We are pleased to invite you to attend our High Level Political Forum Side Event, Dispelling Misconceptions & Myths: Faith Actors Advancing Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls on July 7 from 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM EST.

Through expert speakers and a moderated panel discussion, faith based organisations will show how commitment can lead to transformative change, with the goal to inspire increased governmental, UN and civil society partnerships with faith based actors and to motivate other faith based actors to join forces and raise the level of ambition for gender equality.

In particular, the event will seek to dispel prevalent misconceptions that faith actors are only ‘the problem’ and to increase understanding that faith actors are also part of ‘the solution’ and should be an integral part of multistakeholder approaches to accelerating gender equality. The event will include some research highlights from the recently published report, Looking Back to Look Forward: The Role of Religious Actors in Gender Equality since the Beijing Declaration (2021).
 
The event will include governmental, UN and faith perspectives on multistakeholder partnerships inclusive of faith actors working to achieve gender equality, eliciting the particular value, strengths and opportunities as well as experience in overcoming challenges and barriers to progress for gender equality.  It will also include a moderated panel discussion that will provide a more specific focus on faith based approaches, within the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to promote and ensure the interlinkage of work for women’s economic rights and empowerment, gender responsive climate and environmental policies, overcoming sexual and gender based violence and embracing positive masculinities, and education.

This Side Event is organised by the Multi-Faith Advisory Council (MFAC) to the United Nations.  The MFAC is comprised of over 40 global faith based organisations working in partnership with the UN, nominated by the 26 UN entities who form the IATF.  The event has been organised under the lead of the MFAC Working Group on Gender which is comprised of ECOSOC accredited organisations including:  ACT Alliance, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Lutheran World Federation, Muslims for Progressive Values, Network of Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, World Evangelical Alliance, World Council of Churches - Commission of Churches on International Affairs.

To register to attend this virtual event, please fill out this brief form detailing your information. You can edit your responses at a later date. For those who will be joining us virtually, a link to join the workshop will be shared via email prior to the event.

Program Outline

Welcome and Introduction

Moderator Mr Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary, ACT Alliance

Presentations on experience and value of UN/faith based partnerships to achieve gender equality

Arthur Erken, Director, Policy and Strategy Division
UNFPA - speaker to be confirmed
Ms Casey Harden, Co-Chair of the Multifaith Advisory Council to the UN IATF and General Secretary of World YWCA
Video:  Muslims for Progressive Values’ #ImamsForShe promoting women’s economic empowerment in Burundi (4 min)

Moderated Panel Discussion

Panel Moderator - Ivy Koek, Soka Gokkai International and Vice Chair, NGO CSW

Panelists:
Simona Cruciani – Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
Ruth Messenger – Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service
Taariq Mathiba, Islamic Relief Worldwide
Dr. Renz Christian Argao – Coordinator of the Religions for Peace International Youth Committee

Questions from audience via Zoom Q&A function

Closing Remarks:

Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet and Spokesperson for the High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
Ani Zonneveld, President Muslims for Progressive Values and Co-chair, MFAC Gender Working Group