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Advancing Gender Equality in the Eastern Caribbean

Tackling discrimination based on sex is a human rights issue. It is also an economic issue. It is proven that empowering equally women and girls as men and boys contributes to economic growth and sustainable development. According to the World Bank, the cost of gender inequality around the world is estimated at $160.2 trillion.

Notwithstanding the progress made on this matter over the past forty years, achieving gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean remains a challenge as significant inequalities between men and women persist, especially in relation to employment and wages, access to formal sources of financing or credit, capacity to recover from economic and environmental shocks, participation in decision-making and governance mechanisms, and the level of risk of suffering from different forms of sexual and gender-based violence.

The OECS Commission, through the Gender Team, is collaborating with its Member States along with multiple international agencies to address these challenges and advance gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean region.



Objectives 

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The OECS, through the Gender Team, is mobilizing efforts to advance gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean. The OECS Gender Policy developed 3rd November 2021  affirms the commitment of the Organisation to advance gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean and sets the priority actions which will be undertaken in this regard for the next five years.

The OECS Gender Policy pursues the five key objectives below:

  1. To guarantee that the policies and programmes of the OECS Commission are gender-responsive;
  2. To create a visible institutional culture of gender equality by mainstreaming gender responsive actions into the daily practices of the OECS Commission;
  3. To strengthen the capacity of OECS Member States to examine and address gender issues;
  4. To ensure equal participation of men and women, boys and girls in OECS policies and programmes; and
  5. To promote values leading to a culture of gender justice, mutual care, peace, harmony and freedom from violence in the home, communities and institutions of the Member States.
The OECS Gender Policy is in line with the Revised Treaty of Basse-Terre, the strategic objectives of the OECS Commission, the OECS Development Charter and the OECS Development Strategy. This policy is also part of the global efforts to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” by 2030.

Gender Mainstreaming into OECS Programmes and Projects

The OECS ensures that issues related to gender are mainstreamed into the projects and programmes which are currently being developed as follows:

  • Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and Gender and Social Inclusion Action Plan (GAP);
  • Social Inclusion and Social Protection Project; and
  • the OECS Regional Health Project 

Partners

The OECS has been partnering for multiple years with international agencies who support the priority objectives defined above in order to advance gender equality in the Eastern Caribbean.

Green Climate Fund
Learn more on the Green Climate Fund.
Agence Francaise Developpement
Learn more on the French Development Agency (AFD)
United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) Caribbean.
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Multi-Country Office Caribbean (MCO).
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Learn more on the World Bank.
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Learn more on the Caribbean Development Bank.
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 Learn more on the Caricom

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