Women’s affairs ministers from Commonwealth countries committed to a roadmap yesterday, designed to scale up efforts to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls, especially in climate action.
The roadmap was the result of three-day deliberations among ministers at their triennial Commonwealth meeting in The Bahamas this week. It was also shaped by input from a range of stakeholders, including domestic violence survivors, civil society representatives and women with disabilities.
As part of this roadmap, women’s affairs ministers pledged to enhance efforts to address inequality in several Commonwealth priority areas over the coming years.
Specific provisions include an enhanced role of women in climate finance, increased support for women with disabilities, more economic opportunities for women, better representation in decision-making and greater protections from gender-based violence.
The roadmap encapsulates the outcome statement issued by ministers, representing 2.5 billion Commonwealth people, at the conclusion of their meeting on 23 August 2023.
The Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting was hosted by the Government of The Bahamas from 21 to 23 August 2023 in the capital, Nassau.
Next year, this roadmap will be considered by leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
