The IGC Representation Impact Group launched its Gender Responsive Assemblies Toolkit at a side event at the UN General Assembly on Friday 28 September.
In high-level conversation directed towards all actors that drive change within organizations, from Director-/Secretary-Generals and Secretariats to Member States and Civil Society, H.E. Jurg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women, Martin Chungong, Secretary-General, Inter-Parliamentary Union and H.E. Pennelope Beckles, Permanent Representative of Trinidad & Tobago to the UN
As #Metoo snowballs into a global movement, there is a growing awareness of the importance of gender parity in all human activities. Assemblies are an important part of the work of any international organization. They set strategic direction and create forums for robust debate and reaching of agreement. But while they bring together world leaders and decision-makers who are mostly men, their decisions have an impact on the lives of women and men, boys and girls, at every level.
The Gender Responsive Assemblies Toolkit is a powerful and practical ‘How To’ from International Gender Champions Representation Impact Group members, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), International Standards Organization (ISO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNAIDS, United National Office at Geneva (UNOG), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Framework on the Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the participation of UN-Women.
The Toolkit articulates the common denominators that can be applied before, during and after an Assembly. It highlights actual best practices and lessons learned to help achieve immediate, consistent, and measurable progress on the road to parity and gender responsiveness.
Designed for all those interested in creating a more inclusive and harassment-free environment at their assemblies, the Toolkit encourages gender balance on delegations, promoting meaningful participation of women in deliberations, and advancing gender equality on agendas and outcomes.
Panelists described how they have been applying and will further apply the principles in the Gender Responsive Assemblies Toolkit. They addressed opportunities for advocacy and action by all interested parties, and collaboration to drive urgent action to sustainably include women in all decision-making processes from the international to national level, in order to advance gender equality in their decisions and deliberations.
More information:
Gender-Responsive Assemblies toolkit
IGC's Representation Impact Group
