Business View Caribbean | March 2021

10 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MARCH 2021 IETY AND VERY promote a Regional Compact for care, which should incorporate governments, businesses, social organizations and academia.” According to Bárcena, “regional integration must play a key role in the strategies for emerging from this crisis and can be the basis for reorienting international trade towards a transformative recovery with gender equality and sustainability. This is not an era of crisis, it is the crisis of an era. And it is an opportunity to build that inspiring future for all women, young women, adolescents and girls. It is urgently necessary to redistribute time, resources and power to move towards a new development pattern based on gender equality and sustainability.” Meanwhile, María-Noel Vaeza, from UN Women, pointed out “the important declaration adopted by the Ministers at this meeting, which demonstrates once again how Latin America and the Caribbean comes at the world, and global matters, with a very progressive consensus, which shows that progress is happening and we want more. We are concerned about the underrepresentation of women in politics at both a national and local level, as well as in the committees for responding to the COVID-19 crisis, especially women who are indigenous, Afro- descendent, migrants, young people, women with disabilities, and those representing sexual diversity. It is urgently necessary to accelerate legislative and regulatory reforms and innovative policies and to allocate the resources needed to eradicate the structural barriers that underpin discrimination and gender inequalities. During these days of the Regional Consultation, Latin America and the Caribbean has reaffirmed a position at the vanguard, setting sights on a democratic, parity-based and inclusive horizon.” In her remarks, Gladys Acosta Vargas recalled that “the mandate for complying with the CEDAW, a convention ratified by 189 countries, is not just for the Executive Branch, but also for the Legislative and Judicial Branches, and for non-state agents who have the same responsibility to respect the Convention.” She also anticipated that “we are preparing a General Recommendation on the rights of indigenous women and girls, where the contribution of Latin American and Caribbean countries will be fundamental.” Chilean Minister Mónica Zalaquett underscored that “these days, the relevance of our Santiago Commitment has been reaffirmed, as it constitutes an essential instrument for promoting a transformative recovery with gender equality. It is indispensable that we urgently put our foot to the accelerator for its successful implementation. Equity can wait no longer.” Prior to the closing session, Minister Zalaquett presented the declaration by Ministers and High- level Authorities of National Machineries for the Advancement of Women from Latin America and the Caribbean for the Sixty-fifth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will take place on March 15-26, 2021. In the declaration, authorities propose, among other things, to “redouble efforts and commitment to make gender parity a State policy and to ensure women’s equal access to decision-making positions in all branches and areas of the State, including the judiciary, and in national, subnational and local governments, through legislative and electoral initiatives and measures to ensure parity representation in all areas and levels of political power.” In total, representatives from 34 Member States of ECLAC participated, along with 10 associate members, 16 agencies, funds and programs, 5 intergovernmental bodies and around 260 civil society organizations.