Business View Caribbean | March 2021

9 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MARCH 2021 During the 60th Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by ECLAC in coordination with UN Women, authorities adopted a declaration that will be presented during the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Women’s Affairs Ministers and authorities from mechanisms for women’s advancement in Latin America and the Caribbean advocated for incorporating a gender perspective into the policies for responding to the pandemic to tackle the multiple forms of violence and inequality that affect women, while also reaffirming their commitment to take all necessary measures to accelerate effective implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Regional Gender Agenda in order to contribute to a transformative and sustainable recovery with gender equality. The representatives participated from Tuesday, February 23 through Thursday, February 25 in the 60th Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in coordination with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). In the gathering’s resolutions, the authorities agreed to promote a Regional Partnership for the digitalization of women in Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Chile in its capacity as Chair of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference, with the goal of reducing gender gaps in information and communications technologies in terms of access, skills development and use by women and girls, and promoting women’s full participation in the digital economy. Furthermore, the Regional Fund in Support WOMEN’S AFFAIRS MINISTERS COMMIT TO FURTHERING A CARE SO FULL DIGITAL INCLUSION OF WOMEN FOR A TRANSFORMATIVE REC WITH GENDER EQUALITY IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN of Women’s and Feminists Organizations and Movements was set in motion, with initial contributions from Mexico and UN Women, the agency that will be in charge of administering the fund. Participating in the event’s closing session were Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary; María- Noel Vaeza, UN Women’s Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean; Gladys Acosta Vargas, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee); and Mónica Zalaquett, Minister of Women’s Affairs and Gender Equity of Chile, in her capacity as Chair of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. “As we have reaffirmed at this meeting, the full digital inclusion of women and the forging of a care society are indispensable for an egalitarian and sustainable recovery. To that end, we will be promoting, with Chile’s leadership, the Regional Partnership for the digitalization of women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which constitutes a decisive step forward. We highlight that Uruguay and Costa Rica are the first two countries to have expressed interest in forming part of this Partnership along with Chile,” Alicia Bárcena sustained. “We also take note of the request by Costa Rica’s Vice President, Epsy Campbell, to The full digital inclusion of women and the forging of a care society are indispensable for an egalitarian and sustainable recovery OPENING L INES