Presented by Denise Noel-Debique, Gender Adviser, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at the High-Level Consultation, “Step it Up: Political Leadership for Substantive Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals in Caribbean Small Island Developing States in Antigua & Barbados on June 23, 2015. It was prepared by Marsha Caddle, Operations Officer, Technical Cooperation Division, CDB. It explores gender equality within the new SDG framework.

1. Financing substantive gender
equality within a new SDG
framework
High-Level Consultation “Step it Up: Political Leadership for
Substantive Gender Equality and the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Caribbean Small
Island Developing States (SIDS)”
Antigua and Barbuda, June 23, 2015
Presentation prepared by Marsha Caddle
Technical Cooperation Division

2. Financing context
A discussion on new and
transformative financing models
for gender equality must take
place squarely in the context of,
rather than be marginal to, the
region’s overall macro- and socio-
economic constraints and
solutions, which include…

3. Negative and low growth
SOURCES: NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICES, CENTRAL BANKS AND CDB
*DATA FOR 2008–13 WAS REPRODUCED FROM STATISTICS PROVIDED BY BMCS, WHILE FIGURES FOR 2014 ARE PRELIMINARY CDB
ESTIMATES
Growth (%) in Real Output, 2008-14*

4. High debt

5. Poverty
Country Year % Poor Population % Indigent Population % Vulnerable Population Population Size
Anguilla 2009 5.8 0.0 17.7 14,000
Antigua & Barbuda 2006 18.0 3.7 10.0 83,916
Bahamas 2001 9.3 -- -- 301,606
Barbados 2009 19.3 9.1 10.40 272,750
Belize 2009 41.3 15.8 13.8 333,200
BVI 2002 22.0 0.5 -- 23,000
Cayman Islands 2008 1.9 0.0 3.7 52,295
Dominica 2009 28.8 3.1 11.5 67,922
Grenada 2008 37.7 2.4 14.6 130,722
Guyana 2006 36.1 18.6 -- 760,689
Haiti 2012 58.6 24.7 -- 10,173,775
Jamaica 2009 16.5 -- -- 2,695,600
Montserrat 2009 36.0 3.0 20.0 4,900
St. Kitts & Nevis 2009 21.8 1.0 13.8 51,752
St. Lucia 2005 29.0 1.6 16.2 164,791
St. Vincent 2009 30.2 2.9 18.2 109,269
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 17.0 -- -- 1,325,700
Turks & Caicos Isl. 2012 21.6 0.0 11.40 31,500
Total
16,597,3
Mean
25.1 5.8 13.4

6. Unemployment
Annual Average / Mid-year Unemployment Rates, 2005-14
SOURCES: NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICES, CENTRAL BANKS
NOTES: RATES FOR THE BAHAMAS, BELIZE, THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND ST. LUCIA ARE AS AT MID-YEAR. RATES FOR BARBADOS, JAMAICA AND TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO ARE ANNUAL AVERAGES. THE 2014 RATE FOR TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IS AS AT MARCH.

7. Household dependency

8. Gender and Economic
Security in the Caribbean
• Structural and cyclical/seasonal unemployment
– higher for women than men on average;
higher for men in countries where contraction
has been driven by construction sector
• Working poor - underemployment also higher
for women; gender-based earnings gap; high
levels of informality; educational equality does
not correlate well with income equality
• High dependency ratios in poor, female-
headed households; over 50% of poor
households headed by women

9. Other Macroeconomic Challenges & Some
Policy Responses Undertaken “Post-Crisis”
• Low productivity and competitiveness driven by limited regional
integration of transportation and logistics, high costs of doing business
• Vulnerability of infrastructure and agricultural production to weather
events and climate change
• Average national savings rate 15% of GDP 2003-2013 – half the
average rate in emerging and developing economies  low reserve
levels
• Variable performance in tourism, construction, agriculture and
manufacturing; financial services
• Fiscal restructuring
• High unemployment – e.g. St. Lucia 2014
Q1 Q2 Q3
22.6% 23.8% 24.9%

10. Other Macroeconomic Challenges & Some
Policy Responses Undertaken “Post-Crisis”(II)
• In some cases, initial measures aimed at offsetting food and
fuel price increases; changes in income tax thresholds, zero
setting on import tariffs, subsidies to farmers; expansion of
public assistance through increased monthly assistance
levels, pension levels, and number of beneficiaries
• Eventual reductions in expenditure and social investment –
increased unemployment and vulnerability
• Initiatives related to social protection reform and targeting
• Changes in tax structure aimed at increasing revenue
• Focus on enhanced productivity and competitiveness

11. Implications for Gender
Equality
• Forced savings may imply “forced labour”:
reduced social spending often transfers
costs to the domestic economy
• Changes in tax structure (e.g removal of
VAT zero ratings) may more adversely
affect poor, women-headed households
• Downturn in credit markets affects
women’s access to capital

12. Imperatives from Caribbean Joint Statement on
Gender Equality and
the Post 2015 and SIDS Agenda
• Freedom from violence and
access to justice
• Accessing capabilities
• Economic empowerment
• Leadership

13. Implementing substantive gender
equality Post-2015
• National action:
 Investments in productivity and competitiveness, diversification should also target
informal sector; sectors with potential for women’s participation
 Programmes targeting job market re-entry should target women’s labour, skills
 Counter-cyclical socio-economic policy measures including financial sector
 Data gathering and analysis
 Tax incidence analysis (PSIA) and revenue restructuring
• Regional action:
 Investments in regional public goods that promote women’s economic empowerment
and freedom of movement e.g. mobility of social insurance
 Gender analysis of cross-border transfers and financial flows
 Gender analysis of modalities that engage private sector and household sector
• International action:
 Partnerships for development; the speed and nature of integration into global markets

14. Thank you.