A round table discussion hosted by the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (Gender Equality and Empowerment work-stream) that unpacks how Member States, intergovernmental organisations and civil society are contributing to the Beijing Platform for Action.
Keynote speaker Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro will be followed by interventions from government, inter-governmental and civil society members, who will share their experiences, journeys, challenges and potential solutions for working as / or with religious actors to progress the gender equality agenda. As each participant exchanges their contribution, we will begin to derive meaningful lessons for future engagement and learning.
Invitation to the Side Event with speakers list
Co-organisers: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Germany (BMZ), Side by Side, Islamic Relief Worldwide, ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation, KAICIID, Global Interfaith Wash Alliance, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities, USPG, The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers.
Round table objectives
- Learn from religious actors, as well as new research on how religious actors are working to advance human rights and gender justice and contributing to more inclusive societies as well as constructively address remaining challenges.
- Identify where faith and secular, as well as civil society and government partnerships, are enabling progress towards Sustainable Goal 5, and what is required to achieve Agenda 2030.
- Exchange on current best practices that can contribute to accelerate action on SDGs in the context of the Decade of Action and Delivery.
Context
The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted unanimously by 189 countries, is an agenda for women’s empowerment and considered the key global policy document on gender equality. It sets strategic objectives and actions for the advancement of women and the achievement of gender equality. In 2021, the global community marks the twenty-sixth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), and six years since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted. With eighty-four per cent of the world’s population identifying with a faith, religious actors are key stakeholders in achieving gender equality and empowerment, Sustainable Development Goal 5.
At a time where there are a number of persisting challenges and structural barriers affecting the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, it is vital that strategic partnerships for gender justice are strengthened. 2021 is a critical year to measure progress towards our universal commitment to gender equality and empowerment around the world. COVID-19 is showing how interconnected our lives are and calls for intersectional approaches to tackling gender inequality.
