Highlights
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence is an international campaign that was started and is led by civil society. In support of this initiative, the UN Secretary General launched the UNiTE campaign in 2008 to call for greater global action to end violence against women. The global theme for this year’s UNiTE campaign is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, calling upon governments and partners to show their solidarity to women’s rights movements and activists and inviting everyone to join the global movement in ‘pushing forward’ against the push back, to end violence against women once and for all. Based on this year’s global theme, the UN Women Multi Country Office (MCO) – Caribbean has established a regional theme: “Honouring Caribbean Grassroots Feminist Movements: Radical Grounding of EVAWG Activism in the Caribbean” to acknowledge that organised feminist movements continue to be one of the most powerful means to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG). Over the years, the feminist movement in the Caribbean has played a crucial role in holding decision-makers accountable, advocating for women’s rights and ensuring that VAWG prevention and response policies and programs are informed by the needs of women. This year, the MCO is mobilising all partners and stakeholders to intensify the call to end violence against women and girls by leading advocacy campaigns, hosting and participating in events and providing accurate information in a ‘do no harm’ approach.
Activities & Events Here
Organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in coordination with UN Women, the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean has welcomed representatives of government, UN and intergovernmental organizations, academia and civil society from the region. Based on this year’s theme, “The care society: Horizon for a sustainable recovery with gender equality”, the UN Women Multi Country Office (MCO) – Caribbean acknowledges the urgent need for a care society that promotes equal division of labour to achieve quality life for all and echos the call for change in a development approach that places the sustainability of life at the centre of policies. The MCO has produced over 7 publications in the context of the Caribbean region that seeks to addresses social protection and economic empowerment, including universal childcare, decent work, and the burden of unpaid care work. Some of the publications are Fiscal Costs of Expanding Early Childhood Development Service in Saint Lucia, Universal Basic Income as a means of Gender-Responsive Social Protection, Making a Case for Investment in Universal Childcare in Barbados and the Summary Status of Women and Men Report – The Impacts of COVID-19.
This year, the UN Women Multi Country Office – Caribbean has produced over 17 publications in the context of the Caribbean region to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. These products focus on topics ranging from Gender Inequality in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience, the impact of COVID-19 on front line workers, Universal childcare and the Status of Women and Men in the context of Innovative Financing and much more. These knowledge products provide cutting-edge research and best practices that can lead to innovations and change across Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Caribbean Women Count: The Ending Violence against Women and Girls Data Hub is a central repository of knowledge on the prevalence of the different forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner sexual violence from five countries (Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago) and barriers to accessing services in CARICOM.
An Interactive Learning Portal for Parliamentarians. This portal is a joint-initiative of ParlAmericas and the UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean. It is designed for self-guided learning and includes resources for in-person trainings. ParlAmericas gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Government of Canada used in developing this portal. The downloadable tools on this portal were developed by the UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean
The August 14th earthquake in Haiti left a growing death toll, thousands of people displaced, and tens of thousands in need of emergency assistance. UN Women is on the ground leading actions to ensure the rights of women and girls are at the centre of the response.
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“Enough: We cannot stall progress any longer”
In her remarks to the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said: "If we want to see a tangible difference in the lives of women and girls and a paradigm shift in the way we confront peace and security issues, we need governments to step up." More ►
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Countries in the Caribbean Basin, many of which are SIDS, face unique economic/fiscal constraints and are among the world’s most at-risk for climate-related disasters. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges, especially for the region’s tourism-dependent economies, with devastating ripple effects on the agriculture sector. Persistent gender inequalities and labour force segregation mean women have been hit hardest, experiencing disproportionate job loss and burdening increased child and eldercare duties, hindering their economic participation.
