The Commonwealth women’s affairs ministers on Monday, began a three-day meeting to discuss building gender equality across its 56 member countries.

In a statement by Snober Abbasi, senior communications officer, Commonwealth Secretariat, the meeting was opened by the Commonwealth secretary-general, the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, and the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the Hon. Philip Davis KC on Monday.

The meeting was also chaired by the country’s minister of social services and urban development, the Hon. Obediah Wilchcombe.

The meeting had 80 ministers and senior officials from across the Commonwealth’s six regions present and was aimed at ending gender inequality in several Commonwealth priority areas by calling for stronger action on gender equality priorities in the face of intensifying global environmental and economic challenges.

Mr Philip said in his keynote address, “It’s time to demolish the walls of the old boys club” and that “Only when opportunities are opened up more widely, will we truly be making the most of the talent and ingenuity of all of humanity.”

While describing the Commonwealth women’s affairs ministers meeting as “an ideal platform”, Mr Philip also said, “The discussions and resolutions that emerge will pave the path for the agenda for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Your work can be the catalyst for much-needed momentum toward a better, more just world for everyone.”

Also, Ms Patricia, the first woman to hold the post as Commonwealth secretary-general told officials in her opening remarks that she has mainstreamed gender across all areas of her organisation’s work to help member countries achieve their development goals more equitably.

She said, “As we meet today, our world faces serious challenges: the long shadow of COVID-19; crippling debt, rising inflation and high interest rates … and the increasingly harsh impacts of climate change. In each of them, the impact on women and girls is disproportionate. But together, we are more than equal to the challenges we face.”

Ms Patricia said, “Let us resolve that the chapter we will write together here in The Bahamas will lead us to a safer, more sustainable, more equal and more prosperous future for all.

She added that, “If, in The Bahamas, we, the Commonwealth, came together and were able to free Nelson Mandela. Isn’t it time now we free the women of the world? As Nelson Mandela once said: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’. So, let’s do it.”

Meanwhile, Ms Wilchcombe also made a statement saying, “This is our time. Our people expect – and will want from us – exceptional leadership. Leadership that can make change happen… We have done it here in The Bahamas before. It was 1985 when the Commonwealth met in The Bahamas and made great strides and a big step toward the release of Nelson Mandela.”

“And six years later, he walked a free man, free of the chains and the shackles. It is now our time to unchain and remove the shackles from the women. We have the opportunity [and] the strengths of the Commonwealth to collectively make this change happen.”

The outcomes from the three-day meeting will be considered by leaders at the 2024 Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Samoa.