The University of the West Indies

Our Research Initiatives

 

Under our mandate to produce and disseminate knowledge based on the generation and analysis of research data on women, men, and gender related issues in the Caribbean, the IGDS has in excess of two decades’ experience in research around the ways in which systems and structures of gender can be used to enhance sustainability and social equity; improve the life chances of women and other vulnerable groups in the region and enhance structures and frameworks of governance in the region. 

As the leading authority on issues of gender and development in the Caribbean, and in collaboration with regional and international institutions concerned with gender and development; the IGDS has over two and a half decades’ experience of providing advisory services; influencing policy direction and building capacity at every level in the region and throughout its Diaspora.

Both institutionally and through individual members of staff, the IGDS has been has completed and contributed to a substantial body of work directly relevant to mainstreaming gender into structures and frameworks of governance.

IGDS, UWI boasts extensive experience in the implementation and management of research initiatives geared towards capacity building around issues of gender and development, including – though not limited to - the areas of:

  • Gender and Education
  • Gender Analysis and Mainstreaming
  • Capacity development and women’s leadership and economic empowerment
  • Equitable and effective leadership approaches and dynamics.
  • Effective political and social communications, advocacy and activism.
  • Gender-responsive decision-making.
  • Partnership-building with civil society for good governance and accountability.

 

Research and Community Engagement

The IGDS-RCO believes that it is important to build partnerships, increase knowledge and awareness despite cultural differences to contribute to change for the entire region. To operationalise this objective, the institute has undertaken development projects in conjunction with partners focused on entrenching gender responsiveness in sustainable policies and community engagement practices. The IGDS is committed to using research as an outreach strategy, especially to underserved communities, locally, regionally and internationally. Through these outreach activities the IGDS-RCO sensitizes ordinary women and men, boys and girls, educators, policy makers and the general population to issues of gender and development and social justice.  The IGDS-RCO advocates Gender Justice, a political responsibility operationalised through research and development

IGDS Research Projects

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Project Title Project Summary
Indigenous People of the Caribbean Project

The Development of a Framework for Enhancing Engagement with and Support for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in the Caribbean  was a regional and collaborative project initiated by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and executed by the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) at the University of the West Indies in consultation with Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ITPs) of the Caribbean. The overall goal of the research was to identify developmental priorities and challenges of ITP, establish protocols of engagement with ITPs in alignment with the Bank’s work programme and to advise on a programme of activities and interventions to bolster the engagement of the CDB and its partners with ITPs. Conducted in six Caribbean countries, the study adopted participatory action methodology in keeping with constructivist and inductive approaches, where knowledge is produced in a bottom-up approach based on lived realities. Utilised both qualitative and quantitative data, the study assessed the needs, challenges, and achievements of ITPs in these countries.  

 
Caribbean SHEROES Project
The IGDS-RCO in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Caribbean Office implements the third installment of the Caribbean Sheroes Academy under the theme is “Leaving No One Behind”.  The Caribbean Sheroes Initiative is a collaborative project of the IGDS and UNESCO in response to the shocking data around Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the Caribbean that is linked to traditional social norms and patriarchal ideologies which have led to a multiplicity of inequalities in the political, economic and social systems. The Sheroes Initiative was established with the aim to build capacity, produce knowledge and enhance the advocacy skills of young people working in human rights, gender and social justice, through knowledge products, mentoring sessions and the Sheroes Academy. You can learn more about the Sheroes Initiative here
Institutional Strengthening for Women's Economic Empowerment

This project was conducted within the framework of Pillar 2 of the Regional Programme for Spotlight Initiative.The project focused on Training and Institutional Strengthening to Support National Gender/Women’s Bureaus in Women Economic Empowerment in Belize, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. 
Spotlight Initiative: Legislative Reform to End VAWG

Through this important intervention, the IGDS-RCO employed a multi-dimensional approach that grounded the intervention in dialogue with marginalised groups; training and capacity building of advocates and individuals who are intended beneficiaries of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment Laws; as well as supported and empowered CSOs.  The targeted groups included rural women, people with disabilities, LGBTQI persons and men and boys, who were positioned in this project as pivotal to the development of a robust response to the riptide of violence that undermines the well-being of vulnerable populations.  The flexibility, dynamism, and ability of CSOs to connect with and represent local, community and traditionally left behind groups was seen as essential to ensuring that legislation, policy, and development planning frameworks meet the requirements of the target groups and the general population.
Community Transformation through Training (C-TTT); Positive Pathways

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