KINGSTON, Jamaica – In recognition of World MSME day, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) in partnership with experts in various fields brought to the fore the need for policy, research and collaboration in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). The discussion was convened at the JBDC Business Dialogue Forum on Monday, June 27, 2022. This month’s staging was under the theme ‘Gender Standardisation in the Creative and Cultural Industries’.
Mr. Yuri Peshkov, Culture Programme Specialist at UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean noted that “There is need for proper research and policy making. And for policies to be gender transformative, policy design must be built on comprehensive and replicable data, take a longitudinal outlook, present new visions of opportunities and actively work to eliminate harassment and abuse. “
Mrs. Sharon Coburn Robinson – Principal Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs noted “There are a few impediments to gender equality and these include gender-based discrimination and unequal access in terms of who accesses what is available and how they access it based on being female and how their male counterparts are able to access these services. And the policy framework we are looking at are the ones that state that people should be able to access whatever benefits on a basis of equality.”
Continuing Mrs. Coburn Robinson noted that “Research reveals that women in the CCI sector continue to fair off worse than men and thus we need greater transparency, greater communication and collaboration between government, cultural agencies, data scientists and scholars.”
Ms. Valerie Veira, Chief Executive Officer of the JBDC commenting on the importance of conversations surrounding gender equity noted “These discussions are vital and help us to see the substantive contribution that females bring to the table and how that contributes to the development of GDP in Jamaica. “
Commenting on JBDC’s contribution to the Cultural and creative industries Ms. Viera said “We are focused on the mapping and the documentation because we need to go with our facts so that when we come up with programmes that speak to support for the creative industry that each component and each participating group gets the relevant support that they need in type and in volume.”
The session was moderated by Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the JBDC, Harold Davis and explored topics such as Policy Perspectives: Access, Equality and Standardisation across the CCI, Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in Sports Media, Through Female Lens: Are there strictly male and strictly female careers? Equality and Equity in the ‘Gig’ Economy and Closing the Gender Gap.
The panellists included Sharon Coburn Robinson – Principal Director, Bureau of Gender Affairs; Miss Trishana McGowan, Award-winning Sports Journalist; Miss Terry-Ann Miller, Professional Photographer; Miss TK Dawkins, Director & Producer and Alicia Lyttle – Business Owner & Coach, International Speaker & Trainer.
The Business Dialogue Forum provides an opportunity for discussion around current and topical issues impacting the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector. The forum features key thought leaders within various industries and sectors that provide insightful and relevant information. The JBDC plans to host the forum on a monthly basis. Interested persons may visit www.jbdc.net to register.
