Outcome BRB_D_6.1

Regional institutions, national governments and civil society in CARICOM generate, analyse, publicise and utilise gender statistics to design and adopt laws, systems and policies to eliminate discrimination, address structural inequalities and promote the adoption of attitudes, norms and practices that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Caribbean.

Over the reporting year, Caribbean governments achieved notable progress in strengthening gender-responsive policy frameworks and advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda , resulting in improved policy coherence, greater institutional readiness, and stronger national ownership across multiple Member States. Implementation-ready gender policies and action plans moved closer to adoption , and WPS commitments were integrated more systematically into national planning processes . Significant results included: Enhanced institutional readiness in the Turks and Caicos Islands , marked by substantial movement toward an implementation-ready Gender Policy and Gender Action Plan. Advancement of the Bahamas Gender Policy to the government review stage , reflecting sustained national commitment and improved coordination. Strengthened implementation preparedness in Jamaica , underpinned by more robust policy costing and resource-mobilisation frameworks. Expanded national capacity in Trinidad and Tobago to drive women’s participation, protection, and leadership , through reinforced processes supporting the WPS National Action Plan. More inclusive and informed regional WPS policy dialogue , supported by deeper engagement of civil society actors, particularly in Guyana. Despite budgetary and fiscal constraints that slowed the pace of in-country engagement, adaptive modalities—such as remote technical support and strategic policy guidance—helped maintain momentum and safeguard progress toward gender-equality outcomes . Together, these advances strengthened the enabling environment for the future adoption and effective implementation of gender-responsive and WPS-aligned policy frameworks across the Caribbean.

Regional institutions, national governments and civil society in CARICOM generate, analyse, publicise and utilise gender statistics to design and adopt laws, systems and policies to eliminate discrimination, address structural inequalities and promote the adoption of attitudes, norms and practices that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Caribbean.

The capacity of officials across CARICOM in government, civil society, academia and regional intergovernmental organisations to collect and analyse VAWG data have strengthened. National systems to manage VAWG data have strengthened with the completion and launch of national protocols for the management of VAWG data, along with a minimum dataset on VAWG indicators in Jamaica. Institutional partnerships to collect and analyse VAWG data have strengthened with an Agreement signed with the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) of the University of the West Indies which will be delivering a Massive Online Open Course on VAWG Data in 2023. The knowledge base on publicly available VAWG data and research is on track to be achieved with research on the economic costs of VAWG completed in Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana.

Regional institutions, national governments and civil society in CARICOM generate, analyse, publicise and utilise gender statistics to design and adopt laws, systems and policies to eliminate discrimination, address structural inequalities and promote the adoption of attitudes, norms and practices that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Caribbean.

Notable impact has been made by regional institutions, national governments and civil society to in using data towards the enhancement of policy, legislation and systems to address issues of gender equality. UN Women MCO provided support to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as amicus curiae in an Appeal which led to a ruling promoting a human rights sensitive approach in the interpretation of provisions in the Domestic Violence Act of Barbados and has sustained work with civil society and national gender machineries (NGMs), a key success of which has been the Ministry of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica championing amendments to the Domestic Violence Act which was approved in 2023. The MCO continues to provide sustained support to countries in the implementation of their CEDAW obligations, and other human rights obligations towards advancing gender equality. The MCO has supported the following: 1. Costing of the National Police for Gender Equality for Jamaica 2. Drafting and providing technical support for the development of a Gender Policy for the Turks and Caicos Islands 3. Begun engagment to support the Gender Policy for British Virgin Islands 4. Partnered to support a Gender Review of Belize , including the development of a Gender Analysis and the review three sector plans/strategies to integrate gender equality and preventing and responding to gender-based violence 5. Promoted the development of a Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan in Trinidad and Tobago . 6. Technical support was also provided in the drafting of the National Gender Equality and Equity Policy for The Bahamas. Where there have been areas where no significant impact was made, the MCO has continued to lay the foundation for interventions, programmes and technical support that will advance gender equality in the region in coming years.

Regional institutions, national governments and civil society in CARICOM generate, analyse, publicise and utilise gender statistics to design and adopt laws, systems and policies to eliminate discrimination, address structural inequalities and promote the adoption of attitudes, norms and practices that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Caribbean.

TBC