UNFPA , the United Nations Population Fund
invites Caribbean reporters working in the region and those from Caribbean
communities in North America and Europe to submit their work for the UNFPA 2005
Caribbean Media Awards to be presented in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday, December 6,
2005.
The competition will recognise print, radio and television reporters’ efforts under
the theme “Gender Equality, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development
Goals.” This includes coverage of such subjects as addressing gender inequities
through education, how gender inequalities fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic among young
people, how boys and young men can foster the idea of partnership and mutually
supportive relations with women, with special attention on HIV prevention and
responsible parenthood, the human rights of girls and their equal access to
education, health and developmental opportunities, and the connections between
population, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Harold Robinson, Kingston-based UNFPA Representative for the English and
Dutch-speaking Caribbean, elaborated, “Gender equality is not only about women. It
is about how both men and women are given the same choices, opportunities and means
to fulfill their expectations in life. It is a simple message, but one that could
have a profound impact in our society, if fully achieved.”

Robinson added that equality means that both girls and boys should complete primary
and secondary education and are equipped with the skills and abilities to become
independent, productive adults; that economic opportunities are open to women; and
that families, especially those living in poverty, benefit from the support of
healthy mothers.

“Equality also means that women are fully empowered to participate
in politics and decision-making,” he asserted.
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