Vincentian makes history as first Caribbean President of OAS MESECVI Committee of Experts

For the first time, a Caribbean representative has been elected President of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-Up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI).

Miriam Roache of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines assumed the role during the Committee’s XXII Meeting, held December 9–10 in Fortaleza, Brazil.

MESECVI, established by the Organization of American States, monitors implementation of the Inter-American Convention to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence Against Women, the first international treaty guaranteeing women’s right to live free from violence.

The Fortaleza meeting also marked the Mechanism’s 20th anniversary and brought together regional authorities, civil society, and experts.

Roache has served as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ inaugural Expert since 2004 and has contributed to key regional instruments, including model laws on femicide, political violence against women, and digital gender-based violence. Her election reflects growing Caribbean leadership in regional efforts to combat gender-based violence.