Our Programs

Flag Raising -16 Days of Activism 2021

The Official Launch of 16 Days of Activism 2021 and Women In Leadership Forum on the theme" A Conversation on Gender-Based Violence.Education and Leadership"‍

Stann Creek Indigenous Women's Forum

Closing Exercise-Gender Advocate Program

Empowering Women In Power & Decision Session

The National Women’s Commission is tasked to make recommendations to government on issues of gender equality, equity and women’s empowerment. It is the entity responsible for the coordination of the implementation of the National Gender Policy which aims at providing a gendered framework for Belize leading to achieve advances in gender equality and equity in Belize. Through its efforts, the National Women’s Commission also seeks advocate that the various commitments found in International Conventions such as CEDAW, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Belem do Para and other international commitments related to gender equality be put into practice within public and private sector. These efforts seek to promote women’s human rights and gender equality in all areas of life. Its goal is to recommend legal and policy changes that end discrimination against women and ensure women’s access to de jure and de facto equality with the hope that women and girls are able to reach their fullest potential and be protected from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation.

16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global LeadershipInstitute in 1991 sponsored by the Centre for Women's Global Leader for countries all over the world unite to raise awareness and campaign about ending gender-based violence. It begins on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on December 10th with Human Rights Day. Included in the observance is Worlds AIDS Day observed on December 1.

Gender-based violence is recognized as one of the most serious forms of human rights violation and is a public health challenge for women and girls. It occurs at home, the workplace, schools, political circles, prisons and health institutions just to name a few with perpetrators ranging from intimate partners, family members, employers, co-workers and state officials. In Belize, like the rest of the Caribbean, societies are organized around hierarchical gender power relations with male domination, reducing women's economic and emotional dependency. According to UN Women Caribbean, 1 in 3 women in the Caribbean experience domestic violence and over one-third of the region's women report intimate or sexual violence incidents.

In 2019 the National Women’s Commission held a round table discussion for high school girls in collaboration with the Department of Youth services. 25 young women from nine Belize City High Schools participated in the interactive session. The objectives of the session were to empower the students on: Gender, gender-based violence and discriminatory/stereotyping cultures, attitudes and behaviours as it relates to gender and gender-based violence (NGBVAP) Leadership, mentorship, and community activism in their area of gender equality (WIP-recommendation)These students were to implement an awareness program in their school with the assistance of their school counsellor or teachers.

International Women's Day is an annual observation on March 8 that celebrates women and their achievements. The first International Women's Day was held to commemorate the 1908 Ladies' Garment Workers Union strike in New York City when some 15,000 women walked off the job to protest their working conditions. The event, sponsored by the Socialist Party of America, inspired Socialists in Denmark to declare an international counterpart in 1910. Following the outbreak of World War 1, InternationalWomen's Day rallies in the U.S. and Europe became a platform for anti-war activists as well as women's and workers' rights. More than a century after the first International Women's Day, women have made tremendous progress toward a more just and equitable society. Much still needs to be done to advance women's issues around the world.

Women of Power was created to bring awareness to the issue of women’s leadership in Belize. It takes the form of conversations with women from varied backgrounds, ages, and professional experiences. These conversation highlights their experiences and contributions of these women across Belize while giving them an opportunity to speak on issues they have faced in their lives. The episodes feature women in various leadership positions whether these are in the workplace, communities or in their homes. It offers a different perspective on what leadership can be. The main objectives of the show are to underscore the roles of Belizean women and contributions to the development of our country and used it as a platform to engage women and motivate the next generation to see leadership in its various forms.

The Women in Politics Project (WIP) is a flagship initiative of the National Women’s Commission designed to raise a critical mass of women not only to stand for elections but transform the political process at all levels of government…Village Council, Municipal and National. The non-partisan project was born out of a need to get more women involved in a process that has for the most part been devoid of women. Since 2009, WIP has trained and socialized close to 100 women, within its three cohorts to contest elections.