Gender Equality

PROCARIBE+ promotes sustainability and equity through the rigorous application of UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES). A central element of this approach is the integration of gender equality and social inclusion in all our actions. We work to ensure that efforts to advance toward a Blue Economy in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+ Region) are designed responsibly, guaranteeing that women and men have an equal voice and opportunity in the management of our marine heritage.

To achieve the sustainable development of the CLME+ Region, it is imperative to transform the social structures that limit human potential. The ocean is the livelihood of millions of people, and its health depends on our ability to integrate gender equality as a prerequisite for success.

What does this mean in practice?

Through a gender analysis, PROCARIBE+ identified a significant gap for women; although they are fundamental to activities linked to the blue economy, their presence is drastically lower in: high-level decision-making spaces, technical and scientific resource management, representation in protected areas, and marine spatial planning processes, among others.

PROCARIBE+ aims to ensure that investments in the blue economy do not perpetuate these inequalities but instead act as catalysts for women to access technical jobs, institutional leadership, and control over productive resources.

Tools to put the commitment to gender equality into practice

Aligned with the gender equality policies of UNDP, UNOPS, and the GEF, during the preparation phase of the PROCARIBE+ Project, instruments were designed to move from theory to action:

• Gender Equality Analysis: A diagnosis of the conditions for women's participation in blue economy activities across all countries participating in the project.
• Gender Action Plan (GAP): A roadmap to integrate gender equality into every component of the project and generate significant transformations in its diverse contexts.
• Implementation with co-executing partners: In direct collaboration with PROCARIBE+ co-executing partners, concrete actions were identified to contribute to gender equality within their respective workplaces.

Elements of the Gender Action Plan

• Leadership and decision-making: We create specific spaces, such as the Gender Working Group of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism, to strengthen women's representation in ocean governance and ensure their voices influence the new Strategic Action Programme (SAP 2026-2035).
• Equitable participation: We implement affirmative actions to ensure that at least 30% of participants in all meetings, consultations, and training activities are women, thus fostering a new generation of leaders in the marine sector.
• Economic empowerment: We facilitate access to direct benefits through financing schemes (small grants/microfinance) where at least 30% of funds are allocated to women-led projects.
• Inclusive planning: We integrate a gender perspective into technical tools such as marine spatial planning, identifying and eliminating the barriers that have historically limited women's opportunities at sea.

Our commitment

At PROCARIBE+, we work so that the "Caribbean Blue" becomes a symbol of opportunity, justice, and equality. We are committed to ensuring that every project activity contributes to closing gaps, integrating gender equality as a central pillar of our management.

This is the first guidance publication in the IW:LEARN "How To" series, developed to provide practical, step-by-step guidance on key technical and cross-cutting priorities across the GEF IW portfolio. Developed by IW:LEARN in partnership with UNESCO's World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), and informed by extensive inputs from the GEF IW community: How to Integrate Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment and Inclusion in GEF International Waters Projects.