The Hummingbird - May 2023 [vol.10, n.5]

Girls in ICT Day 2023:

DIGITAL SKILLS FOR LIFE

Energy

sector transition can close gender gaps

AND HARNESS WOMEN'S ABILITIES

Relevant Climate Change & Disaster Indicators

FOR RESILIENCE IN CARIBBEAN SIDS

Time-use surveys play an important role in guiding social policies

A HUMMING BIRD FEATURE: Girls in ICT Day 2023: Digital Skills for Life

Energy

and

About us

Issued on a monthly basis, The Hummingbird offers insights into the latest projects, publications, technical assistance missions and research carried out by ECLAC Caribbean. In addition to these, sneak previews are provided of the most salient upcoming events, alongside enriching followups to previously covered issues. With a view to featuring a variety of facets of Caribbean life and lifestyle, The Hummingbird also zooms in on cultural activities and landmark occurrences through an eye-opening regional round-up.

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor: Jabari Fraser

Writer: Denise Balgobin

Proof Reader: Veera Deokiesingh-Fraser

Design and Layout: Liseanne Martin-Subero

Please see our contact details on the back cover of this magazine.

International Days

22 May

International Day for Biological Diversity

4 June

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

5 June

World Environment Day

8 June

World Oceans Day

Upcoming Meetings

1 JUNE 2023

Workshop "Contributions of international migration to sustainable development" - Jamaica

5 JUNE 2023

Third Expert forum for producers and users of disaster-related statistics

14 JUNE 2023

Regional Seminar "The Contribution of International Migration to Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean"

Time-use surveys play important role

IN GUIDING SOCIAL POLICIES

A new ECLAC Caribbean study recognizes the importance of unpaid work as being critical to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; the fifth of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Like most SDGs that are focused on the human dimension of the 2030 Agenda, COVID-19 has reversed some of the gains made in gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Following the onset of COVID-19, many women have been devoting greater time to unpaid work activities, the extent of which has not been previously well-documented in the Caribbean. The study, entitled “The importance of timeuse surveys in guiding social policies: the gendered impact of COVID-19 on paid and unpaid work in the Caribbean”, evaluates how women and men allocated their time to different unpaid work in the household during the pandemic. This assists in gaining a better understanding of the pattern of change in time-use in times of shocks and guiding the formulation of appropriate policy responses.

The study was based on information collected from a rapid gender assessment survey of the impacts of COVID-19 in the Caribbean, which was jointly conducted by UN-Women and ECLAC, between September 2021 and January 2022. Using data from that survey, the study finds that women, especially those who work in the services sector, were more impacted by job losses than men. Further, while already overburdened with unpaid work prior to the pandemic, women spent more time in unpaid work, particularly in caring for children, than men during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, there is no established framework of time-use surveys in the Caribbean to provide a robust data set that could be used to establish trends in pre-pandemic use of time by women and men.

The findings of the current study point to the need to conduct time-use surveys on a regular basis. In addition to providing statistics on how women and men allocate their time for different purposes, such surveys will provide insights into factors impeding women’s labour market participation in the Caribbean.

In this regard, important considerations for implementing time-use surveys are presented, for the consideration of National Statistical Offices of the Caribbean.

Girls in ICT Day 2023:

DIGITAL SKILLS FOR LIFE

OP-ED FROM ECLAC CARIBBEAN DIRECTOR, DIANE QUARLESS

On 27 April, people across the world marked Girls in ICT Day with the theme “Digital skills for life”. This day was created to encourage and empower girls and young women to become users and creators in the digital world.

In the Caribbean, there is very little data on who is using digital technologies and the internet. Sex-disaggregated data is only available for a few countries in the databases of the International Telecommunication Union, but it is unclear if this is representative for the whole Caribbean. At least for certain age groups, the countries for which we have data have achieved parity between men and women. This is promising but must be taken with caution, as globally, we see a large, and expanding, gender gap in internet use.

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GIRLS IN ICT DAY 2023: DIGITAL SKILLS FOR LIFE

The COVID-19 pandemic, which increased inequality in societies across the world, is partly responsible for this widening gender gap. Digital and social inequality are inextricably linked, and as noted in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, “Digital divides reflect and amplify existing social, cultural and economic inequalities”.

In addition to addressing gaps in access and use, we also need to consider the quality of the online experience for women and girls. Girls worldwide are growing up in, or seeking to enter, an online environment that is highly unfavourable to them. Globally, it is observed that gendered disinformation is on the rise, with women being targeted more often and more viciously than men.

Outspoken women and girls, such as politicians, journalists or activists, or those that have intersecting identities, have been shown to receive even more of these attacks. This is also true in the Americas. Given the diverse racial and ethnic makeup of the Caribbean region, it will be important to monitor the quality of the online experience for Caribbean people, so that we can address this issue and provide support to those affected. This will require the collection of data disaggregated by sex, race or ethnicity, disability status, age, and more, and an intersectional analysis of this data.

A 2022 social media poll by the International Telecommunication Union found that being safe online was the second most important factor determining whether girls

decide to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). However, at the moment, children appear to be a primary group of victims of cyberviolence, with girls experiencing more severe challenges than boys. There has been research which shows that they receive three times as many unwanted sexual messages from peers, are more likely to be targeted by groomers, and are featured in 93% of sexual abuse imagery.

At a 2022 conference on the well-being of youth in Central America and the Caribbean, some research findings were presented demonstrating that while children in Trinidad and Tobago are aware of different risks of being online, they are not necessarily aware of what constitutes risky behaviour.

This is particularly concerning for girls, who, at least in the OECD, have been shown to have lower levels of digital skills than boys once they enter adolescence.

An additional concern is that girls tend to start out with equal or higher digital skills than boys in primary and lower secondary school, but have less confidence in their skill levels, receive less encouragement, and tend to avoid technology-related subjects and fields as they age.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to many more children being brought online, some for the first time, may have increased the number of vulnerable targets for cyberviolence, and online sexual exploitation and abuse. Legal and policy interventions are needed to ensure a safe online environment where children can learn and thrive. These interventions must be human rights-based and

intersectional, and must also recognize that the violence that women experience online is intertwined with the violence they experience offline, and address societal and cultural factors that perpetuate gender-based violence, and ultimately impact the well-being of girls.

Part of the solution must also be targeted interventions to raise digital skill levels among marginalized groups, including women and girls, addressing also gendered attitudes and societal prejudices and stereotypes associated with women and technology. Structural societal issues, including the exclusion of women from the digital realm and from technology-related professions, has led to many technologies and platforms incorporating algorithmic bias against women, or dismissing women’s experiences or heightened risks online. Capacity-

building courses must therefore also incorporate an intersectional approach that considers the unique risks faced by women and girls of multiple identities.

The region has a long way to go to ensure that digital technologies and the Internet empower and benefit all people, including girls. However, focusing on digital skills for life can help in ensuring that they can assess risks, protect themselves, participate in the creative processes taking place online, and empower them to use digital technologies in ways that will benefit them and the societies they live in. To get there, policy makers must focus on digital inclusion, examining the whole society, the societal structures and barriers, and act with the most vulnerable or marginalized in mind. As a society, we owe this to them.

Diving for rum bottles

IN BONAIRE

One of the Caribbean’s top dive resorts is playing host to a new undersea bottle hunt come June 2023, as part of the second edition of Bonaire Rum Week.

The weeklong rum celebration in the Dutch Caribbean, includes the Buddy Dive Resort’s Bottle Hunt, which will give divers the chance to dive for tiny stones that correspond with rum bottles back on land. Those who find

the stones will be rewarded with bottles of the legendary Papa’s Pilar Rum.

The dive takes place at the reef at Buddy Dive in Bonaire, hosted by Buddy Dive and Papa’s Pilar Rum, which is a highly sought after rum in that country.

The dive is open to all resort guests, while outside guests have limited space access, based on pre-booking.

Bonaire has long been known as the Caribbean capital of diving, a haven for sustainability and the natural environment. But now another side of the island is in the spotlight, as more and more travelers appreciate Bonaire’s place as the culinary star of the ABC islands, where world-class eateries abound and a cocktail and a fine spirits culture continues to grow.

Energy transition is being promoted in Latin America and the Caribbean as a unique opportunity to close gender gaps in access to energy and harness women's capabilities, as well as to promote professional development in this arena and in energy policy decision-making.

Authorities and experts gathered to discuss this issue at the First Latin American Conference on Women and Energy: Capacities for Change, Empowerment, Gender and Energy (CEGEN 2023), in early May at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

The event was jointly organized by ECLAC, the Chilean Ministry of Energy and the German Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK) through the Energy Partnership ChileGermany, together with the German Cooperation Agency Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Energy sector transition can close gender gaps

AND HARNESS WOMEN'S CAPABILITIES

ECLAC Executive Secretary, José Manuel SalazarXirinachs, in his opening remarks, pointed out that women play an important role in energy use, access and extraction, and it is therefore urgent to advance towards gender equality and ensure women's autonomy.

"According to ECLAC data, 16.1 million people do not have access to electricity and 77 million do not have access to clean cooking systems but instead use firewood and charcoal, with women, boys and girls being the people most affected by this situation. This is due to the overrepresentation of women in lower-income households, the unequal burden of unpaid domestic work and the care-giving roles traditionally assigned to women," said Salazar-Xirinachs.

He added that women face barriers in access to employment and training in the energy sector, which is related to their limited representation in areas such as engineering, technology, research and developments in renewable energy. "To close these gender gaps require strengthening women's autonomy in decision-

making and enhancing their participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as in the planning and design of energy policies. Their contribution is essential to promote development processes at the national and regional levels," he said.

"At ECLAC and other organizations and institutions in the region, we are working hard to promote gender equality in general, and in particular with regard to energy access and use. There is still much work ahead to be done by governments, civil society and the private sector," emphasized ECLAC's top representative.

The CEGEN 2023 Conference featured panels addressing gender mainstreaming in energy matters, education and curriculum gaps for girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, gender barriers in the labor market in the energy innovation sector, and capacity building for change and experiences in several countries in the region.

ECLAC family

GAMES/TRIVIA LIME

Staff members of ECLAC Caribbean had a rare opportunity this month, to relax and socialize together, thanks to the Staff Association’s social events committee (SEC).

The SEC organized a games/trivia lime, and included sister agency, UN Information Center (UNIC) in the fun competition.

Esther Chong Ling, of the SEC, said: “Many thanks to everyone who came to the Games Lime last Friday. We most definitely got a belly full of laughter and enjoyed witty banter over the games of Pictionary and Name that Tune! Congratulations to Team Chippy Treats, for winning the “Name that Tune” segment by a landslide!”

She also acknowledged Team Titans as worthy opponents, and wished them better luck at the next Games Lime rematch.

PHOTO CREDIT: TRICIA BLACKMAN

CRUISE PORT Bahamas opens brand-new

The Caribbean’s top cruise destination has unveiled a completely reimagined destination in the heart of the Bahamian capital: after three years, the new Nassau Cruise Port is open.

The new-look port in Nassau has a sixth cruise berth, a new terminal building, and an array of offerings including a Junkanoo museum; event and entertainment spaces, a 3,500-seat amphitheater, a “living coral” exhibit, local shops and new food and beverage offerings.

The new US $300 million Nassau Cruise Port comes as The Bahamas is already seeing sizzling cruise passenger numbers. That includes a new single-day record for cruise arrivals set earlier this year, with 28,554 in one day.

It’s a significant boost for one of the best-known and heavily-visited cruise destinations anywhere in the world.

“The new Nassau Cruise Port offers a whole new experience for cruise visitors,” said Bahamas’ Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister, Chester Cooper. “Not only will Bahamian culture shine

through all aspects of the port, but the completion of the project marks a great milestone in ushering a new era for tourism in downtown Nassau, as well as a beautiful welcome for the millions of cruisers who disembark here each year.”

The new port includes a unique concept of the Caribbean, and a major nod to Bahamian culture and history.

“The port will become a cultural and entertainment hub that celebrates our UNESCO recognized heritage and crafts”

said Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis. “This is a place where our traditions, customs, and artistic expressions come alive, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the true essence of The Bahamas.

There is a focus on locally-made products, with 40 different retail spaces at the port, featuring local outfits like Bahama Hand Prints and Bamboo Shack, among others.

Relevant Climate Change & Disaster Indicators for Resilience & Development in Caribbean SIDS

FINAL REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES

The final regional workshop of ECLAC Caribbean’s Development Account project on Caribbean SIDS relevant climate change and disasters indicators for evidence-based policies, was held from 10 to 12 May 2023, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Director, Dillon Alleyne commented that notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, it had been an active three and a half years for those closely engaged in the activities of this project. He noted that at the start of the project, ECLAC, in collaboration with the UN’s Statistics Division and the Regional Statistics Programme of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, set out to enhance the capacities of Caribbean countries in several areas.

These areas include the production, dissemination, and use of climate change, disaster, and environment data,

statistics and indicators, in a way to inform evidence-based policies and programmes, and to do it in a manner that is sustainable.

Alleyne explained that the DA12 project sought to enhance statistical and institutional capacities of beneficiary countries that include Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname, to measure climate change and disasters indicators in order to improve policy coherence, in line with the implementation of regional and international agreements, including the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs), the SAMOA Pathway, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework, and the Escazu Agreement.

“The lessons learned in implementing the national components of this project are then shared for regional scale up. The project began in January 2020 and comes to an end in June 2023. This final regional workshop, therefore, provides an opportunity to share the outcomes and to discuss ideas for sustaining the achievements already recorded under the project.”

The workshop also provided a forum for implementing agencies, such as National Statistical Offices, Ministries of Environment, and Emergency and Disaster Management authorities, of members and associate members of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), to share their own point of view on the acquired experiences and knowledge gained in the environment, climate change, and disaster statistical areas.

The DA 12 project has been a collaboration between ECLAC’s Statistics Division and the Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), CARICOM, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21). These agencies have been working together since 2020 with selected Caribbean countries at the national level, to strengthen institutional and statistical capacities to better produce, disseminate and use environment, climate change and disaster indicators.

Work at the country level has helped in identifying coordination and data sharing as the most critical areas, where exchange of knowledge and experiences and peer learning at the regional level bring the most value for countries.

Dominican Republic airport reopens

AFTER RUNWAY REMODEL

One of the Dominican Republic’s busiest airports, at Puerto Plata, has reopened following a runway remodeling project. The work is part of a broader US $4.5 million project that includes new approach lights, a new central section of the runway and new horizontal signaling, among other upgrades.

A JetBlue flight from New York City was the first plane to arrive after the project was completed, which took nearly two weeks.

Puerto Plata is the country’s second largest resort hub after Punta Cana, with a large slate of all-inclusive resorts. It is also home to the country’s most popular cruise port, Taino Bay.

The Dominican Republic is in the midst of a tourism surge, with record-breaking arrivals in each of the first four months of the year.

If that trend continues, the country will break its all-time arrivals record, set last year.

THE KITCHEN

What you will need:

• 1 kilo of salted fish (the one you love the most)

• 1 finely sliced onion

• 1 finely diced tomato

• 1 celery finely chopped

• 2 tbsp of tomato paste

• 3 potatoes cubed

• 1/2 cube of vegetable broth

• 1teaspoon of garam masala

• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder

• 1 teaspoon of oregano

• 1 tbsp. of basil chopped

• 1tbsp. of vegetable bbq sauce

• 3 tbsp. oil

• Salt & pepper

How to Make it:

Step 1: Boil the salted fish for 15-20 minutes or until cooked, and let it cool.

Step 2: Clean the fish, removing its skin and bones and divide in small pieces.

Step 3: Heat the oil in a clean pan and fry onion, tomato, garlic and pepper for several minutes.

Step 4: When the vegetables appear translucent, add the fish.

Step 5: Stir carefully and let simmer on low heat.

Step 6: Add herbs and stir regularly.

Step 7: Finish with a tbsp of vinegar to taste.

Step 8: Serve the Piská Salu, for example, with tutu (beans puree), boiled sweet potato and fried banana.