This Commission on the Status of Women has shown that, whatever the headwinds, the United Nations is still the place where consensus can be found on gender equality. As this 69th Commission on the Status of Women closes, we share a deep recognition of the challenges and opportunities of gender equality

Women leaders and aspiring young female leaders recently came together at an Intergenerational Leadership Mixer to exchange ideas on building self-empowerment and social networks to propel young women’s economic empowerment in Saint Lucia

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

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.

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

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.

“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."

Under the Global Affairs Canada-funded Build Back Equal Project, UN Women MCO Caribbean Deputy Representative Isiuwa Iyahen supported the launch of an initiative to facilitate working mothers’ and women attendees care for their children at Dominica’s premier Creole Festival - Ti Vilaj Kwéyòl - in partnership with Melissa Poponne Skerrit, the Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development

Tonni Brodber, Representative, UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean, recently led capacity-building workshops on gender mainstreaming for members of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname

Following the successful Gender Equality Forum in May 2024, UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) - Caribbean has continued its advocacy with a series of virtual tours, designed to sustain the conversation on gender equality and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) issues.

Women from Indigenous and Tribal Villages in Suriname are making strides toward economic empowerment through a business coaching workshop tailored to their needs.

This article will explain venture capital (a form of financing that investors provide to startups and small businesses), one of the most common forms of external funding, and provide actionable tips on how to succeed at your first VC meeting.

UN Women MCO Caribbean is seeking to engage 30 Champions for the Beijing Platform for Action 30th Anniversary, also known as Beijing +30

In observance of International Day for People of African Descent, UN Women MCO Caribbean is featuring Caribbean citizen - Bahamian national Gaynel Curry, a member of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), who has led work within the UN system on the rights of women and girls, including ending violence against women, trafficking in persons, and sexual violence in conflict

"The struggle for gender equality is deeply entwined with the fight against the legacies of slavery"

When Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean in early summer, it left a trail of destroyed homes, unpassable roads, and ruined local infrastructure. As nations begin to rebuild after Beryl and brace themselves for even more storms, UN Women has been on the ground and working to ensure that women are fully integrated into recovery efforts.

Across the world and the SIDS, women depend more on, yet have less access to resources. Women are employed in sectors with high vulnerability to disasters and climate change, concentrated in tourism-related services and sales sectors, making them more exposed to economic shocks during and after the crisis than men, whose employment is more diversified. Unleashing the power of women as first responders to crisis, disaster risk reduction, and building economic and environmental resilience is crucial to achieving sustainable development.

At the recently concluded Gender Equality Forum in Antigua and Barbuda, more than two hundred stakeholders, coming from more than 40 countries across all SIDS regions as well as non-SIDS areas and representing a wide range of constituencies and sectors, committed to the vital advocacy for and implementation of key actions to ensure that gender equality is at the center of the SIDS agenda.

SIDS hold countless opportunities for resilience-building that can propel their progress and achievements towards sustainable development, and despite notable progress towards gender equality, they also have distinctive challenges that hinder women and girls’ empowerment and their rights. That is why UN Women co-hosted a Gender Equality Forum from 25 to 26 May in Antigua and Barbuda, ahead of the fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4).

UN Women MCO-Caribbean and the Government of Grenada launched a partnership which aims to implement a series of Gender-Responsive Social Protection initiatives to accelerate the progress of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5 5): "Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls” in Grenada.