As part of its on-going commitment to capacity building in the region, the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (Regional Coordinating Unit) at UWI will host a team of gender and development specialists from UN Women and Université Quisquéya of Haiti from July 1-4, 2012 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
 
The Meeting forms part of a collaborative effort to enhance the gender analytical and planning capacity among civil society organisations, governmental representatives, development workers, activists and students in Haiti and is aimed at determining the ways in which a programme of training in Gender and Development can best be offered through the Université Quisquéya, with support by UN Women and technical support provided by the UWI, through the IGDS. 
 
It is hoped that the outcomes of the Meeting will contribute to the emergence of a new generation of gender advocates in Haiti and ensure that an increased number of women and men have a critical awareness of issues of gender and development. 
 
Experts to be engaged in this Meeting will include Mme. Darline Alexis, the Secrétaire Générale of L’Universite Quisqueya and Ms. Sheelagh Mangones, Country Programme Coordinator of UN Women.  The meeting will be chaired by Professor Verene A. Shepherd, University Director of the IGDS.
 
The collaboration comes at an opportune time, particularly given the importance of the linkages between Haiti and the UWI, Mona and the commitment of the UWI community to Haiti as institutionalized through the University of the West Indies (UWI) / Haiti Initiative.