From Caribbean360

APIA, Samoa, Tuesday September 2, 2014, CMC – Prominent Caribbean rights advocate, Anande Trotman-Joseph, says there is need to “domesticate” international law so as to strengthen measures aimed at ensuring equality, opportunities and empowerment for women.

“SIDS requires integrated and inclusive approaches as we enter upon a new paradigm for development, built upon the foundations of international human rights, legal frameworks achieved,” Mrs. Trotman-Joseph told the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Tuesday.

“We must consolidate for the future. Therefore, it is important that we domesticate these international law sand strengthen domestic legal frameworks responsive to women’s equality, opportunities and empowerment,” said Mrs. Trotman-Joseph, an attorney and the Caribbean Representative for UNWomen Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

She told the conference that it is important for small islands to accept that there is a need for a new partnerships framed around the principles and building blocks of the SIDS and sustainable goals, of the post 2015 development processes.

“SIDS partnerships about which we speak already has a wealth of best practice experiences: negotiating strength of the private and multilateral sectors, the resilience principles of agricultural and disaster sectors,” she said.

“it’s time for “Joined up thinking”’ as we march forward to realize the promise of Beijing…the access to justice, realisation of sexual and reproductive health, the end of violence against women and children, the achievement of a critical mass of women in leadership and public life, the greening of our economies and our very ways of life.

“We must spread the gospel of women’s integration into sustainable development paradigms,” said the former chairperson of the Grenada National Coalition on the Rights of the Child.

The conference provides an opportunity to highlight the significant vulnerabilities facing SIDS face while also discussing the progress made by these islands in addressing global issues such as climate change, access to sustainable energy and environmental degradation.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “we are here to seek a renewed commitment to small island developing states by focusing on practical actions and durable partnerships”.

The outcome document, named “Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action – or SAMOA Pathway” – was agreed by member states earlier this year.

In the 124 points of the SAMOA Pathway, countries agree to strengthen their support for small island developing states.

An official UN release said that these newly established partnerships have the potential to mobilize at least US$625 million, while financial commitments from existing partnerships for the period beyond 2014 amount to US$1.28 billion.

IMAGE: PROMINENT CARIBBEAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE, ANANDE TROTMAN-JOSEPH

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/caribbean-rights-advocate-tells-sids-conference-its-time-to-re-think-strategies?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=71d011f4be-Vol_9_Issue_175_News9_2_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-71d011f4be-39393477