"GBV in the Caribbean is influenced by a combination of cultural norms and socio-economic disparities. Until we address these norms, no matter how many laws we pass, no matter how many millions of dollars we give for reforming the courts and making them a nice place to come to, until we make people feel empowered and until we are assured that within intimate relationships and all other relationships, that these are relationships of equal human beings, we will continue to see the same problems recur."

UN Women MCO-Caribbean, in partnership with the IGDS at the UWI Mona Campus, and the UN Country Team in Jamaica commemorated International Women’s Day 2025 by hosting a landmark symposium under the theme ‘Research for ALL Women and Girls in Jamaica’. Taking place on UWI Research Day, March 13th, the symposium presented a key opportunity for IWD celebrations to align with the Research Day 2025 theme, “The UWI Mona: Driving Jamaican, Caribbean and Global Development.”

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

I Am A Girl IWD 2024 Event: "Invest in Solidarity and Sisterhood to Ensure that No One Is Left Behind"

The region’s progress on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the efficacy of the United Nations partnership in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, came under the microscope this week, as regional Governments joined with the United Nations System to assess their joint response to regional development priorities under the current UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

Trinidad and Tobago's National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence was launched on March 4th, 2024 at a gathering of representatives of civil society organisations, international development partners, and Government Ministries, at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre

Investing in women to accelerate progress (#IWD2024) through resilient and sustainable initiatives were among the topics discussed when Representative Tonni Brodber, received Ms. Dona Regis Prosper, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, at the UN Women MCO Caribbean office

Faith leaders and faith communities play a vital role in many people’s lives, providing moral guidance and the foundation for social and cultural norms, thus faith-based organisations have the potential to enable a society that normalizes gender-based violence OR ensures women and girls live their utmost potential, without fear of violence across society

The UN Women gender-based violence prevention initiative for young people aged 13 to 24, Foundations Programme, took another step forward in implementation under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative in Guyana. More than 80 participants from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools, community groups, faith-based organisations, and government entities such as the Guyana Police Force completed the Training of Trainer workshops held May 15-18, 2023, in Region 6 and July 4-7, 2023 in Region 7

A two-day workshop was part of a series of training hosted under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Caribbean Regional Programme and implemented by the UN Women Multi-Country (MCO) Office – Caribbean and the National Women's Commission to equip CSOs with the skills to secure funding opportunities for sustained programmes, manage projects effectively, improve financial planning and ensure accurate reporting for accountability

“Empowerment is access to resources, strengthened skillsets, access to justice and social protection mechanisms. If we want to ensure men are also thriving in those areas, then we have to reframe what men see as dignity. It is not defined by power over, but your humanity and contribution to your space. We have to let young men know they have so much to offer within the formal economy, because we see them thriving in informal ways that are risky and life threatening”.

"…if we want equality in our countries, we need to understand the differences - in terms of a woman's ability to engage in the economy and being a man, and being a young person… unfortunately women are put at a disadvantage in our society because of the expectations of the roles they are supposed to play, and sometimes their own self-imposed expectations about what their potential can be in a society."

The Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center announced today a new partnership with UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean to tackle the most pressing gender-based challenges in the Caribbean, which will focus particularly on Guyana and Jamaica

The vision of the Spotlight Initiative (SI) is that the rights of women and girls to live free from violence are protected, promoted, and upheld. The impact that the SI will work towards achieving is that all women and girls, particularly those who are most vulnerable, live a life free of violence and harmful practices. UN Women plans to award small grants to eligible Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) based in Jamaica to contribute to the Spotlight Initiative objectives to prevent and end family violence.