole perception of TT society is that it is race-based, and projections coming out of this, are false,” she said in Toronto to promote her new book.

“We inherited a Westminster style system and interpreters of the two party system it posits presents and represents that in terms of race and in the process overlook that Opposition politics was really accommodating elements of the country's diversity that could not seem to find a place in the ruling party.

Both in terms of the physical presentations and in representations of the country as a whole, you get wrong interpretations of what this country is all about. Take for example, our Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, they do not reflect, or represent the fullness of TT society; not the kind of society we know of a place where we have moved beyond racial tolerance to a casualness and comfortableness with each other and as a result we don’t have the kind of animosities and antagonisms seen in other societies coming to grip with their diversity.”

Rampersad points out that one of the enduring myths is that in sections of Trinidad there are Indian-only villages, or African-only suburbs. She insists that from times as long as one can remember, there have been peoples of different races living side by side, sharing ancestral values, and cuisines, for examples. Then you have the inevitable process of racial mixing. But it’s more than African or Indian; there’s Chinese, Syrian-Lebanese, European and Taino/Carib/Arawak. “There is no race based community in Trinidad, all are diverse. You must understand this if you want to understand the political face of the Republic and it seemed that the politics of the last 30 years has been unable to catch-up with this reality.”

Rampersad states with conviction that the evolution to a diverse political representation became more and more evident in the 1970s when cracks began appearing in the People's National Movement when key figures like Karl Hudson-Phillips and ANR Robinson abandoned the party. The victories of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) in 1986, and the United National Congress (UNC) in 1996 are the manifestations of a broad power sharing.

It was in this period that the young wife of a doctor, Kamla Persad-Bissessar was thrust into the role first as alderman, then a parliamentarian, then Attorney General, then Acting Prime Minister. She might have come from a Hindu home, but her parents also had her baptised into the Spiritual Baptist Movement. During her law studies in Jamaica and otherwise, she expanded her cultural appreciation of other societies, strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, through the campaign and on election night, on stage, she danced to Bob Marley’s “One Love”, even as possibly a couple hundred tassa drums reverberated around the party headquarters.

Reading through this selection of speeches, you also see the wordings of broad representations, Persad-Bissessar’s loyalty to her boss, the Leader of the Opposition, and former Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday, in spite of jealousies and putdowns.

Remember too we are working in an outwardly machismo society, yet still inherently matriarchal. Feminists generally call this the “glass ceiling”.

Persad-Bissessar’s speeches, which represents over 60 years of the political history of the country and some 21 years of the political life of Mrs Persad-Bissessar shows she is no fluke to the nation’s highest elected office, that she had been addressing issues and problems when few cared to debate them. That she was not ever afraid to confront her allies or government ministers with blunt language. But she tempered her rhetoric with diplomacy, smiles and a sense of logic that was hard to refute; for example, her action confronting the Speaker of the House with his stupid decision banning laptops in Parliament when every other democracy in the world was incorporating them into the era of information led debate.

For lovers of Trinbago society, this is a good book to have, to appreciate the fullness of its roots, and as the author’s says, a good template for other emergent multicultural societies the world over.

The book is called Through The Political Glass Ceiling, Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female – Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

(Reprinted with permission of The Caribbean Camera, Toronto, Canada).

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

Protocol training for local govt women

Protocol training for local govt women

Mon Jul 19 2010

Female candidates in the upcoming local government elections will participate in a protocol training programme for women. It takes place today at the International Relations boardroom at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

A release from co-ordinator (sic - read Director) of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women, Dr Kris Rampersad, said: "One of the major issues that surfaced in the recent national election and that is likely to surface in the current local campaign has been how women impact upon the political environment and sphere." Rampersad said the workshop would help sensitise women candidates to issues, prepare them for potential challenges and provide strategies on how to avoid and positively impact on the political sphere in which they function.

The programme will be facilitated by protocol consultant Lenore Dorset, network co-ordinator Hazel Brown and Rampersad. The programme is part of the network's campaign to "engender" local government and increase, not just the numbers, but also the quality of women candidates in the elections. For more on training visit www.krisrampersad.com

Protocol training for local govt women | The Trinidad Guardian

Press Releases - Women’s roles revisited…..Dr. Kris Rampersad

Press Releases - Women’s roles revisited…..Dr. Kris Rampersad With rapidly changing technologies in media, many of our knowledge resources are fast disappearing or becoming inaccessible. We are in the process of digitising our archives representing more than 30 years of contemporary Caribbean development linked to more than 10,000 years of regional pre and post colonial history and heritage. Make contact. To support, sponsor, collaborate and partners with our digitisation efforts. Or to develop your own legacy initiatives, and safeguard, preserve, multimedia museum, galleries, archives, make contact. Political parties should discuss women issues during campaign

Gender Empowerment Resources booklet

Grow Safeguard Preserve Create A MultiMedia Legacy

With rapidly changing technologies in media, many of our knowledge resources are fast disappearing or becoming inaccessible. We are in the process of digitising our archives representing more than 30 years of contemporary Caribbean development linked to more than 10,000 years of regional pre and post colonial history and heritage. Make contact.

To support, sponsor, collaborate and partners with our digitisation efforts. Or to develop your own legacy initiatives, and safeguard, preserve, multimedia museum, galleries, archives, make contact.

gender_booklet_en.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Put hold on same sex school project

SATURDAY 26 JUNE 2010

In a press release, the Network’s international relations director Dr Kris Rampersad said separation into single gender schools may simply delay the problems that this solution is expected to address. She called for more long term solutions to be implemented.

The network also agreed with TTUTA that the decision to implement the same sex schools pilot project was made without consultation. “A proper gender policy can give context and rationality to the debate and plans for same sex education, if it is done with adequate public consultation and with all the necessary apparatus in place that will ensure an improvement in our education system,” Dr Rampersad said.

Rampersad reasoned that separation of boys and girls will not solve problems encountered in schools, which includes the underachievement of males, unless there is proper understanding of gender differences in how students learn.

“Same sex education may also have little effect if the many other ills in the education system and social ills are not addressed. These include irrelevant and outdated teaching methods, use of alien and imported teaching materials and misdirected teacher training. We support any system that allow and facilitate girls and boys to explore their full potential, but clearly not quick fix and stop gap approaches,” she said.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

Victory for ships’ owners

Victory for ships’ owners | The Trinidad Guardian With rapidly changing technologies in media, many of our knowledge resources are fast disappearing or becoming inaccessible. We are in the process of digitising our archives representing more than 30 years of contemporary Caribbean development linked to more than 10,000 years of regional pre and post colonial history and heritage. Make contact. To support, sponsor, collaborate and partners with our digitisation efforts. Or to develop your own legacy initiatives, and safeguard, preserve, multimedia museum, galleries, archives, make contact. Political parties should discuss women issues during campaign

Skewed development vision in CHOGM concept paper ...Imbalanced attention to key drivers: culture, gender and rural development

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.