CariMAN Engages in Gender Justice Advocacy at the 55th Session of the OAS General Assembly
Three members of the Caribbean Male Action Network (CariMAN) were actively engaged at the 55th session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) which took place on 25th - 27th June 2025 in Antigua and Barbuda.
The OAS is a crucial inter-regional mechanism for the advancement of human rights and gender justice. It encompasses all the individual nations in the western hemisphere, including the regions of North America, Caribbean and Latin America. CariMAN is the regional MenEngage-affiliated network in the Caribbean region.
Alexandrina Wong, President of Women Against Rape and CariMAN member based in Antigua and Barbuda, was the elected spokesperson for the Caribbean Civil Society Coalition. Alexandrina called for urgent, bold, and equity-driven actions to address the region’s vulnerabilities.
Representing the grassroots voices across the Caribbean region, the Coalition called for debt relief, direct access to climate adaptable funds, and formal recognition of civil society in policymaking. They emphasized that Caribbean communities need justice, unity and tangible action now.
Read the full statement here.
‘True equality demands more than words’
CariMAN member based in St. Lucia, Randall Theodule, who also represents CariMAN in the Global MenEngage Youth Reference Group, read a statement on behalf of the LGBTTT+ Coalition. Randall called on Member States to take concrete actions to dismantle the systemic barriers that keep LGBT people, especially trans individuals and LGBT migrants, from equal access to education, healthcare, employment, and justice. These barriers include discriminatory laws, exclusionary policies, and entrenched social stigma that continue to marginalize and endanger LGBT lives. He stressed that true equality demands more than words; it requires dismantling these systems of oppression through legal reforms, inclusive policies, and cultural change. Randall emphasized that resilient, inclusive economies cannot exist without the full protection of democracy, gender justice, and human rights for all.
Read the full statement here.
Reflecting on the overall event, CariMAN’s Board Member, Daryl George from Antigua and Barbuda shared:
‘Participating in the OAS General Assembly in Antigua and Barbuda was a powerful opportunity to learn about- and contribute to – equality and gender justice on an international scale. This year’s themes at the General Assembly covered the importance of building resilient and inclusive countries within the Americas, as well as the critical role mental health plays in creating and maintaining resiliency and inclusion. I believe that these aims can be made lasting and meaningful through efforts focusing on working with men and boys to support gender justice and gender equality, and that we should never lose focus on the need for transformative work to achieve long lasting and effective change.’
Cross-regional strategizing
In order to engage more strategically with the OAS, the focal points of the MenEngage Global Advocacy Working Group for North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, came together, to form the MenEngage Alliance OAS Ad Hoc Advocacy Working Group to further deepen learnings and strategizing for the Alliance around the OAS mechanism as a whole.
The ad hoc group identified the importance of engaging with the OAS Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the Rapporteur on LGBTIQ rights, the Commission on Women and the MESECVI review mechanism for the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará) among other key entry points for engaging and sharing key analysis and inputs on anti-patriarchal work with men and boys for gender equality.
The group agreed to continue deepening capacities, partnership and engagement with OAS and related spaces in the region moving forwards, for stronger collective and accountable advocacy to advance gender, climate and social justice, alongside feminist, LGBTIQ, youth and other movements in the Americas.
CariMAN and the MenEngage Global Alliance remain committed to deepening its engagement with the OAS and other regional platforms to strengthen collective, accountable advocacy in the pursuit of gender equality, climate resilience, and social justice across the Caribbean.