The first meeting of the Gender Action Learning Group (GALG) was successfully convened on 3 September 2025, during the 17th Monthly Meeting of National Technical Coordinators (NTCs) and National Focal Points (NFPs) with the REBYC-III CLME+ and EAF4SG Projects’ Management Unit (PMU). The virtual meeting brought together 27 participants in total, including 15 females and 12 males.

Purpose of the GALG

The GALG was established as a regional platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing and peer learning to strengthen gender equality within the fisheries sector. It will serve as a collaborative space where stakeholders can share experiences, identify challenges and co-create solutions to ensure both women and men benefit equitably from fisheries development initiatives.

The GALG will also play a key role in advancing the objectives of the Gender Action and Analysis Plan (GAAP) under the REBYC-III CLME+ and EAF4SG projects.

Purpose of the GAAP

The GAAP was designed to:

• Mainstream gender equity across all project activities, ensuring inclusivity in capacity building, fisheries management and policy development.
• Empower women by expanding access to resources, training, finance and leadership opportunities.
• Strengthen institutional and governance frameworks to reflect the needs and contributions of both women and men in fisheries.
• Collect and apply sex-disaggregated data to improve monitoring, evaluation and evidence-based policy.
• Promote sustainable and equitable value chains, particularly in shrimp, groundfish, and small-scale fisheries across participating countries.

A regional milestone

Speaking at the launch, Ms. Rayanna Boodram, Monitoring and Evaluation and Gender Specialist, REBYC-III CLME+ and EAF4SG projects, emphasised the importance of the group. She said: “The Gender Action Learning Group is more than just a meeting forum, it is a movement to ensure fairness, inclusivity and sustainability in fisheries. Today’s participation reflects the strong commitment of stakeholders across the region to empower women, strengthen fisheries and build resilient communities.”

Next Steps

The GALG will meet on a regular basis to track progress on gender commitments, share country experiences and support the implementation of the GAAP. Its recommendations will directly contribute to more inclusive governance, sustainable fisheries management and a resilient blue economy across the Caribbean.