OAS Advancing Caribbean Women’s Economic Empowerment

THE ORGANISATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS) IS PURSUING THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 
The process of increasing the confidence, rights, and status of females as a disadvantaged group is to be achieved through the ‘Economically Empowered Women for Equitable and Resilient Societies’ (Women’s Economic Empowerment–WEE) project. 

In addition to the six Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries, the WEE Project is also being implemented in the three countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) to help build sustainable livelihoods of small-scale women entrepreneurs as well as increase their capacity to digitise, build an online presence, and access financial services and international markets through e-commerce.
 OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Kim Osborne, said: “The OAS is committed to working with member states to harness the power, energy, dedication, determination, diligence, and hard work of women to help them get to a place where they are driving their economic future.”
In recognition of the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD), Osborne further stated, “We take the opportunity to wish all women across the Caribbean Happy International Women’s Day as we strive to build equitable and resilient societies. The contribution of women to the socioeconomic development of our countries cannot be overstated and must be acknowledged recognised and embraced. When we operate within an equitable society, families, communities, livelihoods, and economies are more sustainable.”
 The Caribbean Project Manager, Lizra Fabien said: “I join Executive Secretary Osborne in wishing our women Happy IWD2023! In furthering our commitment to the women of the region, we are advancing this initiative through regional and national teams of institutions that work specifically towards the sustainable development of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and that support women’s economic empowerment.”

“There are several objectives that we are working towards in this initiative; however, this year we are concentrating on building the capacity of our local institutions and MSMEs, supporting women MSMEs in becoming market-ready and taking these market-ready women to the international commerce space through our partnerships while leveraging our relationship with the diaspora,” Fabien further commented. 
 
“We are also building an online clearinghouse which will provide women with information on tools for financial literacy and links to access financial products and services, as well as online training materials, best practices, and other online resources aimed at bridging the gap for women in the digital economy,” she said. 
Women’s economic empowerment benefits the wider economy by reducing income inequality and promoting diversity and economic resilience. Economically empowered women can be powerful agents of change—driving stronger, sustainable economic growth, encouraging greater peace and security, and fostering cooperation.

The potential of women to help build stronger and truly representative democracies by eliminating the barriers facing them cannot be overstated. Addressing these barriers for women in the Caribbean is critical to ensuring that the region can reach its full economic potential, and, recover from the impact of increasingly complex multi-hazards.