Caribbean Women’s NGO Meeting

With a view to strengthening the leadership capability of women’s NGOs, representatives from women’s organisations in 14 Caribbean countries will gather in St. George’s, Grenada from 1-2 December, at a workshop organised jointly by the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), the Dutch development agency, HIVOS and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

The objectives of the workshop are to discuss problems experienced by the NGOs, strategies for ensuring sustainability and accountability, and ways of developing and strengthening leadership capacity. Facilitators are Dr. Leith Dunn of Jamaica and Judy Williams of Grenada.

The workshop will use the Commonwealth Foundation’s Good Policy and Practice Training Kit to expose participants to tools and techniques to improve their management skills. Among topics to be explored are Leadership, Governance and Accountability; Women and Leadership; and Organisational Effectiveness and Sustainability.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be expected to analyse the operation of their organisations, know how to access regional and international resources, and develop greater solidarity among themselves.

CAFRA is a Caribbean network of feminists, individual researchers, activists and women’s organisations which seeks to celebrate and channel the collective power of women for individual and societal transformation, thus creating a climate in which social justice is realised.

HIVOS has a long-standing relationship with NGOs in the region, particularly women’s NGOs, and is committed to strengthening their leadership and accountability and integrating gender issues into the development process.

UNIFEM, the United Nations agency mandated to promote the economic and political empowerment of women in developing countries, works closely with women’s NGOs in the region, on three thematic issues: Globalisation and Trade; Human Rights; and Governance, Leadership and Decision-making.