The Office of the Prime Minister (Gender and Child Affairs) held its first one day workshop for the newly appointed Gender Focal Points. The workshop was titled: “ Building Gender Awareness/Sensitivity in State Agencies”, on Tuesday 22nd May 2018, at Level 21, Tower D, Conference Room 1, International Waterfront Complex, 1A Wrightson Road, Port of Spain.

Thirty-three (33) participants from eleven (11) State Agencies were fully engaged in a highly interactive, participatory workshop.  Participants were drawn from the National Training Agency, T&TEC, TSTT, TTDF, TTPS, NALIS, WASA, Central Bank, UDECOTT, National Flour Mill and NIBTT.  

The main objectives of the workshop were:
1. To equip participants with fundamental tools on the social construction of gender, gender analysis and gender mainstreaming.
2. To assist participants in framing gender analysis and gender mainstreaming within each sector.
3. To identify possible resistances to the integration of a gender perspective across sectors and how to create spaces for the forging of collaborative approaches to gender analysis and mainstreaming across and within sectors. 

The Workshop was facilitated by Patricia Mohammed, Professor of Gender and Cultural Studies, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine and Ms. Deborah Mc Fee-Cook, Outreach and Research Officer, The Institute for Gender and Developmental Studies (IGDS), UWI, St. Augustine. 

Ms. Jacqueline Johnson, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister (Gender and Child Affairs) in her welcome and opening remarks stated that, “To support the attainment of the goal of gender equality, the Government laid the National Policy on Gender and Development in Parliament in March 2018. The role of these Gender Focal Points is essential to the development of capacities at State Agencies, Ministries and Organizations to be equipped in handling the issues affecting men, women, boys and girls in the respective sectors”. 

The Office of the Prime Minister’s Gender Affairs Division will continue to build the capacity of Gender Focal Points through workshops on gender and development.

Participants engaging in an interactive game

Representatives from State Agencies at the Gender Focal Points Workshop