HerPower: Education to Advance Gender Equality

68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Introduction

The fight for gender equality is multi-faceted, with education being of key importance to empower women and fight poverty. Poverty, institutional strength, and financial frameworks are interconnected elements that significantly impact the empowerment of women and girls. This side event aims to explore innovative approaches, share best practices, and foster collaboration related to the intersectional dynamics of gender equality, poverty, and education. By delving into the intricate interplay between these factors, the event seeks to shed light on how various groups of women and girls are differently impacted by poverty, institutional gaps, and financial structures, and how education can serve as a potent tool for empowerment and socioeconomic development.

The event is co-hosted by the EU Youth Delegates in the margins of CSW.

Purpose of the side-event

The event will highlight innovative approaches to integrating intersectionality into educational policies and programs, recognising the unique challenges faced by different groups of women and girls and tailoring interventions accordingly. By centring the voices and experiences of marginalized communities, we can design education systems that are truly inclusive and transformative. To do so, a diverse audience of different ages and levels of expertise will be able to interact in an intergenerational dialogue.

The aimed outcome is for young people to analyse, describe, and discuss their experience in the education system. Additionally, they should evaluate how it has changed over time and formulate best practices based on how they would like the school system to be.

Member State representatives can promote good practices put in place and actions taken at the international and multilateral levels to ensure young women and girls have access to education.

UNICEF can promote the global commitment to achieving the Agenda 2030 goals in terms of school development and gender equality.

In conclusion, the proposed side event aims to illuminate the intersectional dynamics of gender equality, poverty, and education, emphasizing the critical role of education in empowering women and girls and breaking the cycle of poverty. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, we can identify actionable strategies to address systemic barriers, promote inclusive education, and advance gender equality for all.

Agenda

• Moderator: Giulia Tariello and Lukas Svana, EU Youth Delegates
• Opening remarks:
  • EU Youth Delegates
  • EU Delegation

Guiding questions: The EU's commitment and investment in those countries and within the EU

• • UNICEF
• Panel discussion:
  • Guiding questions: Member states commitment to achieving gender equality and education equity.
  • Member states, youth delegates, experts
    • (based on the UNCTAD index, available here)
• Interactive dialogue
  • Youth delegates
    • Guiding questions: Youth perspective and what we expect from governments and what we would like to change and implement.

• Audience
  • Member states
    • UN Missions
    • CSW delegations
  • Civil society
  • Youth delegates

Background

• The Power of Education: Education stands as a powerful catalyst for change, offering pathways to empowerment, economic independence, and social mobility. By investing in inclusive and equitable education systems, we can equip women and girls with the knowledge, skills, and agency to challenge stereotypes, pursue their aspirations, and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Moreover, education serves as a cornerstone for dismantling barriers to gender equality, fostering critical thinking, and promoting inclusive societies. Member states must collectively rally to halt any regressive tendencies that hinder or prevent girls access to education, safeguarding their right to knowledge, empowerment, and a brighter future.
• Strengthening Education to Empower Women and Girls: The side event will explore strategies for strengthening education systems to better serve the needs of diverse groups of women and girls all around the globe. It will provide the testimony of countries that committed and are leading the fight against gender disparities. This includes promoting gender-responsive curriculum development, ensuring access to quality education for marginalized populations, addressing barriers such as child marriage and gender-based violence, and fostering an enabling environment that supports girls' education from primary to tertiary levels.
• Intersectionality and Gender Equality: Intersectionality underscores the multifaceted nature of gender equality, emphasizing that women and girls experience discrimination and marginalization differently based on intersecting factors such as race, ethnicity, class, disability, and sexual orientation. By acknowledging these intersecting identities, we can better understand the nuanced challenges faced by diverse groups of women and develop targeted interventions that address their specific needs. The first step in this regard is to educate kids and youth about the inequalities and the negative impacts on communities and society.
• Impact of Poverty and Institutional Gaps: Poverty remains a significant barrier to gender equality, disproportionately affecting women and girls worldwide. Institutional gaps in policies, laws, and social systems further exacerbate these disparities, perpetuating cycles of marginalization and exclusion. It is imperative to recognize the differential impact of poverty and institutional barriers on various groups of women, including but not limited to indigenous women, women with disabilities, migrant women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Access to education, professional training and life-long education must be enabled and provided to every person regardless of gender, sex, race, ethnicity, class, disability, sexual orientation, and any other factors. Education enables individuals to tackle poverty and leads to a more stable, prosperous society, higher quality of government, better public institutions and overall growth of state revenue.
• Financial Structures and Gender Disparities: Financial structures play a crucial role in shaping opportunities for women and girls. Limited access to resources, financial services, and economic opportunities perpetuates gender disparities, hindering women's ability to escape poverty and participate fully in society. Addressing these structural inequalities requires a comprehensive approach that tackles systemic barriers and promotes economic empowerment for all women, particularly those at the margins. Financial literacy is a crucial skill of modern human beings and no individual should be left out of financial education needed for everyday life. Women must be included in every financial decision-making, from the smallest institutions like household and family budgets to the largest financial institutions like national banks.