Developing adaptation strategies and plans for Grenada’s Health, Food Security and Disaster Management sectors

In November 2020, EnGen was contracted to begin developing Gender Responsive Budgeted (GRB) Sectoral Adaptation Strategies and Action Plans (SASAPs) in Health, Food Security and Disaster Management for Grenada. Following the example set by the NAP Global Network in St Lucia, similar SASAPs (essentially sectoral national adaptation plans) are being developed across the Caribbean under the UNDP/UN Women Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) program in 9 countries. This project is pursuing regional gender-responsive adaptation through inter alia a gender budgeting approach in ‘assigned budgeting’ (estimated costing) for priority sector SASAPs. The SASAPs aim to refine, expand and prioritise the sectoral measures included in Grenada’s 2017 National Adaptation Plan as well as subsequent climate and development planning processes. Through a combination of retroactive and proactive gender mainstreaming of these measures and their budgeting, we hope to be able to bridge the gap between high-level institutional commitments to equality, and gendered realities of adaptation ‘on the ground’ in health, food security and disaster management.

As our work began on the initial desktop research and consultations, the country’s COVID-19 case numbers spiked and we quickly came to terms with the extent of the additional challenges of remote stakeholder engagement during a pandemic. This was further complicated by many of our emails going unanswered or acknowledged due to (what we subsequently learnt) is a strong Grenadian preference for in-person or telephonic engagement. We quickly adapted and recruited a local colleague, Roxanne Halley-Thompson, who has been indispensable in connecting us with key counterpoints in government and un-stalling the engagement process. We’re currently finalising work on our first few deliverables, and are eager to contribute to this important work as it unfolds in the next months,.

**This project is being implemented by Emma Jones-Philipson and Margaux Granat, with logistical support from Roxanne Halley-Thompson.