A call to establish a CARICOM Envoy to lead the Caribbean’s journey to achieve just, peaceful and resilient societies and the commitment of solidarity and support by the African Union, UN Women, and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, were some of the major outcomes at the event

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, governments have adopted by consensus a powerful Political Declaration to respect, protect, and champion the rights, equality, and empowerment of women and girls

UN Women, in collaboration with CARICOM and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom (FCDO UK), convened a high-level regional consultation on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). The virtual event brought together government officials from CARICOM Member States, civil society leaders, development partners, and members of the diplomatic corps to explore how gender perspectives can be further integrated into national and regional peace and security efforts.

Achieving true gender equality in the Caribbean requires more than just responsive actions—it demands a transformative shift in how institutions and governments address the barriers that perpetuate inequality. This was the key message during an inaugural staff Community of Practice hybrid session with participation from UN staff across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

This three-day event, held from December 4-6, 2024, brought together parliamentarians, civil society representatives, and experts from 11 Caribbean countries. Organized by ParlAmericas, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) - Caribbean, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the workshop aimed to enhance parliamentarians' capacity to adopt an inclusive and gender-responsive approach to their legislative responsibilities

UN Women MCO - Caribbean presented at a landmark forum hosted by Belize’s Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, emphasising strategies to combat discrimination, violence against women, and linking CEDAW to gender equality goals

Saint Lucia's first-ever National Inter-Agency Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response (GBV) Task Force was officially launched on December 13, 2024, following a Cabinet Conclusion on November 11 which emphasized the urgency of addressing Gender-based violence (GBV) as a matter of national concern

St. Vincent and Grenadines with the support of the Global Affairs Canada-funded Build Back Equal Project has established the first national inter-agency GBV task force to drive coordination of essential service providers and key stakeholders for GBV data analysis and GBV case management in a systematic and collaborative manner, as well as guide national GBV prevention efforts and foster better coordination of both state and non-state actors

The Mental Health, Psychosocial Support Technical Working Group within the Ministry of Health is now better equipped to respond to the needs of persons displaced by Hurricane Beryl and the first responders who continue to serve in the wake of the multiple crises in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

To ensure the effective implementation of the National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence (NSAP-GBV & SV 2023-2027) and all through 2024, Cabinet approved a National Joint Steering Committee on Gender-based Violence to oversee the national efforts to reduce GBV and improve outcomes for survivors.

The Governments of Barbados and Montserrat are better equipped to collect and analyze data, to foster gender equality and advance inclusive health and social development policies, thanks to a recently concluded Joint SDG Fund Programme for Integrated Population Data and Policy Solutions, and marking a significant step forward in sustainable development for both countries

Women and youth in the northern town of Speightstown in Barbados are among key groups earmarked to be empowered to build climate resilience and safety in their community. The opportunity will be fueled through a new Joint Programme entitled: “Putting Youth and Women in the Center of Climate Resilience and Safety in Barbados” that is being implemented by UN Women and UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Barbados

Globally, 1 in 3 women are estimated to have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, and UN Women-supported research conducted across 5 Caribbean countries found that an average of 46% of women have experienced at least 1 form of violence.

In Barbados, women spend nearly 2.5 times more time on childcare than men, and close to three times more performing domestic work, childcare and adult care, combined. Globally, figures show, women perform 75% of unpaid care work globally or 4 hours and 25 minutes daily. That is three times men’s average of 1 hour and 23 minutes per day.

With support from UN Women Multi Country Office - (MCO) Caribbean, The Directorate of Gender Affairs hosted an impactful Open House of the Support and Referral Centre (SARC) yesterday, as part of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Campaign

As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence begins, the UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean is calling on individuals, organisations, and communities to join their social media campaign, #PushForward, running from November 25 to December 10.

With a substantial investment of nearly USD one million, the Joint SDG Fund was a pioneering initiative and the first of its kind in The Bahamas and Bermuda. It aimed to address the unique challenges faced by medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) in the creative and cultural, agribusiness, and tourism industries sectors and foster sustainable economic growth.

On a recent visit to Grenada, Tonni Brodber, Representative for the UN Women MCO - Caribbean presented tablets and software for land and agri-fisheries business registry online help desks which were developed and the tablets furnished under the Joint UN Trust Fund for Human Security, a project funded by the Government of Japan

“It is pause for thought that this cost in terms of GDP of violence against women and girls in Grenada is 5.24%. These are significant resources that could be directed elsewhere. This is an area that I hope as duty bearers we can look at closely with a gender-budgeting lens, our new way of doing business."

The Building Back Equal Through Innovative Finance for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Joint Programme, a groundbreaking initiative focused on empowering women and youth entrepreneurs in Bermuda, concluded with a celebratory close-out event that highlighted the programme's significant achievements in fostering gender equality and economic empowerment through innovative financing and capacity-building initiatives