Bridgetown, December 3, 2024 – Women and youth in the northern town of Speightstown, Barbados, are among the key groups identified to be empowered through a new initiative aimed at building climate resilience and safety within their community.
This opportunity is made possible through the Joint Programme, “Putting Youth and Women at the Center of Climate Resilience and Safety in Barbados,” implemented by UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) and UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) in collaboration with the Government of Barbados. Speightstown was selected due to its vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards, its relatively large population within Barbados’ urban corridor, and its role as a hub for employment and essential services.
The Joint Programme aims to strengthen climate resilience and reduce violence and harassment in public spaces, ensuring that everyone enjoys their right to sustainable, accessible public spaces and that children have access to safe and resilient schools. Strategic support will be provided to communities, schools, civil society organizations, urban planners, development organizations, and government agencies to develop resilient urban spaces and infrastructure through inclusive and participatory planning processes.
The project also targets individuals who rely on public spaces for living, working, and recreation, focusing on women, youth, and children, as well as marginalized groups who are often overlooked in urban planning. The project’s activities in Speightstown are expected to influence the wider Barbados population, with key lessons shared across the country.
Jacqueline Gill, Chair of the St. Peter Parish Organizing Committee, welcomed the partnership with the United Nations, emphasizing the initiative’s potential to create a more inclusive, resilient future. She stated:
“The St. Peter Parish Organising Committee is honoured to collaborate with UN Women and UNICEF on this project. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to fostering a more inclusive, resilient, and equitable future for Speightstown. By placing women and youth at the heart of climate action and safety, we are not only addressing critical challenges but empowering our community to lead the way in sustainable development. Together, we are building a stronger foundation for Speightstown to thrive in the face of climate change while ensuring no voice is left unheard.”
Tonni Brodber, Representative of the UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean, highlighted the need to connect urban development strategies with the realities faced by communities. She observed:
“What are the changes going to do for the girl child trying to make her way to and from school safely, with often poorly lit streets and increasing levels of violence? For the women running small businesses constantly at risk from flooding caused by climatic changes, with few options for securing their assets and rebuilding? For the men and women working in industries like fishing or services, who face irreplaceable loss and damage? We all agree that we need to work towards increasing the resilience of our places and our people to all types of shocks, but this must be done with their voices included.”
The Joint Programme aims to enhance safety, capacity, resilience, and opportunity for entire communities by enabling vital participation from community members in creating climate-resilient, inclusive, smart, and safe public spaces.
Acting UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Area, Jean-Benoit Manhes, emphasized the importance of community engagement, stating:
“We look forward to closely working with the women and children of Speightstown, a community highly vulnerable to climate change, on strategies that strengthen their resilience in line with their needs and ideas.”
The programme is funded by the Joint SDG Fund, the UN’s flagship global fund supporting the localization of the SDGs to accelerate country-level progress. Over the next 12 months, the project is expected to directly benefit at least 3,500 individuals, including 1,500 women—many of whom are of African descent—and 1,000 children and youth in schools. Additionally, approximately 30 organizations or departments, including targeted women and youth-led civil society organizations, will benefit from efforts to promote their inclusion and capacity building.
UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Springett, underscored the importance of localizing the SDGs, stating:
“The Sustainable Development Goals are most real at the local level. It is at that level that people can translate the global goals into transformative actions to contribute to a better future for all.”
The Joint Programme is set to inspire further progress in creating inclusive, resilient communities across Barbados, with Speightstown serving as a model for sustainable urban development.
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
