Families in a Changing World: Policies to Promote Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment

When:
September 19, 2019 @ 18:30 – September 19, 2019 @ 20:00
Where:
Auditorium A2, Maison de la Paix
8 - 14 avenue de la paix
in Geneva 1202

Families around the world look, feel, and live differently today. Families can be “make or break” for women and girls when it comes to achieving their rights. They can be places of love, care, and fulfilment but, too often, they are also spaces where women’s and girls’ rights are violated, their voices are stifled, and where gender inequality prevails. In today’s changing world, laws and policies need to be based on the reality of how families live.

This event will include a presentation of UN Women’s new flagship report Progress of the world’s women 2019-2020: Families in a changing world, which assesses the reality of families today in the context of sweeping economic, demographic, political, and social transformations.At a critical juncture for women’s rights, the report analyses key issues such as family laws, employment, unpaid care work, violence against women, and families and migration and proposes a comprehensive family-friendly policy agenda to advance gender equality in diverse families.Following this presentation, an expert panel will explore how social policies can contribute to promoting gender equality within families and to accelerating women’s rights and empowerment.

Welcome remarks

  • Elisabeth Prügl, The Graduate Institute, Geneva
  • Sylvie Durrer, Federal Office for Gender Equality, Switzerland

Keynote Speech / Opening Presentation

  • Shahra Razavi, UN Women

Panel discussion

  • Ruth Halperin Kaddari, Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Bar-Ilan University Law Faculty, Israel, and former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
  • Yakin Ertürk, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, and former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
  • Matcha Phorn-in, Sangsan Anakot Yaowachon, Thailand
  • Moderated by Daniel Torres, Geneva Centre for Security Governance, Switzerland.

The event will be followed by a networking reception.
This event is organised by the Gender Centre @ The Graduate Institute, Geneva and UN Women with support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.