NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (June 17, 2025) - Women on Nevis took centre stage during a one-day workshop aimed at building local capacity to respond to climate change through inclusive, gender-responsive strategies.
Held on June 12, 2025, at the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park, the Gender and Social-Sensitive Capacity-Building Workshop brought together more than 30 key stakeholders from across various Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) priority sectors, including energy, agriculture, water, tourism, health, and coastal zone management.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Gender Affairs and Social Empowerment, Mrs. Shelisa Martin-Clarke, welcomed the attendees and underscored the significance of the training.
“This project aims to strengthen your institutional frameworks, your integrating gender and social inclusion, and also build capacity across the sectors, including tourism, manufacturing, and other key pillars within your economy,” she said.
“This particular workshop forms a part of the broader efforts that will be going to ensure the implementation for your NDCs so that they are also achievable, and it's going to help to reflect an inclusive evidence base and action-oriented planning that is critical for the entire Caribbean region.”
Throughout the day, participants were engaged in a dynamic mix of technical and empowerment sessions. These included an introduction to gender in climate change, strategies for mainstreaming gender in NDCs, vulnerability assessments, and proposal writing for climate finance. Breakout sessions offered hands-on exercises that allowed participants to assess sectoral vulnerabilities and formulate actionable next steps to improve gender-responsive climate action.
Mrs. Martin-Clarke emphasized that the session also aimed to equip stakeholders with “the tools, the knowledge, and the collaborative frameworks to make a stronger NDC and the initiatives as they go forward.”
Andrew Satney, National Coordinator of the GCF Readiness Project, explained the significance of integrating social and gender concerns into climate action.
“Climate change and gender is something that's very important, and the awareness and knowledge is very crucial to all of us if we are to deal with the challenges that will continue to come our way,” he stated.
The workshop featured interactive presentations from experts including Christine Young, Managing Director of Green Caribbean Consulting, and Leisa Perch of SAEDI Consulting, who served as lead facilitator.
Participants were guided through exercises to develop short, medium, and long-term action plans for their sectors. Breakout sessions were intentionally designed to deepen understanding of climate change impacts from a gender perspective and to foster measurable, practical solutions tailored to the local context.
The session formed part of the wider Green Climate Fund (GCF)-supported project, “Strengthening Strategic Framework and Institutional Capacity to Enhance NDC Implementation in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
The workshop was hosted by the Federal Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, in partnership with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the NIA Ministry of Health, Gender Affairs and Social Development, and SAEDI Consulting.
The Nevis workshop was one of several held across the Federation under the GCF-funded initiative, aimed at building resilient, inclusive institutions prepared to lead the way in climate adaptation and mitigation.
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