The United Nations on Friday commemorated the first-ever International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, spotlighting the enduring contributions of women and girls of African heritage—and the deeply rooted challenges they continue to face due to the intersecting burdens of racism and sexism.
Declared last year by the UN General Assembly, the day is intended to promote recognition, justice, and development for women and girls of African descent, who remain among the most marginalized populations globally. In many parts of the world, including the Caribbean and Latin America, these communities face alarming maternal mortality rates and unequal access to quality healthcare—not because of poverty alone, but due to structural racism and legacies of slavery and colonialism.
Patricia DaSilva, a Senior Programme Adviser at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), emphasized that solutions exist and urged governments to invest in culturally responsive healthcare systems, midwifery programmes, and improved data collection. “The good news is these things are not irreversible,” she said. “We can fix them. We have the solutions for many of the problems that we are facing in terms of maternal health for women and girls of African descent.”
UNFPA also highlighted a partnership initiative in Colombia’s Pacific region where traditional midwives are supported in blending ancestral knowledge with modern healthcare practices. This includes addressing seemingly simple but critical issues such as birth registration in remote communities—steps that directly improve maternal outcomes and community empowerment.
Yet, while the UN spotlighted these urgent issues, the Government of Guyana allowed the day to pass without any public acknowledgment or stated measures to address the racialized public health disparities facing Afro-Guyanese women.
Despite repeated calls for transparency, the Government of Guyana continues to withhold the results of the most recent national census. The last available census, conducted in 2012, recorded Guyana’s population as 39.8% East Indian, 30% Black African, 19.9% multiracial, 10.5% Amerindian, and 0.5% other. Women accounted for 51.23% of the population. Given these figures and the UN’s findings, it is reasonable to conclude that a significant proportion of Afro-Guyanese women are directly affected by the very health and systemic issues the UN is now raising.
Whilst the global community marks this important day, the absence of acknowledgment from Guyana’s leaders raises serious concerns about their commitment to addressing racial and gender inequality. Advocates warn that meaningful change cannot occur without national recognition, political will, and concrete policy responses to improve the lives of all Guyanese women, particularly those of African descent.
