WiMAC - Seeking a level playing field

The Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC), is a regional group of female maritime professionals committed to increasing the performance, participation and contribution of women in the maritime sector. With a network of over 100 female maritime professionals, WiMAC is committed to transforming the lives and status of women through education, mentorship, empowerment and enabling opportunities.

WiMAC was launched in April 2015 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and represents the seventh regional network that has been established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aimed at furthering the objectives of capability and capacity building for women in the maritime sector. WiMAC provides a forum for networking and advocacy in support of the IMO’s own program for integration of women in the maritime industry.

WiMAC’s Mandate:

To represent the interests of women in themaritime industry in the Caribbean, nationally,regionally and internationally.

Role of WiMAC

WiMAC seeks to:

Create a network to inspire, engage,educate and empower women in theMaritime industry and enable them tocontribute to the development of theindustry in the region;

Increase the involvement of women in the maritime industry by creating a platform and forum for the effective articulation and promotion of the contribution of women to the Industry; and

Promote the awareness among young women of career opportunities within the maritime sector.

WiMAC’s Mission

To foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry within the region through:

• Empowerment of women through capacity building

• Advocacy on issues affecting women and the industry

• Lobbying and contributing to the development of responsive legislative and regulatory environments

• Mentorship to facilitate career advancement and professional well-being of women in the sector

• Networking to share best practices and forging of partnerships to strengthen the industry and provide opportunities for resource mobilization

• Recognition of achievements among maritime women

• Promotion of the maritime industry

• Contribution to research and development to the maritime industry

WiMAC’s Strategic Vision

WiMAC seeks to be a key resource for the sustainable development of the maritime sector.

Membership and Benefits

Membership categories include Full Membership, Affiliate Membership or Corporate Membership, and follows the Rules of Association with respect to voting rights and duties. Members include individuals (including students) or companies, governmental and intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations or any similar entity that shares and supports the objectives of the Association. The benefits of being part of WiMAC include:

Promotion of best practices in global

maritime sector development and up-todate industry standards and procedures to guide regulatory and commercial shipping development in the Caribbean.

A global network of associations of women in maritime, and inclusion in thought-leadership and decision-making on enhancing gender equality for all women in maritime.

Mentorship, volunteerism, and other strategic opportunities to lead social research, training and other development work with girls and women to enhance women’s participation in the sector.

Networking opportunities with regional and global maritime, gender, shipping, trade, environmental protection, and other sector professionals.

Knowledge resources on the global shipping and the port sector for evidence-based programming and policies as well as on gender equality and gender mainstreaming for the regional maritime sector.

Reliable information on career and professional development opportunities from the IMO, other global partners, and regional and international academic institutions.

WiMAC’s Team

The Governing Council of WiMAC consists of a group of dynamic women representing maritime shore-based personnel and seafarers, academia, research, non-governmental organizations and private and public maritime sectors. Key partnerships exist between Maritime Administrations, Universities, Ports, Logistics and Shipping companies.

WiMAC’s Work:

Several WiMAC members have been selected to be part of the IMO-sponsored Maritime SheEO Leadership Accelerator Program. WiMAC embarked on a Break The Bias Campaign and held a webinar in celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, and engaged members and supporters to continue empowering each other. Through a joint project with the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), WiMAC has produced a guide for Promoting Gender Equality for the Caribbean Maritime Sector. WiMAC’s Women on the Rise and Beacons highlight is expected to be launched soon.

WIMAC has also developed and implemented a Maritime Baseline Survey Tool (MBST), to collect and collate quantitative and qualitative data on women and men's positions, levels, and types of work (disciplines) occupied within the Caribbean industry. This data will showcase the demographic profile of the Caribbean maritime sector and countryrelated characteristics, and enable more robust and gender-responsive policies, programs and investments to promote gender equality for all and enhance the performance of the region's sea-going and shore-based industry.

The Guyana chapter of WiMAC was launched in May on International Day for Women in Maritime.