Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand recently participated at a Senior Roundtable on Women’s Justice hosted by the US State Department in Washington, DC.

According to a press release Manickchand was one of 17 international invitees selected based on her work in advocating women’s rights and her overall contributions to the social development of Guyanese society. “The U.S. Embassy was pleased to support her participation by funding travel expenses,” the release said.

The function was held on March 12 in honour of International Women’s Day, with the participation of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and brought together “a small, senior group of judges, legal practitioners, government officials and human rights advocates from around the world to address the growing problem of domestic violence, as well as the challenges women worldwide face in gaining equal access to courts and justice systems.” In addition to Rice, former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products delivered keynote speeches at the function.

Also, on March 13 Manickchand was a featured speaker at a symposium of prominent women leaders working on justice issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.