The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) SheTrades Caribbean Hub and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) have launched the SheTrades Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs' Climate Impact Business Resilience (WE-CLIMB) Fund to help women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (WMSMEs) across the Caribbean prepare for, respond to and recover from climate-related shocks.

Under the WE-CLIMB fund, the CDB will leverage €700,000 from the European Union (EU) Latin America and Caribbean Investment Facility (LACIF) channeled through AFD, to provide support to strengthen the climate resilience, adaptation and business continuity of Caribbean women led businesses. This initiative responds to the needs of WMSMEs, which account for approximately 99.5% of businesses and nearly 60% of formal productive employment in Latin America and the Caribbean, while addressing barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, including the estimated USD1.7 trillion global financing gap for women-led MSMEs.

The Fund, administered by CDB through the SheTrades Caribbean Hub, will provide technical assistance, infrastructure and technology grants, research and development support, and awareness-building activities to strengthen business continuity and sustainable practices.

 
WE-CLIMB is one of the flagship initiatives being implemented under the SheTrades Caribbean II Programme (2025-2028), which expands the Bank’s support for women-owned and women-led businesses through enhanced capacity building, access to finance, climate resilience, market access and innovation opportunities across the region.

“The WE-CLIMB Fund recognises that climate resilience is now central to business resilience,” said Lisa Harding, Private Sector Division Chief at CDB. “Women-owned and women-led businesses play a critical role in driving economic growth, innovation and community development across the Caribbean. Through this Fund, CDB is helping entrepreneurs strengthen their capacity to anticipate, withstand and recover from climate-related impacts while improving productivity, competitiveness and access to regional and international markets.”

Eligible beneficiaries will be women-led MSMEs in CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries, particularly those operating in climate-sensitive or climate-relevant sectors. Support will be provided through competitive application processes for climate risk assessments, business continuity and disaster preparedness planning, climate-resilient infrastructure and technologies, and a dedicated climate adaptation research and development grant.

In announcing the launch of the Fund, Mylène Lerigab, Regional Project Manager for Financial Institutions at AFD, said, “Consistent with the priority placed by the AFD on strengthening women’s economic autonomy, including their access to resources, we are very proud to launch WE-CLIMB with CDB through the SheTrades Caribbean Hub. The AFD recognizes the significant interlinkages between gender inequality, climate change and the need to address the disproportionate exposure of women to climate-related risks while building resilient societies. As such, thanks to European Union funds under LACIF programme, this Fund, which aims to strengthen the climate resilience of WMSMEs across the Caribbean, will advance our mission by providing targeted technical assistance to help WMSMEs adapt to climate-related risks and scale sustainable business practices.”

In addition to direct business support, WE-CLIMB will generate research, knowledge products and awareness campaigns designed to strengthen understanding of climate risk management among women entrepreneurs and promote the adoption of climate-smart business practices throughout the region.

The first call for applications under the WE-CLIMB Fund is expected to be launched in December 2026, with successful applicants receiving a combination of technical assistance and grant support to implement climate resilience measures. Additional information on eligibility requirements, application procedures and programme timelines will be made available through the SheTrades Caribbean Hub and CDB communication channels.
 

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