As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), the Canadian High Commission and Impressions Advertising are urging persons to do more in support of Gender Equality.

The “I Love Guyana” sign outside the GBTI headquarters in Kingston has added a challenge board in recognition of International Women’s Day.

Persons are being encouraged to visit the sign and leave their messages of support for the women of Guyana.

Canadian High Commission Senior Trade Commissioner Jake Thomas was one of the first persons to sign the Challenge Board. He said while substantial progress has been made over the years to advance the rights of women, there’s still lots of work to be done.

“Substantial progress has been made since we celebrated our first International Women’s Day in the early 20th Century; Women have the right to vote, to receive an education, improved life to healthcare, more and more women are contributing to decision making and processes but that does not mean that equality has been achieved. Challenges remain and much more needs to be done especially during the CVOVID-19 Pandemic”, Mr. Thomas said.

In spite of the many achievements for women in the world today, the United Nations has reported that in many countries, legal restrictions continue to affect women from accessing the same jobs and rights as men.

The Canadian High Commission official noted that the Government of Canada will continue to be supportive of initiatives that protect and support the rights of women.

GBTI Acting CEO James Foster said a gender-balanced Guyana would make for a better Guyana. He believe that it is a challenge that everyone must rise to meet.

The representative of the Impressions company, Debbie Persaud said there must be a united voice to support equality for women.

“As we observe another International Women’s Day, let us be inspired to make a difference and choose to influence by taking concrete actions in the best interest of our women. Choosing to challenge to end rape, choosing to challenge for a gender-equal world, choosing to challenge to celebrate women’s achievement, choosing to challenge to raise awareness against bias, and choosing to challenge to ensure equal opportunity for women” she stated.

The signboard will remain in place over the next few days.

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