Hosted by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with UN Women, and OSF, a high-level workshop brought together key government officials, civil society representatives, and international partners to finalise the operational framework for implementing the WPS NAP, ensuring it moves from policy to action

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

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

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

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.

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).

Government representatives, leaders from women's and civil society organizations, and regional intergovernmental frameworks met to assess the challenges for peaceful and safe societies in the Caribbean

The Caribbean Gender Forum was coordinated under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, through a partnership between UN Women and Atlantic Council. The Forum held recently in Guyana brought together policy makers within Government, civil society, and the private sector.

With the support of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative in Jamaica, UN Women hosted a four-day Civil Society Organisations’ Capacity Strengthening Retreat that brought together women’s rights groups, community-based organisations and other CSOs working with marginalized groups where training and dialogue were provided focusing on legal literacy, the implementation of community-based GBV programmes for key vulnerable populations and the creation of proposals to secure technical assistance and grants, which included skills building in finance planning and monitoring and evaluation.

Joint Statement by Parliamentarians, representatives of national gender machineries, civil society representatives, and experts, on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

In a landmark event, the Government of Guyana, with support from the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, hosted a three-day Ministerial Forum on Empowerment and Gender Equality - under the theme “Shared experiences towards developing robust national and regional models for the 2030 Agenda”

Only Two Caribbean Countries Meet 30% Gender Quota for Women Parliamentarians: Region Cannot Reach Full Potential Without Including Women in Leadership Roles. This data was revealed at an EU-UN Spotlight Initiative virtual event with implementing partner Atlantic Council on, “Best Practices to Expand Women’s Political Participation in Guyana and Jamaica.”

Under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, UN Women implementing partner Atlantic Council brought together UN agencies, Government officials from several departments, civil society representatives, academics and students to discuss the challenges and opportunities around ending GBV and enhancing women’s economic empowerment.

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

The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative in the Caribbean is partnering with women’s rights groups, women-led civil society organizations (CSOs), and other relevant community-based CSOs to improve their capacity to influence national and local women’s rights and gender equality agendas and better serve the needs of most marginalized communities

The Spotlight Initiative, in collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRC), partnered with the Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of Belize as they convened on August 3, 2023, for a transformative retreat at Kiki Witz Resort in the Cayo District

One of the most critical pieces of work conducted under the Spotlight Initiative in the Caribbean and led by UN Women is the National Study on the Economic Cost of Violence Against Women and Girls in Jamaica. Read more about this and our CSO partner in St. Lucia Girls of a Feather St Lucia’s launch of their Spotlight Initiative-funded telehealth programme in this latest issue of “In the Spotlight Caribbean”.

Trinidad and Tobago is committed to implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda as a way to address national security issues. Too often the rights of women and girls, as well as their insights and experiences, have been neglected and overlooked when responding to conflicts including crime, violence and other security challenges. The establishment of a National Action Plan will allow for women to be valued for their role as equal partners in the reduction of all forms of violence.