KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched a publication on gender issues entitled ‘Where are the women: Jamaica case study’.

The report is the product of a regional analysis examining the presence of women in decision making positions of CARICOM countries and the relationship between their presence in politics and institutions and national advances on gender equality.

UNDP president representative and Deputy Resident Representative Dr Elsie Laurence Chounoune said the study was written based on research commissioned by the Gender Practice Area of UNDPs regional bureau in Panama and reflects ongoing trends with regards to women and political representation in Jamaica for the past 25 years.

Moreover she said UNDP asks this question because as an organization gender is a cross cutting issue.

This comes on International Women’s Day which is being celebrated by the UN under the theme ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for Gender Equality’.

Kimberley Hibbert