Beijing + 25 Dialogue: Perspectives from Latin America and the Caribbean

Meeting of ministers with representatives of civil society

On Wednesday, September 23, between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Argentina time (3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Panama time), a Latin America and the Caribbean Women Ministers’ Dialogue was held with representatives of regional organizations and networks that are members of the Committee of NGOs for the Legal and Social Status of Women of Latin America and the Caribbean, preparatory to the Special Session of Beijing + 25, which will take place in the framework of the next UN General Assembly, on October 1, 2020. The meeting was broadcast live on the NGO CSW LAC Facebook channel, with a reach of more than 8000 people.

The full meeting can be watched at:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1427191327485992&ref=watch_permalink

Participated Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity of Argentina; Ana Aminta Madrid Minister of the National Institute of Women of Honduras (represented by Maritza Perdomo, technical director of the Institute); Nadine Gasman, president of the National Institute of Women (INMujeres) of Mexico; and Mayra Jiménez, Minister for Women of the Dominican Republic. On behalf of the Minister of Women of Peru Rosario Sasieta Morales, the General Director of the General Directorate for Gender Mainstreaming, María Pía Molero and Carla Rojas, General Director against gender violence. And the Director of the UN Women regional office: María Noel Vaeza.

The conversation was organized in three blocks around three key themes: development model, poverty eradication and gender-based violence. Participating on behalf of the NGO Committee for the CSW LAC, Mabel Bianco Co-Chair, Rocío Rosero Garcés of the National Coalition of Ecuadorian Women, Mónica Novillo, Coordinator of REPEM, Julia Escalante de Haro, General Coordinator of CLADEM and Gladys Via, from Catholics for the Right to Decide
of Peru.

The ministers presented the situation of women in the different countries of the region in the framework of the pandemic, listed the policies and projects implemented by the respective governments and emphasized the need for states’ commitment to the situation of women, aggravated by COVID both in the labor aspect, as they are the ones who receive the greatest burdens in terms of care and domestic tasks, in the gender violence suffered by women, people from the LGBTQI + collective and also girls and boys, and they emphasized the need to improve budgets for the gender areas of governments, presenting some examples of recent increases.

At the closing, Gladys Vía, listed the areas of concern included in the document Lights and shadows and thanked the Ministers for their participation. María Noel Vaeza pointed out the importance of the UN General Assembly on October 1: “We want a reaffirmation from Beijing and we want a reaffirmation that we are moving forward and that this pandemic does not stop us.” Finally, Mabel Bianco closed by saying: “This is the first dialogue, not the last. We will continue to prepare for the CSW. Our region allowed the Women’s Commission to overcome difficult issues with the support of a united Latin America and the Caribbean. Now we need that unity, it is difficult, but women have the capacity to articulate and overcome political differences. We are going to continue fighting”.

ESPAÑOL