By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Independent Senator Kiz Johnson will be representing Antigua and Barbuda at this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
She will attend the soft launch session of “Representation Matters: More Women to Power – More Power to Women”.
This event, part of the broader Representation Matters 2024 Report initiative, aims to highlight the crucial role of women in political and decision-making positions globally.
The session, convened in partnership with the Oliver Wyman Forum and the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law initiative, will preview key findings on global women’s representation in politics.
It will also emphasise the need for gender-sensitive policymaking and seek to foster a dynamic exchange of ideas among government representatives, policymakers, and other key partners.
Senator Johnson expressed her enthusiasm for the event, telling Observer, “I am thrilled to be representing Antigua and Barbuda at this very special forum.”
She highlighted the importance of women not just being in power but having the requisite power to make a significant impact within the political space.
“Often times, seemingly women being in power is more of a tokenistic play,” Johnson noted. “I want to truly understand how women too can become a force in the political landscape for the advancement of our country.
“This is mainly what I hope to learn from other powerful women who are making moves in their respective political spaces.”
The ‘Representation Matters’ initiative builds on research published in 2023, which demonstrated that a country’s overall progress and performance improve with greater representation of women in political leadership.
This year’s report will aim to delve deeper into these findings and promote further discussion on the current state of women’s representation in politics globally.
The soft launch session will also feature an impressive line-up of speakers, including Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; Francine Pickup, Deputy Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support; and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President and Founder of Women Political Leaders, among others.
