On June 23, 2026, the Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) brought stakeholder consultations focused on embedding gender perspectives into Antigua and Barbuda’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to a formal close, hosting a national validation workshop at Sherlock Hall within the Methodist Church Conference Centre in St. John’s, Antigua.
This culminating workshop served as a platform to share key findings from the multi-stage initiative, which was backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and carried out entirely by the GARD Center team. In a show of cross-island collaboration, three representatives from Barbuda made the trip to Antigua to add their local insights to the session, ensuring the needs of both island nations were centered in the process.
The workshop received targeted technical support from two seasoned specialists: Peter Mokwe, a UNDP gender expert, and Ato Lewis, a specialist based in Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Environment. Both experts opened the event with keynote remarks that emphasized the critical role of this validation step. They explained that the verified findings will act as the foundational framework for the country’s upcoming stand-alone Gender and Biodiversity Action Plan, a document designed to make biodiversity conservation more inclusive and equitable.
Refica Attwood, assistant to the national lead consultant on the project, led the day’s collaborative activities. After walking attendees through the full set of findings compiled over the consultation period, Attwood guided the group through a collaborative exercise to map any unaddressed gaps identified in the initial gender and biodiversity diagnosis. Participants then worked together to rank the most pressing gender and biodiversity issues by priority, and co-developed targeted strategies and actionable approaches to embed gender mainstreaming across all levels of the national biodiversity strategy.
All feedback collected throughout the consultation process, including input gathered during the validation workshop, will be integrated directly into the drafting of the new Gender and Biodiversity Action Plan. Organizers of the initiative extended sincere gratitude to every participant for their time, local expertise, and commitment to building a more inclusive, sustainable biodiversity planning framework for Antigua and Barbuda. They also issued an open invitation to stakeholders who were unable to attend the in-person workshop, urging them to contribute their perspectives to the national project by reaching out directly to the GARD Center team.