Women return to Partnership for Jamaica

Following the controversy surrounding its withdrawal from the Partnership for Jamaica in the wake of the National Housing Trust's purchase of the property which housed the Outameni attraction in Trelawny, the women's group associated with the 51% Coalition has announced a return to the bargaining table.

The group yesterday announced that the 28 representatives from various organisations in Jamaica's women's sector met recently to discuss its continued participation in the Partnership for Jamaica and to elect a four-woman team that will attend the meetings on behalf of the sector.

The four elected are Nadeen Spence, president, Young Women's Leadership Initiative; Marcia Forbes, executive chairperson, Phase 3 Productions; Indi Mclymont-Lafayette, regional director, Panos Caribbean; and Lisa Davis, cluster volunteer for Community Capacity Building, Women's Resource and Outreach Centre.

"I look forward to the Partnership working and fulfilling its promise. I expect both women and men to pay close attention to the process of the Partnership to ensure that their voices are heard through their representatives," said Spence, who is the official representative of the group.

Forbes is the alternate representative and Mclymont-Lafayette and Davis will fill in in their absence.

The women's sector meeting comes after it suspended its participation in the Partnership for Jamaica following its expressed dissatisfaction with the body's handling of the National Housing Trust-Outameni situation late last year.

"The election of Spence as representative signals the sector's intention to continue its participation in the Partnership for Jamaica, whose mandate is to embark on a programme for Jamaica's stabilisation surrounding growth with equity and sustainable development through social partnership. It involves representatives from government, business, non-governmental organisations and other civil-society groups.

"The sector appreciates the importance of the Partnership for Jamaica, and recognises its right to sit at the table sharing the significant perspective of women," said the group.