Fifteen public officers from ten governmental agencies received certificates of completion in national report drafting on January 23.

The training of public officers to draft national reports was conceived as part of the Department of Gender Relations’ efforts to bring Saint Lucia up to date with its reporting obligations. The training, which was facilitated by Sisters for Change, concentrated on the drafting of the report to the Convention of Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Saint Lucia ratified CEDAW in 1982. Countries that have ratified CEDAW are required to submit periodic reports to the CEDAW Committee every four years. Saint Lucia’s last report was submitted in 2005 and included the initial and first to sixth combined reports. In 2019, the Department of Gender Relations set out to complete the seventh to ninth combined reports.

Sisters for Change is part of a consortium of four international NGOs seeking to advance equality and equal protection before the law for all Commonwealth citizens called Equality and Justice Alliance (EJA). In April 2018, the EJA launched a technical assistance programme to provide support and resources to Commonwealth governments interested in or in the process of reforming laws and policies that discriminate, subordinate, or fail to protect women and girls and LGBT people. Sisters for Change is leading on the area of women’s rights.

The training was conducted in two parts beginning in August. A first draft of the report was produced by the trainees. The second part of the training was conducted in October and concentrated on reviewing the first draft of the report.

The team received certificates of completion on Nobel Laureate Day, January 23, ahead of the presentation of the CEDAW report to the National Coordinating Committee for Human Rights.