The day fell on March 8, 2020. The World’s theme is: ‘Each for Equal’. Our Theme, however, is: ‘How Is Gender Equality Equal for Both Men and Women?’
Background
The theme for the 2020 International Women’s Day is ‘I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.’ This is in alignment with UN Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, and marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The theme focuses on the notion of ‘Collective Individualism’, and it calls for shared efforts to bring a change and to create a gender equal world.
At GIMPA, we believe that measures that are key to ensuring our collectiveness embrace all members of our community: men and women at all levels. Being part of a whole involves our actions, reflected through our conversations, attitudes, behaviours and mindsets. These must positively impact our community, the larger society and our world. This year’s UN theme is thus, a good starting point to exploring views from both men and women. Our Question is: HOW IS GENDER EQUALITY EQUAL for both men and women? The theme is set to explore views about the state of masculinity in the face of Gender equality, and how the notion of ‘collective action’ as themed by UN for this year’s International Women’s Day, truly reflect our collective efforts towards creating a gender equal world.
Gender equality comes about when all of our world’s communities, institutions and organizations make a purposeful effort to embrace equality when leaders place strategies that allow creativity. It demands thinking outside the box, advancing originality, and adhering to a culture of inclusivity; where everyone is allowed to pull ideas, knowledge, and efforts towards a common goal: A culture that encourages cooperation and creates more opportunities for everyone to access and utilize their potential towards building a sustainable economy.
The United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) cite gender equality and women’s empowerment and innovation as driving forces to reaching the 2030 objectives. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that incorporating gendered perspectives in all aspects of development helps boost overall development outcomes. Unfortunately, the very nature of gender equality, approaches to achieving its goal, the use of language around efforts to achieving gender equality, etc., paint a different picture and they create certain perception for different people, thus, jeopardizing the real purpose of Gender equality, or do we say this is just a misconception? However, to gender mainstream and achieve a positive outcome, requires that we create an inclusive atmosphere where both men and women allow their hands too dirty.
Therefore, as part of our determination to establish a firm gender mainstreaming institution, the GIMPA Gender for Development and Resource Centre and the Women’s wing of the GIMPA Level Middle are calling upon all men/women at GIMPA for a day’s discussion on inclusivity and Gender Equality. We are hoping that this platform will be a starting point of mapping up insightful knowledge about how our collective understanding of gender equality has impacted our world, and together, find a way forward to achieving a better outcome.
The day is thus, scheduled to bring all GIMPA community together, particularly our men, whose views are crucial for the theme.
Date: Thursday, 12th March 2020
Time: 10:30 – 12:30pm (Registration will commence from 10:00am)
Venue: GIMPA – Mamphey Hall, Greenhill, Achimota.
Activities for the day include:
• Welcome Address & Declaration of Purpose by Chairperson
• Keynote Welcome Address
• Open forum
• Comments and recommendations
• Chair Person’s remarks