WINSOME Packer, a Jamaican by birth, has been appointed by United States Secretary of State General Colin Powell, as a US delegate to the 46th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Ambassador John Negroponte, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, made the announcement last week.

Packer, who was born in Chapelton, Clarendon and attended Vere Technical High School, has lived in the United States, as well as the Philippines, since migrating from Jamaica in 1977.

In welcoming Packer to the American delegation, Ambassador Negroponte noted that her expertise would help to assist the work of the United States in promoting and expanding the role of women in the areas of sustainable development, the promotion of peace and security, governance as well as human rights.

The ambassador said the United States was “pleased to have Winsome’s expertise during the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women,” adding that, “Americans should be proud to have her as their representative to the Commission”.

A foreign affairs expert with a distinguished career in government, Packer is currently an official with AMERICORP, a corporation promoting national and community service. She has also served in several capacities with both state and federal government agencies in the State of Georgia, as well as in Washington, and as advisor to the US House of Representatives Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, where she focused on education, training and employment for American veterans.

Commenting on the work of the Commission on the Status of Women in providing advocacy for women’s issues, Packer noted that the commission’s task was even more critical given the urgent need to raise the standard of living of women internationally, and to increase their economic competitiveness.

“Efforts to uplift and empower women must be central to the international community’s overall commitment to eradicate poverty and, in so doing, encourage governments to adopt transparent practices within their political and economic institutions that encourage investment and serve to foster economic growth that in turn will enfranchise women,” she said.

And on the current agenda of the Commission and the potential impact of its work on Jamaican and Caribbean women in general, Packer noted that efforts would be made to focus on poverty eradication, environmental management and disaster mitigation which affected women in the developing world.

“The Caribbean itself has seen its share of environmental disasters in recent years, so educating people to undertake proactive measures, increasing their overall preparedness, and improving their ability to respond to natural disaster is critical,” she said.

“Within this context, it is also important to recognise that development goals in the Caribbean need to be tied to policies that seek also to address environmental and natural disasters because of the catastrophic economic losses that were often sustained – not to mention the loss of life, property and capacity,” she added.

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women was established as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council in June 1946, and prepares recommendations and reports on women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields.

— JIS