Global Interfaith Network for People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression

Transformative Partnerships with Faith Actors to Advance Gender Equality
2023-07-18 13:30 - 15:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
Women Deliver Conference 2023
Transformative Partnerships with Faith Actors to Advance Gender Equality.
More than 80% of the world’s population identify with a religious or faith group. As the pushback against progressive values and advancing gender equality grows stronger, it is crucial to find trusted messengers and sources of influence within all communities, including faith leaders, and women and youth of faith in all of their diversity.
In building out these partnerships, it is important to highlight that faith actors who are women, youth, and LGBTQIA+ people typically suffer multiple and intersecting dimensions of discrimination due to their gender, sexuality and religious beliefs. This causes hesitancy among both secular and religious actors to include them in advancing gender equality or participating in broader inclusion and peacebuilding processes.
This Women Deliver session will offer the opportunity to rethink and discuss approaches to empowering the gender equality movement, including those who participate and shape the process with their unique experience and added value to foster inclusive and co-created spaces. Conversations within the session will focus on dialogue between faith and secular participants to reimagine partnerships in 5 key areas: 1) supporting life skills education; 2) breaking joint barriers faced by youth in the secular and faith spaces; 3) transforming masculinities to address gender-based violence and other harmful practices; 4) sharing language, narratives and messaging that has been successful within conservative spaces; and 5) addressing backlash against marginalized populations.
