KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Canada’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, Laurie Peters, has called on countries of the region to adopt more gender-sensitive measures in reducing vulnerability and building resilience against climate change.

She said that this can be done by integrating gender issues into policies, programmes and activities, with specific focus on empowering women and girls.

“Canada wants to see a climate smart region… that promotes environment and climate action by advancing women’s leadership and including women and girls in the planning and decision-making process,” she said.

Peters was addressing a workshop dubbed ‘Conversations on Gender. The Role of Gender in Building Climate Resilience in Jamaica’, at the Waterloo Road location of the Canadian High Commission in Kingston on Tuesday.

She noted that it is Canada’s hope that this inclusive approach will support initiatives that will both mitigate and adapt to climate change and also create economic opportunities for women.

“Here in Jamaica and in the region, Canada’s goal is to help build a more prosperous and integrated Caribbean community, one that is able to empower women and girls, reduce poverty by enabling sustainable economic growth, and eventually provide opportunity and security to its citizens,” she said.

Peters further noted that the workshop demonstrates Canada’s continued commitment to Jamaica and the region in charting a course towards enhancing the country’s resilience.

“The development team here at the Canadian High Commission has embarked on this series of Conversations on Gender to engage civil society, government partners and a broad range of stakeholders to discuss gender issues, advance policies and programmes and share critical and timely information and ideas to ensure that gender equality is at the centre,” she noted.

The workshop was the second in a series organised by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The entity, through its Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), seeks to promote the economic empowerment of women and girls in Jamaica, and through this approach, to make a strong contribution to achieving sustainable development goals.

The workshop brought together a wide cross section of representatives from the climate/environment sector, and government ministries, departments and agencies. Also in attendance were private-sector entities, members of academia and professional umbrella organisations.

Discussions focused on the topic ‘How will we together ensure that in building climate resilience in Jamaica, gender is effectively addressed?’

The workshop series is expected to contribute to the advancement of women’s equal participation with men as decision-makers in shaping the sustainable development of their societies; reduction in gender inequalities in access to and control over the resources and benefits of development; and increased awareness among decision-makers on gender equality issues.