The Forum brought together researchers, policymakers, civil society representatives, and students from the Caribbean and Latin America to deepen the regional dialogue on advancing care societies with substantive equality, particularly in the Caribbean context.

Held in Barbados on March 25 and 26, 2025, the Caribbean Academic Forum: Contributions to the XVI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean was part of the preparatory process for the upcoming Conference, which will take place from August 12 to 15 in Mexico City. The Forum was organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Universities Caribbean, the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at The University of the West Indies, UN Women, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in collaboration with El Colegio de México (COLMEX), the Global Alliance for Care, and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). Conceived as a space for dialogue and exchange, the Forum focused on the construction of care societies in the Caribbean and their articulation with the Regional Gender Agenda.

The meeting provided an opportunity to examine the impacts of the care crisis in the specific context of Caribbean States, characterized by high climate vulnerability and significant levels of indebtedness, and to discuss policy development proposals centered on care. Over the course of two days, four thematic panels were held, addressing various aspects of care from the perspective of the Caribbean subregion.

One of the central topics discussed was the relationship between care, territories, and environmental sustainability in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), considering the impacts of climate change, their intersection with care, and the need for integrated responses that take territorial specificities into account. The discussions highlighted the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into climate change strategies, given that many solutions implemented often exacerbate the unequal burden of unpaid domestic and care work, which disproportionately falls on women. Research presented at the Forum demonstrated that climate change and disasters continue to severely affect Caribbean societies and economies, with significant impacts on women who perform most of the care work in disaster contexts.

Another key issue addressed was the right to care and decent work. Participants reaffirmed care as a human right and analyzed the challenges of improving labour conditions in the sector, reducing precarity, and recognizing the contribution of care work to social well-being. The role of union organization was emphasized as a means to advance decent work in the sector, particularly for paid domestic work. Discussions also focused on regulatory frameworks aimed at formalizing care work and ensuring access to social protection for care workers.

A third major theme of relevance in the Caribbean was health as a care-related sector and its link to human mobility. The Forum highlighted the outmigration of health professionals seeking better-paid jobs, which undermines the local capacity of health systems in Caribbean countries and affects care provision and development policies in SIDS.

Finally, discussions addressed the advancement of an international research agenda to support the construction of care societies and public policies in the Caribbean. Participants stressed the need for action-oriented research capable of informing the design and implementation of public policies and explored strategies to accelerate the integration of care into development agendas. The role of international cooperation, education, and interdisciplinary research was also highlighted. Additionally, the importance of generating data and evidence was emphasized to ensure that public policies incorporate intersectional approaches that reflect the diverse territorial, ethnic, and cultural realities of the Caribbean.

The Forum facilitated intergenerational and intersectional dialogue, with the participation of young people, researchers, policymakers, and civil society representatives. Structural and territorial inequalities faced by Caribbean women, shaped by the legacies of colonialism and slavery, were acknowledged. The exchange between academic knowledge and the experiences of women’s organizations and feminist movements was also recognized as a key element of the discussions.

The Forum was co-organized with Universities Caribbean, under the leadership of Dr. Myriam Moïse, Executive Secretary-General and Associate Professor of English at the Université des Antilles in Martinique, as well as The University of the West Indies (UWI), under the leadership of Dr. Tonya Haynes, Director of the Nita Barrow Unit for Gender and Development Studies. It was held with the collaboration of institutions such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), represented by Carolina Robino, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean; El Colegio de México (COLMEX), through Dr. Ana María Tepichin, Research Professor at the Center for Sociological Studies; and the Global Alliance for Care, represented by its Technical Secretary, Ana B. Moreno.

Among the authorities representing the main participating institutions, the Forum featured the participation of Dr. Miriam Nicado, President of Universities Caribbean and Rector of the University of Havana, Cuba; Daniela Pacheco, General Director of Interinstitutional Coordination at the Ministry of Women and Substantive Equality of Mexico; Diane Quarless, Director of the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean; Ana Güezmes, Director of the Division for Gender Affairs of ECLAC; Cecilia Alemany, Deputy Regional Director of UN Women; and Isiuwa Iyahen, Program Specialist at UN Women Caribbean.

The Forum was also attended by government authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, including Colin E. Jordan, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector of Barbados; Luana Pinheiro, Director of the Care Economy at the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger of the Government of Brazil; Miosotis Rivas, Director of the National Statistical Office (ONE) of the Dominican Republic and President of the Statistical Conference of the Americas; and Elizabeth Taylor Jay, Ambassador of Colombia to Barbados.

Academics, researchers, and representatives from civil society also participated, including Mariama Williams, Halimah DeShong, Daniele Bobb, Natasha Mortley, Frédérique Dorléans, Angelique Nixon, Rishika Banydeen, Nadeen Spence, Alicia Haynes, Ayesha Constable, Carole Boyce-Davies, Rosina Wiltshire, and Ida Le Blanc, who shared key perspectives from feminist and intersectional approaches.

Representatives from other multilateral and cooperation organizations also participated, including Hirut Woldemariam Teketel, Senior Gender Advisor at the African Union; Noemi Espinoza, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations in Geneva and Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); Ana Virgínia Moreira, Regional Director of the ILO for Latin America and the Caribbean; Taraleen Malcolm, Regional Advisor on Gender and Human Rights at PAHO/WHO; Laura Pérez Castaño, Specialist at UN Women; and Valentina Zendejas, Program Officer at Fundación Avina.

This Forum was part of the road toward the XVI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, whose central theme will be “Transformations in the political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental spheres to advance the care society and gender equality.” The purpose of the Forum was to generate analytical contributions to strengthen intergovernmental dialogue and highlight the Caribbean’s contributions to the regional agenda on care, gender equality, and sustainability.

The Forum followed up on the process initiated at the Academic Forum of Mexico, held in 2024 at COLMEX, and served as a space to advance an international, action-oriented research agenda to support the development of interregional policies based on the right to care, gender justice, and the sustainability of life.