Labor and gender take center stage at Twenty-Sixth COHSOD

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     Issues related to gender and labor will be the main focus of the upcoming Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Wednesday 14 May and Thursday 15 May 2014 at the CARICOM Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.

Ministers with responsibility for Labor, Gender and Social Development from across the Region will come together with representatives of regional institutions, and regional labour and private sector bodies to discuss these topics with a view to outlining regional positions in preparation for the Third Global Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in September, the International Labor Conference in June and the negotiations related to the development of the Post 2015 Global Development Agenda.

The COHSOD will  review progress made in implementation of the CSME and will be invited to consider  research findings on the gender impact of the CSME with a view to identifying   priority legislation and policies and recommending actions to be taken by Member States to advance gender equality principles throughout the CSME process.  The issue of gender equality will also receive attention in the context of the CARICOM Decent Work Agenda which has employment as one of its main elements.

Human resource development will also be a major topic for discussion and focus will be placed on youth development and employment. The Council will focus on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the context of the Revised TVET Strategy - Regional Strategy for Workforce Development and Economic Competitiveness and will also consider the priorities outlined by Heads of Government for building a digital economy, with specific reference to measures for building relevant skills and competencies.

The planned implementation of a CARICOM platform for Labour Market Information System which is expected to enhance the management of the free movement of labour within the CSME will also be up for discussion.

It is also expected that the recipient of the eleventh CARICOM Triennial Award for Women will be announced at the conclusion of the Meeting. The Award will be presented this year at the Opening Ceremony of the Thirty-fifth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in July 2014.