Gender mainstreaming in national sustainable development planning in the Caribbean

Abstract

This study assesses the status of gender mainstreaming in the policy framework of the 29 Caribbean member states and Associate Members of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which are also members of its subsidiary organ for the subregion: the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC). The study defines and explains gender mainstreaming as a factor in national development planning and outlines the regional experiences and trends in mainstreaming gender. It highlights the frameworks and commitments that guide gender mainstreaming in national development planning, identifies how Caribbean States, including national machineries for the advancement of women across the subregion, can draw on each other’s experiences. Finally, it explains the goals and challenges of mainstreaming gender in planning and offers policy recommendations for advancing gender equality through effective mainstreaming of gender in national development planning and as part of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.