Black Immigrant Daily News

The Eastern Caribbean Green Entrepreneurship Initiative (EC Greenpreneurs) is proud to announce the launch and call for applications for the third cohort of its Incubator program, aimed at supporting green entrepreneurs in the Eastern Caribbean region.

Following the success of the first two cohorts in 2021 and 2022, the program once again seeks to help early-stage businesses with environmentally and socially sustainable business models to grow and scale their enterprises.

Through the program, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, provides 12 weeks of virtual training, mentorship, coaching, and networking opportunities to green entrepreneurs in 6 OECS countries (including Antigua & Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines). The selected individuals and/or teams also have a chance to secure USD $10,000 in seed funding through a Business Plan Competition to further develop their potential and showcase innovative solutions to tackle climate change while enhancing sustainability in the region.

The Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs program is funded by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and branches off from GGGI’s Global Greenpreneurs Program. This crucial regional program aims to foster the development of local green businesses and bring additional benefits of creating inclusive green jobs, improving sustainability, and helping the Eastern Caribbean countries achieve the global Sustainable Development (SDGs) and their national climate action goals.

“We are very excited to launch and receive applications for the third cohort of the Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Incubator program and to welcome a new group of innovative and dedicated green entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Kristin Deason, GGGI’s Caribbean Representative. “This program has a proven track record of helping green startups overcome challenges, develop their business models, and increase their growth potential. We look forward to seeing the continued positive impact that these businesses will have on our environment and the economy in the region”.

In the first and second rounds of the program, 36 teams benefitted from weekly mentoring sessions, networking events, and virtual training webinars which enabled their ideas to scale and grow. 9 teams so far have been awarded USD $10,000 each in seed grants after their successful completion of the Business Plan Competition to further boost their progress. (see bit.ly/ecgreenpreneurs)

“The program helped our business really network and see what other people across the Caribbean are doing. It’s good to see other blue/green entrepreneurs, people doing things with great impact, and it has been such a pleasure to be part of this program,” commented Lavern King from Grenadines Gold, a company providing authentic island experiences and eco-friendly products that are made from ethically grown sea moss in St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, and a participant in the second cohort of the Incubator program. (see www.grenadinesgold.com)

The application period for the third cohort of the EC Greenpreneurs Incubator program is NOW OPEN and will close on April 9th, 2023. Interested green entrepreneurs can apply online at bit.ly/ApplyECIncubator.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is calling to guarantee women’s access to digital technology, increase the number of women majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and eradicate gender cyber violence as part of its observance of International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Internet benefits are not distributed equally: an estimated 244 million inhabitants do not have access to these services. Differences in access to digital technology are especially alarming when urban and rural communities are compared: while 68% of urban homes in the region had an Internet connection in 2018, the same held true for only 23% of households in rural areas.

According to a report by ECLAC, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Autonomy in the Digital Era: Contributions of Education and Digital Transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean, women’s access to the Internet is more precarious.

An estimated four out of 10 women in the region are not connected to the Internet. The reasons vary: access may not be available, they cannot afford it, do not have a compatible device, or lack the basic skills to connect.

“The cost of mobile and fixed broadband service for the population in the first income quintile in the region averages 14% and 12% of their income, respectively, which explains why a high percentage of this low-income population does not have access to the Internet. Given that women are overrepresented in lower-income households in the region, this explains why there are more women in households that are not connected,” states the document.

“ECLAC recognizes the talent, strength and creativity of women and girls in the region. However, we note the structural persistence of gender inequality. The data speak volumes and call us to action,” notes ECLAC Executive Secretary Jos? Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, in a video message released in observance of International Women’s Day 2023.

“This 8 March, we are calling for: A narrowing of the gender digital divide and the full participation of women in technological development and knowledge. And also, for a transition to a care society, a development model that puts equality and sustainability of life at the centre and leaves no one behind,” announced the head of ECLAC.

Women in the region have achieved much in terms of education, surpassing men by 6.1 percentage points in high school completion. Despite these achievements, women are not equally represented in academic disciplines, as shown in the ECLAC report. These inequalities widen over the course of primary and secondary education and later at the university level.

In most countries of the region, women account for no more than 40% of graduates in STEM careers. The areas where women are least represented are engineering, industry and construction (where women’s college enrollment stood at 30.8% in 2019) and information and communications technology (ICT), where only 18% of college students were women in 2019.

When women do earn college degrees, these do not necessarily translate into better jobs or salaries once they enter the labor force. Women’s job market participation stands at just 50% and women spend almost triple the amount of time on unpaid housework and caregiving than men (19.6% of their time versus 7.3% for men).

Women who remain in STEM careers do not achieve the same as men in terms of scientific production or academia: on average, less than 30% of patents list at least one woman on the team of inventors in the region. Women’s authorship in physical and chemical science publications stands at 38% and engineering, 30%.

Another finding from the ECLAC report is the different types of violence girls and women suffer on digital media. This gendered violence, which includes cybercrimes such as threats, hate speech, sexual harassment, invasion of privacy and the non-consensual sharing of images, among others, is generally sexual and sexist.

According to the commission’s report, women who are human rights activists, politicians, communicators and journalists, and public leaders are often particular targets of this gender-based cyber violence.

ECLAC is encouraging the countries of the region to uphold the regionals accords designed to close the digital gender gap and guarantee the participation of all girls and women in development and technological knowledge. These are included in the Buenos Aires Commitment, the Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC 2024) (both approved in November 2022) and in the Declaration by the ministers and authorities of the mechanisms for gender equality and empowerment of women in Latin America and the Caribbean, signed in February of this year.

ECLAC is calling on countries to make progress simultaneously in different priority areas. Its proposals include incorporating a gender perspective in the processes and policies related to the transformation of production and the digital transformation of the most dynamic sectors of the economy; fostering gender and social equity in caregiving; and promoting integral caregiving systems that rely on technology solutions to give girls and women more time for learning and greater access to education and digital technologies.

Another need the report notes is that of supporting inclusive digital transformation processes (like the digital market basket) to ensure household Internet access across the region. Career and technical education (CTE) should be promoted to increase the number of girls and women in STEM and eliminate gender stereotypes in education. Women must be fully involved in the creation of digital technologies and innovation processes, and safe spaces free of digital violence need to be created. Finally, governance must be strengthened along with the multisector partnerships needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

“The world needs more women and girls in Tech.” This was the rallying cry during the opening segment of the Commission on the Status of Women that convened today at the United Nations and ends on March 17th.

“Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls” is the priority theme guiding the next two weeks of Ministerial round tables, interactive dialogues, and general discussions as thousands of delegates from all regions of the world, NGOs, UN entities and youth representatives take the stage to advance the cause of women’s empowerment and women’s rights in the digital age.

Nerys Dockery headed the all-female delegation representing the Federation which also includes, Asha Desuza, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations and was also joined by Dr. Christine Walwyn and Dawne Williams of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women who are attending as civil society observers. The delegation will soon be joined by Senator Isalean Phillip, Junior Minister in the Ministry of Social Development, Youth Empowerment, Gender Affairs, Aging and Disabilities, who arrives in New York on Friday.

“This year’s convening of the CSW is taking place at a critical juncture,” says St. Kitts and Nevis’ UN diplomat, Ambassador Nerys Dockery. “Today delegates, especially delegates from small states like St. Kitts and Nevis, are here to draw global attention to the unequal pace of digital transformation within and across countries, This digital divide has been magnified because of multiple crises including COVID-19, conflict, the growing cost of living, and climate change. As a result of these challenges, the digital divide has become the new face of gender inequality.”

“Globally, only one in three positions in the technology sector are occupied by women. Also, for women and girls the digital revolution represents both an opportunity and a threat. CSW67 represents a unique chance to address the gender gaps in technology and innovation, transform social norms, and empower women and girls. St. Kitts and Nevis, along with our CARICOM counterparts, have been very active in the negotiations on the draft outcome document to ensure that it spurs concrete action to remove barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing the digital world and inspires a global pact committing to new approaches to technology and innovation financing tailored to women’s and girls’ needs,” Ambassador Dockery concluded.

CSW67 is the first in its history to include young people in the dialogues with Ministers and other decision-makers, opening a space for their voices to be heard at the highest level and for their inputs to influence the outcome. St. Kitts and Nevis is proud that it will be represented at the highest level by its youngest Minister and Cabinet member in the person of Minister Phillip.

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