ST. MAARTEN, ANGUILLA TO DICUSS WOMEN AFFAIRS

A formal meeting has been proposed for officials of the Women Desks in St.Maarten/St.Martin and the Chief Minister’s Office in Anguilla (which deals with Gender Affairs) to discuss areas of cooperation among other matters.

Lana Hoyoung, Principal Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Human Rights and Gender Affairs, described the planned meeting as a summit called by the Chief Minister to be attended by top officials from both islands.

According to Mrs. Hoyoung, the meeting was proposed as a result of a visit to Anguilla by Maria Krythoft of the St. Maarten Women Desk during which various issues of similarity affecting women in Anguilla’s and St. Maarten were discussed.

“If we are looking at equality development and peace, we need to look at the imbalances that exist between women and men in decision-making and the whole role of equity in development,” Mrs. Hoyoung said. “We also need to look at what is happening to our male counterparts where they are marginalised especially in the education system. We are seeing that to a greater degree boys are under achievers more than girls. If we are going to have a total development of society we must look at all people and to correct the imbalances.”

She went on: “With the visit of Maria Krythoft, the Hon. Chief Minister has called on us to organise a summit for St. Maarten, St. Martin and Anguilla where there are similar issues coming out of our colonial status. We are to look at how the regional and international issues, with regard to women and development and gender and development, affect us across board. This is especially when it comes to the international conventions as they are extended to us through the United Nations, the mother countries of the United Kingdom, Holland and France and now through the commonalities of the European Union. There are number of things that we in the territories will have to adjust to.”

Mrs. Hoyoung stated that no date had been set for the meeting but the initial discussion had started in the run-up to the summit.