As the #MeToo movement continues to dominate global headlines and SDG 5 to achieve gender equality by 2030 seems out of reach, many are asking: what role should men and boys have in this work? Some advocate for programming that engages men and boys in gender equality efforts. Others worry about diverting limited resources and diluting messaging. Is it a zero-sum equation? Hear leaders discuss—even debate—these questions and more.
Katja Iversen is the President/CEO of Women Deliver – a leading global advocate for investment in gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, with a specific focus on maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Iversen, an internationally recognized expert on development, advocacy and communications, has more than 25 years of experience working in NGOs, corporates and United Nation agencies. Previously, she held the position as Chief of Strategic Communication and Public Advocacy with UNICEF, a position she came to after almost six years of leading the team responsible for advocacy and communication on reproductive health with UNFPA. She holds a master’s degree in communications, bachelor's degree in public administration and certificates in management, conflict resolution, and international development. Iversen has worked in global development for more than 20 years and has an extensive network within the UN, development communities, and global media. She has counseled and trained multiple Fortune 500 executives on cross cultural management and cross cultural communication. She is a member of Prime Minster Trudeau’s G7 Gender Equality Council, the Unilever Sustainability Advisory Council, the MIT Women & Technology Solve Leadership Group, and an International Gender Champion. Iversen was recently named 2018 Dane of the Year and included in the top 10 of Apolitical’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. She is also a sought lecturer and speaker.
Senior Associate and Policy Analyst, Population Council
Judith Bruce joined the Council in 1977. She is a senior associate and policy analyst with the Poverty, Gender, and Youth program. Through policy analysis, evidence-based intervention design and capacity building, she has changed the way we think about quality of care from the client’s perspective and about the potential of the poorest, most excluded girls. Bruce leads efforts to develop programs that protect the well-being and expand opportunities of the poorest adolescent girls in the poorest communities. The programs often include social support, mentoring, and meaningful educational opportunities including financial literacy and health information and access. Her work engages local organizations, governments, NGOs, and donors in a multi-country effort to place adolescent girls at the center of the global health and development agenda. She was among the first to illuminate the scope and negative impact of child marriage—including violence and discrimination. Earlier in her career, she published the family planning quality-of-care framework, which was instrumental in the global shift in family planning programs from target-driven approaches to a focus on quality, as defined by a program’s ability to meet clients’ needs. The framework remains the foundation for defining the goals and evaluating the outcomes of family planning and reproductive health programs. Recently, she served as co-chair of the UN Expert Group Meeting on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl-child. She has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1977. In 1993 she received the Association for Women in Development’s bi-annual award for outstanding contributions to the field. A graduate of Harvard University, Bruce has written extensively on population policy, the quality of reproductive health services, adolescent girls’ status in the developing world, and women’s access to and control of resources inside and outside the household.
Gary Barker, PhD, is a leading global voice in engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality and positive masculinities. He is the CEO and founder of Promundo, which has worked for 20 years in more than 40 countries. Beginning in low-income areas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Promundo’s approaches have been incorporated into ministries of health and education around the world. Promundo is a Global Consortium with members in Brazil, the US, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal. Gary is co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign working in 45 countries to promote men’s involvement as caregivers, and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 700 NGOs. He created and leads the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), the largest ever survey of men’s attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality. He is a co-author of the 2015 and 2017 State of the World's Fathers reports. He has advised the UN, the World Bank, numerous national governments, and key international foundations and corporations on strategies to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality. In 2017 he was named by Apolitical as one of the 20 most influential people in gender policy around the world. He is an Ashoka Fellow and received the Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices for his work to engage men for gender equality. He holds a PhD. in Developmental Psychology.
Senior Advisor to United Nations Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Elizabeth Nyamayaro is Senior Advisor to United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Global Head of UN’s HeForShe Initiative, a global solidarity movement which seeks to engage men and boys as advocates for gender equality. A strong advocate for women rights and economic empowerment, Ms. Nyamayaro has worked at the forefront of Africa’s development agenda for more than two decades in both the public and private sector, and previously held positions with UNAIDS, World Health Organization, World Bank and Merck. Born in Zimbabwe and a Political Scientist by training, Ms. Nyamayaro holds a MSc in Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and she has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
Dakshitha Wickremarathne is a development practitioner striving for social justice. His childhood during the times of conflict in Sri Lanka has sparked his passion for peace and equality. His work in the areas of health, gender and reconciliation lead him to be appointed by the UN Secretary-General as the youngest member of the Every Woman Every Child Independent Accountability Panel.
As the Co-Founder and the Programme Director of Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka, Dakshitha continues his ground-level work while also shaping strong policies grounded in evidence and science. Dakshitha completed his Bachelors in Social Work winning the gold medal for the Best Academic Performance and received a Post Graduate Diploma in Diplomacy and Global Affairs.
He is a Women Deliver Young Leaders Alumni and a Youth Champion of Asia Safe Abortion Partnership. With UNFPA, as a Master Trainer, Dakshitha has extensive experience in working with young people and most at-risk populations in Asia and the Pacific. Dakshitha served as the youngest Assistant Director for Office for National Unity and Reconciliation chaired by the Former President of Sri Lanka. Dakshitha was a Commissioner in the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Well Being and a Youth Advisor to UN Women’s Global Civil Society Advisory Group.
