BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB / the Bank), UN Women Caribbean and the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill have joined forces to confront one of the region's most urgent challenges: the increasing prevalence of violence, including youth violence, that threatens Caribbean communities. 

At the recent Caribbean Futures High-Level Anti-Violence Forum, held under the 16th cycle of the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development (CIGAD), the three institutions convened youth leaders, policymakers, researchers and community practitioners from across the Caribbean to take up this challenge together. 

"Violence prevention transforms the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that normalise violence in homes, schools, communities, and relationships. It promotes positive masculinities, empowers girls and young women, and engages boys and men as allies in creating safer, more equitable societies for everyone," said Dr. Maria Ziegler, Senior Gender Specialist, CDB. 

The event featured an intergenerational dialogue rarely hosted through a single platform. Youth advocates sat alongside senior policymakers, criminologists and gender specialists to examine how gang violence, gender-based violence and climate-related displacement compound one another, and to co-design solutions grounded in Caribbean realities rather than imported frameworks. 

“UN Women not only promotes the rights, empowerment, and safety of all women and girls, but we are working with partners to disrupt the gender norms that also harm men and boys. Our Foundations Violence Prevention Programme – is a participatory and youth centred curriculum - to transform the negative cultural and social norms, values, attitudes and beliefs which support the perpetuation of gender-based discrimination, gender inequality and Gender-Based Violence," said Ms. Sharon Carter-Burke, Communications and Advocacy Analyst, UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean. 

The Forum marked the finalisation of the in-person training phase for the 16th CIGAD cohort and highlighted the Programme’s impact in building a regional network of practitioners equipped to turn gender analysis into policy and community action. From a theatre presentation challenging harmful masculinities to a youth-focused roundtable with decision-makers, the event demonstrated how dialogue, evidence and shared ownership can drive more effective violence prevention across generations. 

Outcomes of the Forum point towards co-creation of solutions which combines the knowledge and experiences of both young and old, state and society, men and women, boys and girls. The event concluded that everybody has a role to play and that gender justice and youth empowerment are inseparable strands of the same effort, rather than competing priorities. 

As the 16th CIGAD cohort moves towards completion, the connections forged at the Forum, between youth organisations, state actors and regional institutions, are expected to outlast the event itself, seeding continued collaboration on violence prevention long after the participants disperse across their home countries. 

CIGAD is supported by financing from CDB and UN Women to strengthen gender-responsive development across the region. The investment is aligned with CDB’s 10-year Strategic Plan, which includes a focus on ensuring gender equality is woven into decision-making across the public, private and civil society sectors throughout its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). 

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Photo caption: Dr. Maria Ziegler, Senior Gender Specialist, Caribbean Development Bank (left), Dr. Tonya Haynes, Head and Lecturer, Institute for Gender and Development Studies: Nita Barrow Unit, The University of the West Indies - Cave Hill (second from left) and Ms. Sharon Carter-Burke, Communications and Advocacy Analyst, UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean (second from right) join youth advocates at Caribbean Futures High-Level Anti-Violence Forum.

Photo credit: University of the West Indies - Cave Hill