For our Belize mission as part of the Climate Actions for Building Resilience in Coastal Communities in the Caribbean (CABRIC) initiative, Ms. Perch met with a variety of gender-related organisations to learn about their perspectives and needs.

Among these were CSOs and NGOs at the community level working in coastal resilience and/or conservation, Indigenous Peoples representation and rights, women's rights and empowerment, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Ms. Perch also visited the town of Dangriga and learnt about challenges affecting the area.

Some key issues revealed by the consultations:
•    Indigenous knowledge systems in formal climate adaptation strategies are inadequately recognised.
•    Women, Indigenous leaders, and grassroots organisations often face exclusion from policymaking and climate governance structures, limiting their participation in decision-making
•    Language barriers and lack of language inclusivity, such as availability of climate materials in Garifuna and Mayan languages, restrict access to vital resources, including GRMs, and present challenges to effective engagement.

SAEDI Consulting was pleased to engage with these stakeholders and learn from their rich insights, which are critical to informing our Gender Action Plan for CABRIC.

See image below for an inside look into the visit to Dangriga!