Work to support women in the Caribbean maritime industry is underway with the first conference of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) taking place in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (5-9 September).
Under the theme "Charting the course for generations of women" the conference is drafting a strategic and regional agenda to support WiMAC’s mission to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry within the region.
Some 75 representatives from the port and maritime authorities and shipping associations of the Caribbean are attending. The agenda includes an outreach and mentoring programme that reaches out to over 250 students from six schools in Grand Cayman.
The Conference is being run by IMO and the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands, and supported by the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA).
This conference is the latest in a line of International Maritime Organization (IMO) activities that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number five (SDG 5), which aims to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.