About Gender Affairs

The Division for Gender Affairs plays an active role in gender mainstreaming within regional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It works in close collaboration with the national machineries for the advancement of women in the region, civil society, the women’s movement, feminist organizations and public policymakers, including national statistics institutes.

The Division conducts research, develops expertise, provides technical assistance and organizes distance-learning activities with a view to advocating gender equity in public policy, promoting women’s economic, physical and decision-making autonomy and contributing to development with equality for women and men.

In addition, assists the countries of the region in the development of strategies for mainstreaming the gender perspective in public policies, including their formulation, implementation and monitoring, using statistics and gender indicators.

In its role as technical secretariat, the Division, in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary of the Commission and, since 2020, with the support of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), organizes the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This subsidiary body of ECLAC is convened every three years to identify women’s needs at the regional and subregional levels, present recommendations, undertake periodic assessments of the activities carried out in fulfilment of regional and international plans and agreements on the subject, and serve as a forum for discussion on relevant issues.

The Division also organizes meetings each year of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Agreements adopted by governments at the sessions of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean