The Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL) acknowledges the historic appointment of Her Excellency Marcella Liburd as the first female Governor-General of St. Kitts and Nevis, and Her Excellency Christine Kangaloo as the President Elect of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Her Excellency Marcella Liburd was sworn in on January 31st, 2023, and will serve as the fifth Governor-General of St. Kitts and Nevis. Her Excellency Christine Kangaloo will be sworn in on March 21st 2023, and will serve as the sixth President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and the second woman as Head of State.
These appointments are significant to the Caribbean region as it represents strides towards increased gender parity in political and civic life. It also exemplifies to all women and girls that their aspirations to serve as leaders of national offices can be realized regardless of their socio-cultural backgrounds, such as race, ethnicity and religion.
The full and equal participation of women in all spheres is integral to the sustainability of the Caribbean. As such, continued efforts must be made to ensure that women are represented across all arms of government, and within each Caribbean country. Recent data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) reveals that several Caribbean countries are currently below the threshold of 30 percent representation of women in parliaments, as articulated in the 1996 UN Beijing Platform for Action. This indicates that women’s representation continues to be a specific area for action in the Caribbean.
CIWiL wishes to congratulate St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on their appointments of women, and reaffirms their commitment to supporting the transformational leadership of all women and girls. CIWiL also calls on other Caribbean Governments to evaluate their prioritization and strengthening of gender parity nationally.
CIWiL is a non-partisan and independent, flagship networking organization committed to advancing women’s transformational leadership, and to increase the numbers of women in leadership and decision making in political and civic life.
