Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment as a Fundamental Prerequisite for the SDGs’ Fulfilment

On the occasion of the opening of the new IIR research Centre for Gender and Global Justice by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed.

Gender equality is not only a standalone goal but also a necessary cross-cutting principle of the 2030 Agenda for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. The current global sustainable development framework includes comprehensive commitments in the areas of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. Yet, operationalising this framework means that a gender equality perspective has to be incorporated in all policies at all levels and all stages, by all actors involved in policy- and decision-making processes, and within the governments, civil society, businesses and the society at large. In spite of some successes, the participation of women in many areas remains low and the gender agenda as such is currently being challenged in some Central and Eastern European countries.

Objectives

The objective of the side event is to narrow down the question of participation as a prerequisite for achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs to the particular question of the importance of women and girls’ participation. Besides the conceptual dimension, we would like to create a space for sharing concrete challenges and examples of good practises such as ending discrimination against women and girls and securing their equal access to quality and affordable education and healthcare at all levels. Furthermore, we shall discuss how equal access to housing and the labour market and women’s political participation contribute to poverty eradication and promote sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies. The event should also feed into the Central and Eastern European experience and the lessons learned from both the policy and the practice level for the global efforts in promoting gender equality and sustainable development.

Key questions for the participants

• Why are, from your perspective, gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment among the fundamental prerequisites for sustainable development?
• From your experience, where do you see the main obstacles and challenges for reaching gender equality and fulfilling women’s rights in practice?
• Could you share the key lessons learned and some examples of good practice in the field of women and girls’ empowerment and participation?

Introductory Remarks

Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General

Speakers:

Barbara Gawęda, Senior Researcher, Institute of International Relations Prague

Inka Bartošová Píbilová, Independent Evaluator and Trainer

Jana Smiggels Kavková, Chair of the Czech Women’s Lobby

A speaker from a Hungarian CSO (TBC)

Facilitators:

Ondřej Horký- Hlucháň, Deputy Director for Research, Institute of International Relations Prague

Katarína Šrámková, Senior Policy Officer, FoRS – the Czech Forum for Development Cooperation

Format and participation

The event will be organised as a participatory fish bowl discussion that will be initiated by an introductory speech by the UN Deputy Secretary General Ms. Amina Mohammed. Within the so-called fish bowl format, participants will be invited to join the open discussion, if they wish. Space will be also given to the participants wishing to briefly present, in a structured way, their beforehand submitted contributions concerning the above mentioned discussion questions (if interested, please submit your contribution to conference@iir.cz with the subject “ECOSOC Side Event” by Wednesday, 21.3.2018). All participants are invited to bring materials on gender equality and empowerment, and to share these during the event.

The invited potential participants are from CSO, academic, public and private sectors. The capacity of the event is 50 persons. A kids’ corner will be available, but parents or caregivers wishing to use this service have to arrange their own babysitter.

The debate will be followed by an informal part with provided refreshments. The working language will be English.

Outcomes

• The success stories in the discussed area, and the lessons about women and girls’ participation learnt from the region of Central and Eastern Europe and beyond can be used in the follow-up promotion of gender equality at the national level with regard to both the standalone SDG5 and the cross-cutting horizontal issue of 2030 Agenda.
• Networking between UN stakeholders, policy-makers, academia, civil society and the private sector.
• Inputs in the follow-up academic research on gender and sustainable development at the IIR as well as in the policy and advocacy work of FoRS, in particular through its working group on gender equality.
• A follow-up policy paper and additional inputs in the upcoming HLPF 2018

Register for the event via the registration form by 23 March 2018.

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