Contractors and other participants carried out various exercises last week at the Recovery and Development Agency’s training on gender, social inclusion and the environment. (Photo: RDA)

Gender sensitivity and social inclusion took centre stage in two recent workshops hosted by the Recovery and Development Agency.

Last week, the agency offered contractors a training session designed to raise awareness of the relationship between infrastructure and the territory’s environmental, social and gender issues, the RDA announced.

“Gender training makes a difference as it facilitates positive change and more efficient attitudes and actions,” said RDA CEO Anthony McMaster. “The more informed our stakeholders are, the greater the improvement in gender equality.”

Facilitator

The Feb. 13 training, which was held at the conference room at Maria’s by the Sea, was spearheaded by Nancy Laatunen, the RDA’s social and gender specialist.

Ms. Laatunen has worked in more than 60 developing countries, including regionally in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to the RDA.

She has also completed social impact assessments, resettlement plans and gender action plans for major international financial institutions and private-sector clients.

Topics covered in the workshop included “Gender and Infrastructure Projects,” “Health and Safety on Infrastructure Projects,” and “Environmental Issues and Construction.”

“The day was filled with enlightening presentations, thought-provoking conversations, and commendable group work,” the RDA stated afterwards on its Facebook page.

The workshop was organised under the Caribbean Development Bank’s training programme to target contractors and other stakeholders engaged in infrastructure work, according to the RDA.

The previous week, the RDA hosted an internal capacity-building workshop for staff on gender and social inclusion.

Topics covered at the Feb. 8 session included gender equity and equality, prescreening and vulnerability analysis, and disability inclusion.

Both workshops featured complementary presentations by project manager and CDB Contract Supervisor Sergio Dantas; RDA Community Liaison Officer April Glasgow; and RDA Environmental Specialist Clive Petrovic.