Project profile — Strengthening Political Capacities for Gender-Responsive Governance in the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda (7.14%)
• Barbados (7.14%)
• Bahamas (7.14%)
• Belize (7.15%)
• Dominica (7.15%)
• Grenada (7.14%)
• Guyana (7.15%)
• Haiti (7.14%)
• Jamaica (7.15%)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (7.14%)
• Saint Lucia (7.14%)
• Suriname (7.14%)
• Trinidad And Tobago (7.14%)
• Saint Vincent And The Grenadines (7.14%)

• Population Policies/Programmes And Reproductive Health: Population policy and administrative management (13010) (30.00%)
• Public finance management:
Public finance management (15111) (30.00%)
Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (40.00%)

• Climate change mitigation (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (principal objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Gender equality (principal objective)

This project supports more inclusive and gender-responsive governance across the Caribbean by increasing women's participation in politics and enhancing the ability of parliaments to consider gender equality in decision-making. It seeks to ensure women and vulnerable populations are better represented in governance structures and that policies reflect their needs. The project builds the foundation for long-term transformation toward more equitable governance in the region by supporting institutional change and individual leadership. Project activities include: (1) delivering technical assistance and resources to women parliamentarians to help them advance legislation on gender equality issues such as gender-based violence and care systems; (2) providing training and leadership development for young women and women’s organizations to support their effective participation in political and parliamentary processes; (3) working with parliamentary staff to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into youth engagement programs and open governance practices; and (4) engaging male political leaders and civil society stakeholders to promote shared responsibility in advancing gender equality. The project beneficiaries include parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, civil society groups, women’s organizations, and young women leaders in 14 Caribbean countries.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased and more meaningful participation of women in all their diversity in political leadership and decision-making processes in the Caribbean; (2) improved access by women to open and gender-responsive governance structures and decision-making processes in the Caribbean; and (3) increased gender-sensitive actions by parliamentarians in the Caribbean on regional issues, including sustainable development and climate change.

Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) engaged over 813 individuals (627 women and 186 men) from 14 Caribbean countries in project activities aimed at enhancing gender equality leadership, exceeding the original target of 398; (2) provided technical assistance to all 14 national parliaments in the Caribbean, supporting gender-responsive budgeting. This includes creating a lactation room in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago and introducing gender-sensitive youth programming in Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago; and (3) supported 76 women’s organizations with training and institutional strengthening, leading to more strategic engagement with parliamentary actors, and delivered regional sessions addressing the gender dimensions of climate change, security and sustainable development.

• Proactive disclosure