Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. (FP)
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley paid glowing tribute to women of the Caribbean and others across the world who have blazed a trail of excellence for other women to follow.
She expressed her deep commitment to women such as the late Governor General Dame Nita Barrow; Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dame Billie Miller; and Dr. The Most Honourable Eudine Barriteau, and others, who had created the space for other women and girls to follow in their footsteps.
Ms. Mottley made the comments while addressing the United Nations 4th World Council of Women Meeting at the UN General Assembly. The meeting was convened by United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the 4th World Conference on women.
The Prime Minister pointed out that they were among the thousands of women who attended the 4th World Council Meeting in Beijing, China in 1995, who used the platform to advocate for equal rights and gender equality.
“They were part of the collective movement that caried us to Beijing, and it has made for us a major difference. Although our journey has been difficult to this point, it has been worth taking…. We have so much to contribute and we have learnt so much from the work of Madame Curie in Science, from Rachel Carson’s environmental thinking, from Toni Morrison’s literature, and from Shirley Chislom’s fearlessness.
“We believe that Rihanna and her excellence in entrepreneurship continues to inspire young girls to go where others have not gone before. Women…truly make lives richer from the homes to the halls of justice and indeed to this house that we call the United Nations,” Ms. Mottley emphasised.
The Prime Minister stressed that as women continue to make significant strides, they must continue to inspire young girls by building up their confidence to say no, and “not believe that they must say yes every time someone asks of them to do something”.
Author: Julie Carrington
