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Minister Persaud: Women Must Move from Representation to Real Decision-Making Power

ARUSHA, TANZANIA - Hon. Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, has called for a fundamental shift in the global approach to women’s leadership - from representation at decision-making tables to women exercising real influence over the decisions that shape peace, security, economies and the allocation of resources.

Minister Persaud made the call while addressing the Forum of Women Parliamentarians at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, on October 5, 2026.

She said that women’s capacity in peacebuilding and diplomacy is unquestioned, with women increasingly taking on leadership roles and bringing critical attention to justice, inclusion, economic exclusion and issues that have historically been overlooked.

“The time has come for leadership to be less about inclusion and representation and more about natural progression, without skewed meritocracy, equality and equity in the truest sense,” Minister Persaud said.

She argued that women must have a greater role in decisions concerning global finance and resource allocation, while Governments and Parliaments must also confront digital violence against women and strengthen legislation addressing issues affecting women as matters of broader governance and human rights.

Minister Persaud pointed to Guyana’s experience in demonstrating how women’s leadership can translate into practical policies, legislation and programmes. She cited measures addressing equal opportunity in employment, women’s entrepreneurship and unpaid care, including Guyana’s Care Economy Co-Invest Programme, as well as the development of free day and night care and early childhood development centres.

Minister Persaud spotlighted Guyana’s Ambassador and candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, as an example of women’s leadership in international diplomacy, and peace and security.

She noted Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett’s role as President of the United Nations Security Council during Guyana’s presidency and her advocacy for placing the protection of children affected by war, poverty and underdevelopment at the centre of discussions on peace.

“Her leadership demonstrated that a Guyanese woman can help shape global discussions about peace, and about the conditions people need to live with dignity,” Minister Persaud said.

Minister Persaud challenged parliamentarians to confront persistent barriers to women’s leadership, asking: Who is being left behind? Are enough women leading the allocation of global finance and resources? Are there enough women in key global leadership positions? And are women seeing themselves and other women as obvious leaders?

“Our responsibility, Parliament and bodies like IPU, is to ensure that more women can lead by providing access to education, finance and mentorship, empowering real decision-making authority and working to shift mindsets and remove entrenched barriers,” she said.

Minister Persaud concluded that the goal must be to open historically closed doors and make women’s leadership a lived norm rather than treating representation as the destination.

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