Needs assessment of economic planning units in gender analysis in selected Caribbean countries

In its work in assisting member countries in meeting international commitments to the application of thorough gender analysis in formulating macroeconomic policy, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); has undertaken a needs assessment of economic planning units in four countries of the Caribbean: Belize, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This paper considers to what extent these countries under study have sought to integrate gender into macroeconomic planning, and what are the institutional, human resource capacity and attitudinal factors that facilitate or hinder such integration. Based on these factors, it then outlines recommendations for conducting a course of regional training. The introduction to the paper outlines the background to the study and its parameters, explaining the questions which the study has sought to answer. A map of each country study is then provided, as is a discussion of the theoretical justification for the integration of gender into macroeconomic policy. The needs assessment findings are then outlined, presented in the form of country studies, which themselves are presented according to (i); background issues; (ii); an analysis of the institutional framework within which macroeconomic planning is undertaken; and (iii); an analysis of the capacity of these institutions to support the integration of gender into macroeconomic policy, and subsequent country-specific recommendations. The report ends with some general recommendations for designing a training exercise to respond to the needs discussed.