The Government of the Virgin Islands will be hosting a 2-day workshop on Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery in May.

The session is first of its kind to be held in the BVI and will focus on integrating gender dimensions in the design and implementation of recovery policies and projects.

The workshop will be held on May 23 and 24 and is jointly developed and implemented by the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the Office of Gender Affairs, Disaster Recovery Coordinating Committee (DRCC), Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Office of Gender Affairs is the focal point for the Government in the implementation of the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity. Gender-responsive approaches to disaster risk management are in alignment with key goals of the Virgin Islands National Policy for Gender Equity and Equality.

The Department of Disaster Management has also been working at the national level incorporating gender equality considerations in disaster risk management, particularly through the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy as well as the community trainings and other capacity building initiatives.

The objectives of the workshop are to provide a forum to facilitate dialogue and raise awareness among national stakeholders on gender, to build capacities to mainstream gender equality analysis into the design, development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of disaster risk management, recovery and reconstruction projects, and to share best practices of gender-responsive interventions in the Caribbean.

The first day will be open to the public while the second day is by invitation only. Ministries and agencies who are interested in receiving an invitation for the second day training event can contact Ms. Jasmin Blessing at the Ministry of Finance: jasmin.blessing@undp.org  Tel: 1 (284) 4494 3701 -ext. 5920

NOTE

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