Striving for Gender Equality and the empowerment of all women and girls

“This program was actually a wake-up call for me as I didn’t realize how much work I needed to do for myself, for my country and my organization when it comes to women empowerment and gender equality”

This is what Mrs. Isra Al Tarbaghia from Lybia said after successfully finalizing the executive program Gender Equality and Women Empowerment which ran from 26 June – 01 July 2022. Mrs. Al Tarbaghia continues “In general we always strive towards gender equality, but we don’t realize how deep we have to get into it and how much depth there is in content. This is something that this course really taught me with regards to gender relations and everything related.”

For Mrs. Taiwo Olaniyan from Nigeria the program has been a valuable experience as well: “Gender equality is very critical to the actualization of the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals and other developments on policies such as the Maputo Protocol, which my country Nigeria is signatory to. Unfortunately, there have been hitches in actualizing gender equality which this course has exposed me to.”

On the question about how to use the newly gained knowledge back home Mrs. Naima Fatehi from Algeria answered: “Being a social project manager, I implemented a lot of social initiatives that deal with empowering rural women to create their own businesses. Therefore, joining this program was a great opportunity to know more about gender issues and the female entrepreneurship policies. This helps me to influence, inspire and lead other women in my community.”

Mrs. Olaniyan is very grateful about everything she learned in quite a short time frame: “This course has exposed me to a wide range of issues for which I am very grateful. When I go back to my country, I am able to effectively advocate for gender transformative policies and gender responsive projects, which take into cognizance the need of women and also men.”

Throughout the week, the participants worked on various individual and group assignments to put theory into practice. Mrs. Fatehi experienced the practical approach of the program as very productive and effective: “It was just a healthy climate and an effective process which strengthened my communication skills. It was a great opportunity to practice as well as to receive regular feedback on how I am doing.”

To ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women, contributions at all levels are required. Also, the government should play a leading role in the fight against inequality according to Mrs. Olaniyan: “The need for gender transformative programs in projecting the need for gender policies, and the need for gender sensitive leadership programs, all of which cannot be achieved if our governments are not fortunate by actualizing gender equality and women economic empowerment."

About the executive Gender Equality and Women Empowerment program
Recent developments show that gender equality and women’s empowerment are important goals not only from standpoints of human rights but also for attaining various economic and social development objectives, including food security, peace, health, education, and family well-being.

Sustainable Development Goal 5 is also based on the assumption that achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is fundamental for the realization of human rights, and the key to effective and sustainable development outcomes. Accordingly, many countries have considered gender equality goals and incorporated activities to empower women in different sectors. With the aim of creating awareness and building the required capacity and skills for gender equality and women empowerment, this course is an essential component for the commitment toward gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Mrs. Mulu Burhane Hundera, lead trainer of the program, enjoyed teaching to such a diverse international group of professionals: “The gender inequality experiences of participants from the different socio-cultural-context reflect that complex issues generate gender inequality and manifest in several forms. And these require context-specific comprehensive gender equality and women empowerment strategies. In that regard, the theory of change developed by each participant at the end of the training, shows that the course was eye-opening for them to understand and initiate transformational changes that require going beyond the surface and looking at the complex structural issues, which make gender inequality persistent.”

Would you like to join the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment program as well?
The next Gender Equality and Women Empowerment program will take place from 26 - 30 June 2023. Check our website for more information about the program and how to apply.

About MSM’s executive education programs
Today’s rapidly changing societies and economies demand the most from organizations, leaders, managers and professionals. MSM’s Open Enrollment Executive Education programs for emerging markets are developed to achieve a successful and sustainable transformation of both individuals and organizations to support local economic development and business management.

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