Statement by St. Kitts and Nevis on behalf of CARICOM | High-Level Meeting | 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration

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"Another 30 years should not greet us speaking of potential and possibilities. Let us make good on our shared ambition to leave no one behind."

The Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke - Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment of Saint Kitts and Nevis at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to Commemorate the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to Achieve Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls | 80th UNGA | 22 September 2025 | New York

Please read the full remarks below:

Mr. President, Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,

• St. Kitts and Nevis has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

• Excellencies, today marks thirty years since the world gathered in Beijing and made a bold promise to women and girls that their rights would no longer be violable, their voices and experiences no longer silenced, their inclusion no longer negotiable, and their lives and expertise no longer devalued or overlooked.

• The Beijing Declaration signaled the international community's political will to serve and honour an undeniable requirement of true sustainable development - gender parity.

• However, thirty years later, if we are to appraise the delivered outcomes of our actions, we would find clear signs of regression - promises reneged, actions unfulfilled, and the spirit of the Beijing Declaration, under-served.

• Despite their indispensable roles, women and girls continue to face unequal burdens, limited opportunities, and persistent threats to their safety and autonomy.
• They are often relegated to the informal sector, underrepresented in political leadership and disproportionately affected by poverty, climate change and gender-based violence - realities that are escalated by the climate crisis.

• Notwithstanding, women and girls especially in the Caribbean and across small island developing states, remain the fulcrum of our societies. Their stewardship and contributions are the axes on which families, communities and indeed nations turn.

• Acknowledging this, CARICOM reaffirms its commitment to the full implementation and acceleration of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and all other frameworks geared toward the realization of gender equality.

• We must look at the numbers and decode the pictures the data paints - it is estimated that by 2030, around 8.1% of women and girls will live in extreme poverty with the possibility that climate-induced shocks could increase this figure by 158 million by 2050.
  
  • Only 28% of women across the world serve as Ministers of Environment. Women hold only 26.9% of parliamentary seats worldwide.
• Women perform 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men.

• Globally, the wage gap persists with women still earning 20% less than men for work of equal value. Women enjoy only 64% of the rights that men do. Sobering realities.

• In the Caribbean Community, we strive for a political culture that prioritizes women in decision-making and leadership evidenced by our three (3) democratically elected female Heads of Government who we commend and celebrate - but we acknowledge that we still have far to go.
• Noting this, last Friday, Saint Kitts and Nevis, through our co-leadership with Ireland, facilitated the passage of the Resolution on the Revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women - a renewed commitment to women and girls.

• Translating intention into action can only be sustained with legislative and policy-backed reformations. As such, our region remains steadfast in the cultivation of gender-responsive policies and legislation, and the review of outdated laws that perpetuate discrimination.

• Excellencies, equality must be budgeted and planned for, especially for SIDS with limited fiscal space. To this end,

• WE CALL for increased accessible international financing that incorporates the needs of women and girls.

• WE CALL for gender-responsive climate action that acknowledges the pivotal role of women and girls in leading the charge against the climate crisis.

• WE EMPHASIZE the need for a paradigm shift in our educational sectors and digital systems in alignment with the needs of women and girls.

CARICOM URGES that we:

• Recommit - in policy and action.
• Resource - through gender-sensitive climate financing; and
• Accelerate - with the full force of political will.

- Sustainable development demands women and girls at its core. So, we urge the international community to increase its support for gender equality.

Another thirty years should not greet us speaking of potential, possibilities or aspirations - let us make good on our shared ambition to leave no one behind.

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