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

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.

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.

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.

“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

The Bahamas Development Bank (BDB) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean (UN Women MCO Caribbean) recently signed a partnership agreement to provide access to low-interest loans of up to 2 million USD to agriculture, sustainable tourism, and creative businesses.

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.

Women and youth entrepreneurs, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owners, and other underserved groups in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia are poised to benefit from a US$1.4 million UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund Joint Programme that will prioritize innovative financing solutions for underserved groups.

The “Vulnerable Population Response for Bahamas Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Agencies Program” is a three-year initiative which will be implemented in collaboration with a wide range of justice stakeholders locally. The program is designed to prioritize access to justice for marginalized populations, enhance redress and support mechanisms for survivors and victims of violence, and provide long-term rehabilitation support for perpetrators.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange officially marked International Women's Day with the Honourable Olivia Grange - Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Ringing The Bell to raise awareness of the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality.

This year’s IWD theme was a significant opportunity to highlight the expanse of projects, countries, partners and thematic areas the MCO Caribbean covers across its geographic mandate of 22 countries and territories in the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean. Here is a brief highlight of the activities surrounding IWD where UN Women MCO Caribbean facilitated, collaborated and participated in.

The UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean, seeks to partner with a Responsible Party (CSO) to lead on activities concerning Gender-Based Violence, Youth Crime, and Trafficking in Persons, across various Caribbean countries

UN Women was recently part of a gender sensitive communication workshop funded by the Global Affairs Canada Build Back Equal Project in partnership with the Canada-CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism implemented by Catalyse+ with facilitation by Canada’s CUSO International