Conference Report: Global Summit for Gender-Related UNESCO Chairs (W36), August 19 & 20, 2021

conference report GLOBAL SUMMIT FOR UNESCO GENDER-RELATED CHAIRS AND NETWORKS (W36) Virtual event hosted by the UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, India AUGUST 19th & 20th, 2021

Table of Contents

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................2 Overview of the Conference.............................................................................................................3 b ac kg ro u n d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 G e n e r a l o b j ec t i v e a n d p u r p o s e .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 E x p ec t e d o u t p u t s .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Pa rt i c i pa n t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 UNESCO C h a i rs w h o at t e n d e d t h e e v e n t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 S u m m i t Ac t i o n I t e m s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Day 1 ..............................................................................................................................................................5 2.1. Opening Ceremony.......................................................................................................

2 . 2 . M e e t i n g t h e UNESCO C h a i rs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s es s i o n 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

S es s i o n 2 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Day 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 13

Day 2 : P l e n a r i es o f T h e m at i c a n d A p p l i e d R es e a rc h .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 1 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 1 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 2 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 2 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 2) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

Concluding Session............................................................................................................................ 21 A p p e n d i c es .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 S i g n e d D ec l a r at i o n.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2

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Foreword Meeting each other and strengthening international collaborations is crucial to promote gender equality on a worldwide scale, especially in times of global crisis, so that no girl or woman is left behind. This is the reason why we organized the Global Summit of UNESCO Gender-related Chairs and Networks (W36), as part of our mission as UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for India.

Under the guidance and with the support of UNESCO, the Global Summit of UNESCO Gender-related Chairs and Networks (W36) took place on August 19th and 20th, 2021, as a virtual event hosted from India.

The global reach of this Summit far exceeded our expectations, gathering UNESCO Chairs and Networks from all over the world, distinguished speakers and gender-related stakeholders, with more than 300 participants from over 46 countries. A total of 54 addresses and presentations were conducted in two days, on several sub-themes around gender equality.

Several outcomes and follow-up actions have already been implemented, with the signing of a Declaration by 17 UNESCO Chairs, the creation of an online community, and the organization of a further conference on systems thinking for women’s empowerment in March 2022. We hope this will lead to further fruitful collaborations between the UNESCO Chairs and a wider public, so as to find sustainable and global solutions for communities.

We would like to extend our special gratitude to UNESCO, especially Peter Wells, Chief, Higher Education, UNESCO, Paris, for encouraging and guiding us with this initiative. To Jamila Seftaoui, Director, Division for Gender Equality, Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, for presenting a truly inspiring vision and plan for the upcoming years. Many thanks to Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, for having offered us so many opportunities to work with the UNESCO Office in India, and to Juan-Paolo Ramirez-Miranda and Sarita Jadav for their support in organizing the W36 Global Summit.

Dr. Bhavani R. Rao UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment Director of the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 2

Overview of the Conference b ac kg ro u n d The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the situation for women and girls all over the world. This is a time where all stakeholders, especially gender-related UNESCO Chairs, should gather and join hands to decelerate such effects, unite strength and share expertise and vision to explore solutions together.

As part of the UNESCO-UNITWIN program, we are among the 36 UNESCO Chairs (now 37) who stand together from different countries, to advance research, knowledge, practices and initiatives in gender equality for a better world. This is the mission we have been entrusted with by UNESCO. Each UNESCO Chair focuses on different yet complementary aspects of this multifaceted challenge: promoting women’s rights, education, culture, leadership, capacity building and resilience, vulnerability and disaster risk reduction, science and technology, health, and more. All of these aspects are interconnected and must be addressed if we want to find long-term solutions for gender equality.

G e n e r a l o b j ec t i v e a n d p u r p o s e The overall objective of the Summit was to bring together all gender-related UNESCO Chairs and networks in a global event to better understand each Chair’s expertise and activities, and promote collaboration, not only between the UNESCO Chairs, but also with a wider public of researchers and academics, including younger researchers. This Summit was intended to be a stepping stone to collaborative projects, building a bright future together for all women across the globe, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The specific theme for 2021 was thus “Decelerating the direct and indirect effects of Covid-19 on women and children and transforming the role of women in the post-pandemic era”.

Day 1: ▶ Presentations by UNESCO Representatives from Headquarters and Country offices on their vision and hopes for future collaboration ▶ Presentation of the existing Global Network for UNESCO Chairs and its activities ▶ Presentations by each UNESCO Chair of their expertise, activities and flagship projects ▶ Presentation of a draft Declaration for further collaboration between the UNESCO Chairs Day 2: ▶ Breaking into smaller group sessions to focus on their specific fields of thematic and applied research, with 22 different presentations conducted in two parallel sessions on a variety of themes including Science & Technology; Education & Skill Development; Society, Culture & Legal Rights; Health & Nutrition; Safety & Security; Environment & Sustainability; Finance & Economics; and Communication & Leadership ▶ Exploring areas for collaboration around mutual research interests.

Pa rt i c i pa n t s Guest of Honor ▶ Ms. Ava DuVernay, Co-Chair, Prada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, United States of America.

Distinguished Speakers ▶ Ms. Jamila Seftaoui: Director, Division for Gender Equality, Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. ▶ Dr. Peter J. Wells: Chief, Higher Education, UNESCO, Paris. ▶ Mr. Eric Falt: Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. ▶ Dr. Gloria Bonder: Coordinator of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, Director of the Gender, Society and Policies Department, FLACSO Argentina, and Coordinator of the UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America.

E x p ec t e d o u t p u t s During this two-day conference, our aim was to facilitate introductions and presentations by UNESCO Chairs, but also to create opportunities for smaller group discussions and exchange on current research.

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UNESCO C h a i rs w h o at t e n d e d t h e e v e n t (i n a l p h a b e t i c a l o r d e r b y c o u n t ry ): 1. Brazil: Dr. Maria Luiza Teofilo Gandini, UNESCO Chair on Water, Women and Development 2. Côte d'Ivoire: Prof. Euphrasie Hortense Yao Kouassi, UNESCO Chair on Water, Women and Decision-making 3. Egypt: Prof. Boshra Mossaad Awad, UNESCO Chair on the Empowerment of Women through Science and Technology 4. Haiti: Dr. Rose Michel Smith, UNESCO Chair on Women and Science for Development 5. Greece: Dr. Fotini Bellou, UNESCO Chair on Women, Peace and Security: Building Capacity and Resilience through Education and Research 6. India: Dr. Maneesha Ramesh, UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning on Sustainable Innovation & Development 7. India: Dr. Bhavani Rao R. UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment 8. Italy: Dr. Barbara Pozzo, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women's Rights in the Multicultural Society 9. Japan: Dr. Ronni Alexander, UNESCO Chair on Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support 10. Kenya: Dr. Marleen Temmerman, UNESCO Chair on Youth Leadership in Science, Health, Gender and Education 11. Kenya: Dr. ​​ Winnie V. Mitullah, UNESCO Chair in Women and Community Health 12. Mexico: Dr. Elia Marum Espinosa, UNESCO Chair in Gender, Leadership and Equity 13. Peru: Dr. Patricia Ruíz-Bravo and Aranxa Pizarro, UNESCO chair on Gender Equality in Higher Education institutions 14. Poland: Dr. Renata Siemienska, UNESCO Chair in Women, Society and Development 15. Spain: Dr. Ines Sánchez de Madariaga, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality Policies in Science, Technology and Innovation 16. South Korea: Dr. Yunkeum Chang, UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women 17. Turkey: Dr. Oder Bertil Emrah, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development 18. Turkey: Dr. Hülya Şimga, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Culture

19. USA: Dr. Araceli Alonso, UNESCO Chair on Gender, Wellbeing and a Culture of Peace

S u m m i t Ac t i o n I t e m s In addition to the actual outcomes listed above, several follow-up action items were announced during the Summit and have already been implemented. ✧ Declaration of Gender-related UNESCO Chairs ✧ In order to reaffirm our commitment to international collaborations and exploring together global solutions for gender equality, we drafted and circulated to the UNESCO Chairs a draft Declaration, which has already been signed by 17 Chairs.

The declaration will remain open for signatures so that any other Gender-related Chair can join in the future. ✧ Creation of an online community for Gender related Chairs ✧ We have created an online community to facilitate exchanges and promote potential collaborations between the Gender-related UNESCO Chairs, but also with any other interested gender-related stakeholders, including a wider public of academics, younger researchers, organizations and companies. As a first step and in order to set up a platform which can be both dynamic and easily accessible to all, we created an online community on Facebook.

This group will enable any of the UNESCO Chairs, but also UNESCO Representatives or any other interested people, to share relevant news, such as events, paper publications, projects, and upcoming opportunities.

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✧ Organization of a new Conference in March 2022 ✧ In order to explore further the topic of gender equality and women’s empowerment, from a systems thinking perspective, we are organizing a new conference which will take place on March 3-5, 2022: the International Conference on Advancing Women's Empowerment through Systems Model Expansion (AWESOME).

This virtual 3-day event is mainly organized by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, but we hope to build on the collaboration with UNESCO Chairs and invite them all to participate, either as members of the International Scientific Committee of the Conference, or by encouraging their academics, researchers and students to present their work.

The International AWESOME Conference aims to hold a premier interdisciplinary platform to address gender equality. The conference invites thinkers, researchers, practitioners, educators, and innovators from complex systems thinking, women and gender studies, technology innovation, and related fields to present, discuss and exchange ideas and perspectives of the potential of complexity science, system thinking, and innovation for women’s empowerment and gendered interventions. The conference seeks contributions around the most recent innovations, trends, concerns, and best practice solutions adopted to address practical challenges and improve women’s resilience.

Gender Equality, Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. ▶ Dr. Peter J. Wells, Chief, Higher Education, UNESCO, Paris. ▶ Mr. Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka ▶ Dr. Gloria Bonder, Coordinator of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, Director of the Gender, Society and Policies Department, FLACSO Argentina, and Coordinator of the UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America The conference began with a series of opening addresses from the Guest of Honor and Distinguished Speakers, followed by addresses from the host organisations.

As Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Tarek Rashed welcomed all participants and introduced a short video explaining the idea behind the Global Summit: to bring together all gender related Chairs to get to know each other and explore ways to collaborate for building a brighter future for all women and girls amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He presented the agenda for the 2-day Global Summit and introduced the Event Host, Dr. Bhavani Rao, India's UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment since 2016.

2. Day 1 - Presentation by Honorary Guest Speakers and UNESCO Chairs 2.1. Opening Ceremony Master of ceremonies and moderator: Dr. Tarek Rashed and Mrs. Radhika Shetty Guest of Honor: Ms. Ava DuVernay, Co-Chair, Prada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, United States of America Distinguished Speakers: ▶ Ms. Jamila Seftaoui, Director, Division for

Dr. Bhavani Rao, UNESCO Chair hosting the event, thanked every participant for attending the meeting, and explained what an honour it was to bring together all UNESCO Chairs for the Global Summit for Gender-Related UNESCO Chairs and Networks.

She introduced each of the guests and UNESCO Chairs attending the event.

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“It’s been an honor indeed to be a part of this wonderful network created by UNESCO — the UNESCO Chair, the UniTwin program for bringing focus, access and increasing our boundaries in terms of knowledge, connections, and capacity. So we gather here today to share what we have learned from the past, and how it has helped us to understand the present. More importantly, how do we use this knowledge to gauge the future. I sincerely believe that based on our actions today, we will have the ability to determine what future will prevail”.

As Guest of Honor, Ms. Ava DuVernay, Co-Chair, Prada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, had recorded a special message for the event, emphasizing how pleased she was to be part of this effort being done on a global scale to motivate, educate and empower women of all walks of life all around the world.

“When I embarked on my filmmaking career, I did so with incredible women role models and mentors and I greatly value the collective sisterhood that exists within my community. It doesn’t just happen though.

We all come together and we support each other, we check in on each other, show up for each other, we celebrate and toast each other’s success. And we rally together during times of struggle. And let’s be honest, we all struggle.

But the important thing to know is knowing your worth, your value, knowing deep down, what you’re capable of.”

Ms. Jamila Seftaoui, Director, Division for Gender Equality, Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO, Paris, emphasized how Gender Equality has been a priority since 2008 for UNESCO, not only through mainstreaming gender equality aspects in all programmes and projects, and in the organization itself, but also through the implementation of gender equality transformative work addressing the root causes of gender inequality. She explained how she started her mission as Director of the UNESCO Division for Gender Equality in a particularly troubled time of a global pandemic, which has adversely affected women and girls of all ages, and which has brutally undone many decades of hard work and progress towards gender equality.

In the context of this fast-changing, multi-faceted and uncertain global context, she explained how UNESCO will embark on a new strategy from 2022 to 2029, proposing an integrated and transversal framework with four strategic objectives and which promises coherent and impactful programme implementation cycles, centered on specific outcomes. She presented the role of the Division for Gender Equality and how essential it is to engage all internal and external partners and networks rooted in common values and goals.

She presented a new mechanism and two flagships: First, mobilizing global expertise in gender equality to deepen UNESCO’s work and support sectors in their programme implementation, moving to gender transformative approaches in all fields of competence, in an interdisciplinary way, which aims to establish a Gender Expert Facility as a long-term engagement, comprised of a roster of gender experts. Second, positive masculinities and empowering women artists in Africa as two high visibility and impact flagship initiatives.

“My vision for the next biennium builds on past progress and takes into consideration the huge still untapped potential of UNESCO to change people’s lives, in particular women’s and girls’ lives for good, for the better.

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I intend to consolidate ongoing support to UNESCO programs, and help improve and steer the orientation of UNESCO towards more lasting transformative gender equality impacts.”

Mr. Eric Falt, Diretor and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, expressed his gratitude for the organization of this event.

He explained how India was making progress on gender equality even though challenges remain. He emphasized how the pandemic created a situation where women play and continue to play a disproportionate role in responding to the virus including as front line health care workers, pursuing careers at home and much more, quoting examples from South Asia, while also mentioning the surge in domestic violence and cyber crimes.

He presented the work of UNESCO New Delhi on the gender priority and listed significant initiatives, including collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for School Health Program involving 1.5 million government schools in the country, the development of modules focusing on a range of issues from gender equality to nutrition, health and hygiene to be included in the school and teacher training curriculum as part of a unique partnership with the private sector (Procter and Gamble), a flagship report on the Status of Women in Science in India, a national program on engaging men and boys for gender equality, safety of women journalists and the publication of a comprehensive report on sexual harassment in the news media.

“We believe in the power of UNESCO chairs to expand UNESCO’s mandate and to help realize the 2030 Agenda because we are convinced that a sustainable and peaceful world will never be so without gender equality”.

Dr. Gloria Bonder, UNESCO Chair in Women, Science and Technology, Flasco, Argentina, has been recognized as one of the 60 women worldwide who has helped accomplish UNESCO's goals throughout the 60 years of its existence. She champions the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, which seeks to promote interdisciplinary exchanges and the generation of new knowledge that can contribute to the implementation of innovative practices and policies in the field of gender studies.

The objectives of the Network include: to generate new knowledge linking gender studies and policies with education, culture, science, development, technology and other subject matters; to provide access to a database and publication archive; to coordinate forums, meetings and other in-person or on-line activities to promote debates on strategic gender-related topics; to offer expert advice to national, regional and international organizations; to disseminate information on the activities of the UNESCO Chairs on Gender in academia and among researchers, NGOs, foundations, governmental and cooperation agencies; to build strategic partnerships with universities, research centers, NGOs, governments and foundations. This is a very important year for the Global Network, being the 20th anniversary of the creation of the UNESCO Regional Chair for Women, Science and Technology in Latin America.

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“I am very pleased to be here -- thank you for the invitation to be part of this very important event that joins UNESCO Chairs from all over the world and representatives from UNESCO from different divisions. I think this will be an extraordinary opportunity for us to get to know each other better, and plan what to do in the future in a close and collaborative manner.”

Dr. Maneesha Ramesh presented the work done by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the Host Organization, and its focus on interdisciplinary research and working together to achieve sustainable solutions required by communities. She presented the Chancellor of the University, world-renowned humanitarian leader, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (“Amma”), who has been guiding the institution to provide long term sustainable solutions in a compassionate way, by engaging the university, community and local governance and bringing in proper ecosystems for women’s empowerment.

try is a petal of the flower. If even one petal is attacked by a worm, it will soon affect the entire flower. We are seeing such a situation now. It will take sincere effort and the positive attitude of the people from every part of the world to ensure that this world flower remains healthy and beautiful. This is the time when the entire world should come together as children of one mother, forgetting all differences.

It is time for the world to reinvestigate global environmental protection and sustainability policies and move forward after correcting previous mistakes.

May we come to regard these Corona days as the wake-up call that woke us up. Even though we are in the midst of disappointment, grief and difficulty, let us recognize God’s divine call and blessing hidden behind this experience, exhorting us to wake up”.

2 . 2 . M e e t i n g t h e UNESCO C h a i rs S es s i o n 1

“It is indeed a happy moment to be a part of this program. Looking forward to seeing all the women experts in this area and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this Summit for Gender-Related UNESCO Chairs and Network. Being a woman myself, I hope that this Summit paves the way to shaping a world that holds a bright future for women all across the world”.

Message from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Chancellor, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Dr. Maneesha Ramesh introduced a message recorded by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Chancellor, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi: “Amma sees the world as a flower. Each coun-

Dr. Gloria Bonder, UNESCO Chair in Women, Science and Technology, Flasco, Argentina, introduced the work done by her Chair for the past two decades.

She presented the research conducted on gender equality in science and technology, women’s participation in such areas, decision making, and gender biases in science and technology. She explained how gender disparities and inequalities affect the development of science and technology and how gender equality can aid in better technology.

She participated in several international research programs to promote gender policy and research centers in Europe and Latin America, and conducted many research projects, training projects and publications and influencing policy in the region to mainstream gender equality in research, education, and in communication in science and technology.

Dr. Maria Luisa, UNESCO Chair on Water, Women and Development, Brazil, presented her work on water including education, quality, waste, management and reuse, social cultural gender dimensions, youth, law and policy, disaster and erosion. She introduced the main lines of the Chair’s research, 8

such as women in geosciences, gender relations in water management decision making, geo conservation and tourism, empowering people for living tourism, sanitation, participatory planning and management of water resources in urban centers.

She shared some of the publications and courses offered by the Chair, on environmental socioeconomic sustainability, experience of women from geosciences in the job market and courses such as craft soap manufacturing for the protection of water resources and assistance in combating Covid-19, for the Latin American community, with the support from UNESCO and IHP-LAC. Prof. Boshra Mossad Awad, UNESCO Chair through Empowerment of Women in Science and Technology, Egypt, focused on successful ways to empower women through science and technology during the Covid-19 pandemic. She presented a number of initiatives developed during the lockdown, including projects to reach out to girls staying at home, establishing good quality online learning platforms and distributing free electronic devices and learning materials. Her work has benefited communities in rural Egypt, moving from eLearning to mobile learning. For women’s capacity building, compulsory courses have been introduced in faculty programs, already showing positive results on girls and society.

“My recommendation is to develop a website for networking between the gender-related UNESCO Chairs, for fruitful, borderless collaboration, and exchange experiences, visions, unite voices, and spark momentum for addressing challenges, and for building the most bright future for all women across the globe. I appreciate this Summit very much. It is very promising and we hope to do brighter work together for women, hand in hand, crossing all boundaries and challenges”.

Dr. Fotini Bellou, UNESCO Chair women, peace and security Building Capacity and Resilience through Education and Research, Greece, focuses on policy agenda related to women peace and security.

Her Chair’s objectives include: empowerment and protection of women throughout the spectrum of policies related to crisis management and conflict

resolution; promotion of a comprehensive system of research education knowledge and documentation on Women, Peace and Security; cooperation at national and international levels, and establishing an interdisciplinary hub for collaborative research.

She emphasized how Covid-19 has unveiled the need for accelerating our efforts and how we should exploit and capitalize on the issues and the collaboration that the pandemic has generated. She also introduced major events, activities and collaborations of her Chair.

“Our suggestions and vision out of this conference is to launch collaboration schemes to promote research on different kind of areas; promote advocacy for increasing the role of women in International Organizations; make the gender network visible - Covid-19 has made us think wider and in a more inclusive fashion, for these reasons, it has brought an upheaval in international relations and we are open to new ideas. For this reason, making this network visible as well as the UNESCO global network on gender equality more visible to our societies is needed although a very challenging issue”.

S es s i o n 2 Dr. Barbara Pozzo presented the work of the UNESCO Chair in Italy, focusing on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in the Multicultural Society. One of the objectives of the Chair is to develop and improve knowledge and awareness of women’s rights in Italy; remove gender biases in the broader context of multicultural society, which are often based on lack of knowledge and preparation from a historical cultural point of view. The activities conducted include law courses on the evolution of women’s rights in a comparative, historical and anthropological perspective, seminars and conferences in collaboration with PhD in law and social sciences, with a focus on sexual harassment in the workplace, stereotypes in advertising, projects with and for women in jail and women migrants in shelters, and national and international collaborations, including with the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs in higher education. She concluded by emphasizing the need to develop an awareness raising process 9

for students, post graduates and opening doors of universities to public institutions and local communities in order to make people understand there is a lot to do and still a long path to go.

From Japan, Dr. Roni Alexander presented the UNESCO Chair in Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support, Kobe University, created after the large earthquake of 1995 in Kobe. Dr. Alexander acknowledged the challenges in making people understand the importance of gender equality and its relevance in disasters. She presented the many partnerships established with institutions and NGOs in Asia. The tasks of the Chair include research, including with partners, developing gender sensitive and inclusive guidelines for disaster risk reduction, awareness strategy implementation on training for students, professional, policy makers, establish guidelines and policy recommendations, build international DRR network based on gender equality and social inclusion, with a recent focus on inequalities related to Covid. Dr. Alexander shared the main successes of the Chair, including education and research programs. For the future, the activities of the Chair include adding emphasis on wellbeing to gender and vulnerability, to conduct collective study on Covid-19 from a gender sensitive perspective focusing on vulnerability and wellbeing, building new research structure and finding new affiliates and partners.

“Like to echo the comments of those before me - this is a special and important opportunity and thank you for the chance to be here and hear what you’re doing and connect with you in different ways”.

Dr. Chang, UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women has been established within Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, which is Korea’s first and only university for women founded in 1906. To promote women’s leadership, Sookmyung offers an extensive portfolio for entrepreneurship and start-up experiences for all students,with economic and social values. She has identified ICT and leadership as key areas - Opened the Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC) to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality through ICT education.

The University is UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women since 1998, but also UNESCO-UNITWIN Host Univs for WE through ICT and Leadership Education since 2005. She presented the major partner universities from Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam. She concluded her presentation with a focus on Covid-19: before, training was face to face on leadership and ICT education - including an intensive workshop and international competition at Sookmyung university. She presented the recent challenges related to Covid-19 but also the successful adaptations through online training.

“The Covid-19 pandemic made us face many challenges, however we worked together, and as we collaborate, we hope to continue to bring success on this journey to further enrich the quality of life of women and collective society”.

Dr. Marlene Temmerman, UNESCO Chair Youth Leadership in Science, Health, Gender and Education, Kenya, has been involved throughout her career in gender-based violence, as an obstetrician-gynecologist with training in public health and health diplomacy, also carrying key political functions, including elected senator in Belgium and WHO Director in Geneva, Reproductive Health and Research. The objectives of her Chair is the empowerment of young women and men, girls and boys, to endorse gender equality in education - to train, mentor and prepare them to become resilient leaders and force positive change in their societies; health - to enable them to exercise their right to accurate information and affordable services related to health; gender - to empower youth in east Africa to endorse gender equality and culture-sensitivity in national policies and daily practices; science - to address priority research issues of relevance to youth in East Africa by jointly conducting interdisciplinary and innovation-oriented research related to health, education and gender. She presented several action plans, including programs for youth and maternity care, collaboration with the UN on Gender Agenda, community outreach, eHealth and eLearning, gender based violence and recovery center, recent publications, and Covid-19 activities leading to an increase in Gender-based violence.

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“I’m so happy to be here in this meeting and I just want to echo my colleagues that I’m enjoying this conference and I really hope that we’ll be able to network and develop some joint activities”.

Dr. Winnie V. Mitullah, University of Nairobi, Kenya, UNESCO Chair of Women and Community Participation, presented the multidisciplinary and cross cutting approach of her Chair. Its thematic areas include women and youth, education, community health, sustainable development. Her mission is to find ways to engage communities and to work with them in promoting sustainable development, so that communities can take ownership and their destiny in their hands. The mandate of the Chair is to harmonize and bridge the gap between universities and communities to promote sustainable development and reach women in rural areas, through research and innovations, training, and capacity building. Flagship programs include water harvesting for sustainability livelihoods, food security with a focus on women; knowledge construction/ generation and providing information to women on the new Kenyan Constitution of 2010. In response to Covid, Dr. Mitullah ran a program called “Keep Hope Alive”, for which the guiding principle was the “Power of Positivity.” The intervention encouraged youth to provide leadership, knowledge, innovation and new energy in assisting individuals, communities and the country. Future projects could focus on increasing inclusion in higher education, building resilience of women and youth, and digital learning.

“I was really impressed with Amrita University’s presentation that is doing so much, dealing with resilience but working on so many projects - almost 150 projects. I think that’s really what we need. Because many times when we have projects like the kind I’m talking about, they’re just a drop in the ocean. But today, we had a presentation where a university is doing so much in terms of supporting communities, which I really think is the way to go...I think this forum is very good - where we listen to others, and learn where support exists in terms of knowledge. Why go for new knowledge when people have done it so successfully. So we will be linking up through this network

to share knowledge and use some of the good lessons in our country”.

Dr. Patricia Ruiz Bravo, UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality in Higher Education Institutions at the Pontifical Catholic Academy of Peru represented by Aranxa Pirazzo, explained that the Chair’s research team is part of the Gender Studies Research Group, an interdisciplinary group focusing in gender and equality issues.

Their goal is to develop a space for academic exchange that promotes research, teaching and participation in policy debates and advocacy for change in situations of inequality. Its mission include to research women's situation in higher education in Peru, raise awareness among the university’s community and other HEI nationwide on gender inequalities and violence, promote development of institutional policies that foster more equitable inclusive academic spaces, and establish cooperative networks with national and international universities to promote academic exchange in order to question gender inequalities and achieve more democratic and inclusive institutions. She emphasized that gender inequalities work in different ways in different countries, so it is important to promote international dialogues. She then presented several areas of research, awareness raising, equality policies and publications.

“The more we know about what happens somewhere else, the more we will understand what happens here to fight Gender inequality and violence. This is an incredible opportunity to meet all of us. I hope we can have this meeting again in the future again.”

Dr. Renata Siemienska’s UNESCO Chair in Women, Society and Development, Poland, was established in 1996 prior to which Dr. Renata was working for the UN, UNESCO and the European Commission.

The Chair has been working for many years in teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge in the field of interdisciplinary studies and women’s situations in the context of political, economic and social situations in the country. Another goal of the Chair is dissemination of knowledge, building contact with NGOs, media and politicians. She shared 11

that if one wants to influence, to some extent, the situation of the country, contact with these stakeholders is necessary, so as not to remain within the framework of the university. The Chair takes part in public discourse on women’s situation and men’s role in society, acknowledging that young people are social capital, who can influence the condition of women and men in society. Some of the classes that are organized by the Chair include sociology of gender, women and men in grassroots initiatives, and gender and age effects on market communication. Prominent research areas include: analyzing the context for increase of women in education, women and men in industrialized countries, for which a book has been published, already acclaimed, and the role of women’s organization in civil society, labor market, academics, etc. She concluded by presenting some challenges to tackle, including the fact that many young women scientists are leaving Poland to go to the UK and US, and the under-representation of women in hard sciences.

Dr. Hülya Şimga, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Culture, Maltepe University, Istanbul, Turkey, started by stressing how timely and urgent such a gathering was. She presented the gender equality context in Turkey, mentioning the recent withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and the fact that Turkey has been going towards more conservatism, with a strong anti-gender movement. She explained that politically, the situation was problematic, and that the culture was not always very positive. This is the reason why the Chair focuses on gender based problems and culture. The Center for Women and Family Studies was established at the same time of the Chair, and they are now working on establishing a Center for Elimination of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Abuse. Major activities undertaken so far include the translation of the UNESCO and Equal Skill Coalition Report, “I’d Blush if I Could”, holding international conferences, book publications, qualitative research on the impact of Covid-19, financial literacy education for women, including women refugees, and interview series on promoting Gender Equality through webinars and workshops. As part of the upcoming events, a conference will be held in October 2021 on family in the age of globalization through interdisciplinary

approaches. Given the turbulent climate in Turkey, the overall focus is to come up with effective and immediate strategies in enhancing women’s lives and their capacities.

“We do and also plan to develop a national and international basis - but also work alongside other UNESCO chairs - hence, this is a great opportunity to get to know one another.”

Dr. Rose-Michelle Smith, UNESCO Chair on Women and Science for Development, Haiti, is the newest member of the UNESCO Chairs on Gender Equality, having started the Chair in June. She started her presentation by explaining the place of women in the Haitian society from engineering, vocational and informal trades. The primary goal of the Chair is to increase the presence of women in scientific fields (STEM) through systematic campaigns. Her strategy is based on 4 pillars: management, capacity building, durability and knowledge transfer. She then presented planned activities of the UNESCO Chair, including granting scholarships in science to increase women enrollment in STEM in universities, organizing award prizes to women who excel in STEM, to increase national visibility of women scientists, publication of articles on the achievements of women scientists and Financial support for women’s publications, to increase in the number of publications by women in STEM, organization of international seminars and conferences, internships for Haitian women researchers abroad and publication of collective work “Women and Sciences” , to increase social acceptability of women in STEM and increase regional visibility of national Haitian scientists.

Dr. Euphrasie Hortense Yao Kouassi, University of Cocody, CIRES, Ivory Coast, UNESCO Chair on "Water, Women and power to make decisions”, attended the event, but could not present due to some technical issues.

In addition to the presentations by each UNESCO Chair, Q&A sessions were conducted to interact with participants and the wider public attending the event.

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“AMMACHI Labs is the most creative way of empowering women. Of all of the projects which the UN funds around the world this is the one dearest to our heart. It’s the one we're most proud of and it's the one that we intend to take to the rest of the world so that they can learn from what you have achieved.”

Mrs. Lise Grande, Head of United Nations in India in 2014

✦✦✦ After the presentations by the UNESCO Chairs, Dr. Tarek presented one of the main outcomes from the Summit: the signing of a joint declaration to reaffirm the willingness of the Chairs to work together, along with academics and other gender-related stakeholders, and explore potential collaborations together. Dr. Tarek read the draft declaration.

Several Chairs already agreed with the text, which would be then circulated among the Chair Holders for further discussion and finalization.

Dr. Bhavani Rao concluded the day by expressing again her gratitude for the addresses and presentations of the day and for all participants attending the event.

You can catch all the W36 talks and replays of live sessions on the AMMACHI Labs YouTube Channel.

Day 2

“The one critical way to survive in a changing environment is to make sure that you have the skills to survive in a changing environment. So we need to either continuously update our skills or acquire new skills to survive in this kind of environment. We are a multi-disciplinary group of close to 100 people. We have engineers, artists, artisans, videographers, social scientists, field workers, volunteers and exchange students from around the globe and all working to understand India's complex social problems and together build solutions.”

Dr. Bhavani Rao, UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Dr. Joost Monks, moderator, warmly welcomed all Chairs and participants for this second day, emphasizing the quality of the presentations conducted the day before, with a very rich diversity that resonates strongly with the ambition of this conference of trying to promote collaboration, cross-fertilization across the various Chairs in the world.

Highlights: Day 2 : P l e n a r i es o f T h e m at i c a n d A p p l i e d R es e a rc h Master of ceremonies and moderator: Dr. Joost Monks, Lecturer at the University of Geneva and Dr. Tarek Rashed Opening Session: Day 2 began with an introductory video illustrating the work that the host UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been doing, through two sister research labs - the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality and AMMACHI Labs:

Round 3 of UNESCO Chair presentations ▶ Two parallel sessions with concrete case studies and areas for collaboration ▶ Plenary session with all present to share learnings from the breakout rooms ▶ Concluding remarks and next steps by the host Chair. ▶

Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder, Chair on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development, KOC University, Turkey, Istanbul. ​​The Chair has been established in 2016 as the leading Gender Equality research center in Turkey. It now serves as an inclusive and interdisciplinary platform in close collaboration with the Center on Gender Studies, covering a wide network 13

of researchers ranging from humanities and social sciences to health sciences embracing qualitative, quantitative, and interdisciplinary studies.

The Chair has put forward four areas of interest to conduct gender studies as well as a public engagement agenda for SDGs: (1) violence against women, (2) women employment, (3) political participation, and (4) women in engineering and health sciences.

With regard to policy-oriented research and public impact, the Chair collaborates with national, regional, and international stakeholders such as the UN Women, the UNESCO national committee, municipalities, and bar associations. The Chair is also known to provide legislative monitoring projects and develop gender mainstreaming programs for companies to implement gender impact analysis in the decision-making process. The Chair has developed different types of programs for young professionals to foster international collaboration and gender equality and contribute to the promotion of global feminist advocacy. In this regard, the UNESCO Summer School on Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Development organized in 2019 has been regarded as a good practice at the global level.

“In Turkish, there is an old saying and it states that if you drink a cup of coffee with a friendly person it will be remembered for 40 years.

We could still do it virtually there and until our meeting face to face, we hope that the experience of the W37 summit is remembered well.”

Dr. Bhavani Rao R., UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, India, explained that the vision for the UNESCO Chair has been laid down by the Chancellor of the University, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, who states that as the two wings of a bird, men and women are of equal value, for without the two in perfect balance, humanity cannot progress. The mission of the Chair, established in 2016, is to increase women's empowerment as an equitable approach towards achieving gender equality through three strong pillars: participatory action research, implementation, and knowledge dissemination. I​n terms of implementation, the Chair works in 101 rural communities across 21 states in India, providing capacity building by using ICT to teach vocational livelihoods and life

skills. The purpose is also to actively engage rural women in cleaning and sustaining the environment, training them on maintaining collective living spaces, water bodies, and also building toilets for themselves through very strong involvement of individual women and women self-help groups so that they have strong economic empowerment and vitality within the communities. So far, 6000+ women and 200+ trainers have been trained in over 60 villages in 19 states, with 30,000+ indirect beneficiaries, with a variety of vocational skills, from basic sewing to plumbing or automotive servicing. Numerous projects have been implemented to improve the resilience of women through the Covid pandemic.

Dr. Rao presented the systems-oriented approach that distills this knowledge into a framework which is accelerating women's empowerment through systems-oriented model expansion. She explained that the approach to community engagement is holistic and participatory with a vision towards promoting community development, ownership, and empowerment and is driven based on a behavioral shift for long-run sustenance. She then shared various projects on knowledge dissemination, including workshops, conferences, academic programs, publications, collaborations with foreign and local partner institutions, weekly research colloquium, reports with UNESCO on the status of the role of men in promoting gender equality in India, training of over 7000 paramilitary officers in mental health and in gender sensitization.

“We are looking forward to collaborations at all levels for the holistic empowerment of women be it in economics, environment, society, politics, culture, safety, security, education, skill development, health, or sanitation.”

Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 1 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 1) Moderated by Dr. Joost Monks, Lecturer, University of Geneva 1. Gender Dynamics: A Case Study of Role Allocation in Engineering Education Professor Sune Von Solms, University of Johannesburg, South Africa Science and Technology Highlights The under-representation of women in engineer14

ing remains a problem to this day where women represented 4% of registered professional engineers in South Africa in 2014. The experience of female engineers in industry and female students in engineering courses can play a significant role in their decision to remain in engineering or pursue a different career path. The investigation of gender dynamics in small groups of engineering students, specifically focusing on the participation and role allocation of female students can shed light on the experiences of female students in the engineering education environment. The study shows that, although female engineering students are still in the minority in engineering courses, many are active participants in groups and fulfill leadership roles in those groups. It brought to light the very important matter on the under-representation of women in engineering. The real-time context of the study and the methodology provided insight into the nuances of gendered participation and gender dynamics among male and female engineering students. The study concluded that while there are many programs to get women involved in engineering, there is still progress to be made in the larger social-cultural context that surrounds and affects women.

2. PARWEE - Priority Action Roadmap for Women's Economic Empowerment in the wake of Covid-19 Sandrine Bonin (Yamuna), Center For Women’s Empowerment And Gender Equality (CWEGE), ​​Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kerala, India Finance and Economics Highlights The study aims to co-create a "Priority Action Roadmap for Women's Economic Empowerment" (PARWEE) based on women entrepreneurs' top priorities, charting response actions and recovery directions in the wake of Covid-19 for their businesses. Doing so contributes to the growing body of knowledge on Covid-19 literature in at least four areas: (i) assessing Covid-19 impacts on women entrepreneurs; (ii) mapping these impacts with four interdependent women's entrepreneurial ecosystem components; (iii) innovating a co-creation methodology based on remote participatory research; and (iv) providing a replicable model to perform action-oriented research in the context

of Covid-19 impacts. The work shared on PARWEE was extremely illuminating about the multidimensionality inherent in women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship studies; it highlighted the complexities around women belonging to formal and informal institutions. The methodology shared was also highly intricate and comprehensive and provides a template for allowing for the replicability of the “Co-Creation Methodology”. The study served as an application of the Systems Thinking Approach to the study of women’s empowerment.

3. Intelligent Assistive Devices with Community Platform backing: A Socio-Economic Intervention for Gender-inclusive Assistive Technology Mr. M Sivasankar and Ms. Resy George Independent Researchers, Independent Finance and Economics Highlights People with disabilities (PWD) use a set of assistive devices to enable them to lead a normal life; ranging from the humble white cane to the sophisticated electric wheelchair. However, three major limitations are menacingly visible in this sector – (1) technological primitiveness, (2) lack of affordability, and (2) lack of gender inclusiveness.

Optimally leveraging the disruptive power of technology, incorporating a financial model ensuring affordability, and ensuring gender-inclusive social platform backing could make a world of difference.

The target of the project is to make the existing stack of assistive devices into agile companions for enabling people with disabilities (gender inclusively) to lead a dignified life, in an affordable manner. Intelligent Assistive Device (iAD) is a newly constructed concept aimed at making the existing stack of assistive devices into agile companions for PWD. A well-conceived and implemented iAD rollout strategy would also build an active community of care providers including doctors, counselors, physiotherapists, and companion- caregivers. The community could evolve into an effective interactive social network addressing various challenges related to dignified living and active societal engagement. Above all, a financial model addressing the key issue of affordability is a vital element of the project. The project brought visibility to key 15

challenges around assistive technology that have made it difficult for them to be inclusive: technological primitiveness, affordability, lack of focus on gender inclusiveness. The vast majority of disabled in Kerala and India are women. Due to the multi-dimensionality of the problem a comprehensive solution is needed. The study also looks at devising intelligent assistive devices to precisely tackle the challenges highlighted with respect to assistive devices and Persons with Disabilities.

4. Reboot and Recovery: Solutions for Challenges faced by Small Women-Led Businesses, Post-Pandemic Vani Sharma Managing Partner, TransNational Training Solutions Finance and Economics Highlights For a woman building one’s own business often remains a dream. Unconscious biases, low confidence in skills, blocked access to finance and networks, lack of family support, low focus on technology and digitization, poor marketing lead to slow success and abandonment. Women still make attempts. For most women entrepreneurs though, Covid has been back-breaking. The presentation focuses on innovative solutions that can repair the conduits. The study explores the Indian Government’s Schemes, indigenous networking platforms, resource mobilization techniques, market dynamics, and keys to our complex regulatory environment, in a post Covid scenario, which can be the game-changer for strapped businesses. Across the spectrum, challenges, stereotypes, nuances around women’s empowerment and vulnerabilities, are universal. Reboot and Recovery is a project that is trying to find solutions to challenges that women-owned businesses face.

5. Gender-friendly Tools and Equipment in Farm Mechanization Suresh A Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, Kerala Science and Technology Highlights

Agriculture is the traditional livelihood source of most of the rural women and drudgery of farm tools is still an issue. A major drudgery-producing factor is the usage of un-ergonomic tools and types of equipment by farm women. Farm women can be empowered in mechanized agriculture through capacity-building training and continuous handholding. Power-operated machinery and ergonomically designed tools and implements reduce the drudgery of farm operations and increase the physical well-being of the women's farm labour force. However, the adoption of farm technologies is found to be less among farm women, due not only to the technology itself but also due to several socio-cultural and economic reasons. Mechanization of agricultural operations on a farm reduces the drudgery involved, increases timeliness and efficiency of work, and increases profit. Gender Friendly Mechanization including the introduction of gender-friendly equipment and farm tools help to reduce drudgery and emphasize safety and comfort to the woman worker. Innumerable studies carried out in the ergonomic evaluation of machinery have indicated that the work performance output of women farmworkers improves when ergonomically suitable machinery is introduced among them.

It was clear that the improved tools with better ergonomic design could reduce the drudgery faced by farm women in manual weeding operations and their use is recommended. Traditionally, agriculture is an activity that sees ample participation of women, with women forming 38% of the agricultural workforce in developing countries.

6. An Autonomous Social Robot To Promote Proper Hand Hygiene Among Children In India Gayathri Manikutty, Ph.D. Scholar and Assistant Professor, AMMACHI labs, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Science and Technology Highlights Handwashing with soap is a low-cost and effective method to fight the spread of infectious diseases.

However, despite its simplicity and effectiveness, establishing regular hand washing behaviours has been a challenge for several hand washing interventions. Children are especially vulnerable to morbidities such as anemia, diarrhoea, respiratory 16

diseases, and epidemics such as Covid-19 and can benefit from learning proper hand washing techniques from a very young age, which also gives the added benefit that such practices can become a lifelong habit. Social robots built with autonomous behaviours have the potential to become scalable behavior change coaches in schools and community settings. With this goal, the author will present our work in the design of an autonomous social robot that would act as a handwashing assisting agent in schools to encourage and motivate children to practice proper handwashing techniques as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Designed social robots built with autonomous behaviours creating the potential to become scalable behavior change coaches in schools and community settings. Robotics and AI are increasingly becoming a reality, indicating the criticality of a gender-inclusive perspective in the design of technology to ensure women are not further excluded from advancements in technology that are meant to enhance their wellbeing and life, overall.

Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 1 - (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 2) Moderated by Dr. Meltem Alkoyak-Yildiz, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 1. Gender Intersectionality In Recycling Laís dos Santos Pacheco, University Federal of Ouro Preto, Brazil Highlights Women enter and remain in the female recycling associations where employees are primarily engaged in plastic materials collection. African-American and black women face more challenges starting at the beginning stages of life and these challenges are systematic. There is often a compromise on the formal field of work for other informal jobs. Fixed salary, intense workload are some of the troubles affecting their placement at such associations. Due to the Covid situation there is higher exposure of women to risks given the lack of labor policies and social rights.This research tries to find how to take such jobs to the mainstream, so that safety and security become part of such policies, particularly at the sudden, unexpected onset of such a pandemic.

2. Actions For Better Gender Inclusion In Management of Integrated Water Resources Alexsandra Matilde Rezende Rosa, University Federal of Ouro Preto, Brazil Highlights Gender inclusion in water resources is a subject of concern. Women have been largely left outside decision making in this field. In the absence of training there is lack of participation and professional social relations amongst women. Women are also caught up with other tasks and hence unable to participate well in the field. There are prevalent calls for changes in the levels and extent of women’s participation in decision making related to community resources especially water. There is a need for political engagement and public policies to sensitise and promote access and control on assets by women. Covid is a wake up call for taking account of the needs of women too in spite of cultural and historical differences between genders.

Brazilian legislation has measures to encourage women’s participation at various levels. Perhaps we need more support in all areas. The research looks at the importance of women in this field: which women should be there? How to equally divide the tasks? It also has potential for collaboration on the different ways to engage women towards better participation in water resource management.

3. Inside-Out: The Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Ritualistic Traditions Amulya Dixit, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights The research objective is to look into what happened to the rituals, specific to women during Covid. Although women have been integral components of various rituals, there has been a marked shift in their participation post Covid. Covid may also have affected the emergence of new rituals and practices based on social distancing and other Covid guidelines which need to be looked deeper into. The research strives to understand the changes by doing a before and after Covid study of the scenario. It also looks into how women have perceived the scenario based on their psychological conditioning.

A possible research angle focuses on how the rituals 17

sustain themselves. How to make women understand the real scenario/facts about the pandemic and influences on new rituals? In this context the study looks into these angles (1) Contradicting roles of women in the ritual landscape (2) Psychological conditioning of women (3) Transformation of the ritual landscape (4) Reasons for the transformation (5) Vat Savitri @ MP (6) Corona Maayi - Goddess.

4. The Culture of Spiritual Connectedness to Nature: Towards Sustainable Water Management in South India Rondine Twist, Esq., Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights The study focuses on sustainable management of water. Water is connected to nature and us. In this context does spiritual understanding impact this connectedness. A spiritual connectedness to nature implies reverence towards nature. In South Indian water-based communities, the livelihoods, and economic, social & cultural activities revolve around the water bodies. There is a traditional culture of reverence towards the water bodies. The study looks into communities at a village level that live near water bodies, and how their culture and spirituality are connected to water. The research proposes plans to use culture and spirituality in the training and intervention processes at a community level. The anecdote from Amma’s life, and related research, suggest that spiritual connection to water can leverage sustainable water management. However, in recent times, spiritual practices have been lost, and the connectedness with nature/water has also been lost. Where spiritual connection has been lost, reconnecting the people with nature can play a vital role in addressing the sustainability challenges. This theory will be tested through further field research. There has been a strain on water resources. The study plans to use culture and spirituality in the training and intervention.

Highlights This study seeks to explore the different post-pandemic roles of female refugees and how these roles have influenced and shaped household livelihood and migration aspirations. There has been a reported increase in women participation in labour among the refugees. There is a growing incidence of transactionality (stay in one region and do business in another). This study further advances the growing literature on the post-pandemic effect on women and the resilience strategies they have adopted to cope with the growing household need.

Based on these, recommendations for further study are suggested. The author suggests that further study should be carried out to investigate the health and nutrition status of children at the Adagon refugee settlement. Further study should also be carried out to further investigate the flow and intensity of internal migration among the refugees in Nigeria.

6. Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Women Employment And Leadership As Onboard Maritime Officers In India Matov Baker, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights Spatial and temporal complexities in enforcing gender inclusion are ‘wicked paradoxes’ in scaling up women seafarers. A pragmatic gendered framework that seeks to incorporate and enforce practice through laying out robust practices of commitment and intrinsic sociological transformation is urgently needed in India. This could be done relating to the AWESOME framework and systems thinking approach. Inclusion of women in various sectors of maritime. Research about how to improve women’s decision-making capacity and engagement through the Awesome framework is looked into.

Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 2 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 1) 5. Internal Migration and Feminization of Labour among Refugees: The Post-Pandemic role of Female refugees in Adagon Refugee Settlement Bernard Attah Otu, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri

Moderated by Dr. Joost Monks, Lecturer, University of Geneva 1. Art and Stories of Expressing Being and Feeling Safe in Disaster Support in Japan: Popoki’s Friendship Story and Popoki’s Mask gallery.

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Dr. Ronni Alexander, UNESCO Chair on Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Support, Kobe University Highlights Dr. Ronni is the only UNESCO Chair on Gender and Disaster and this paper presents a gender perspective in disaster risk reduction and recovery. Women tend to be more vulnerable than men in disaster, their familial responsibilities increase, and they’re adversely affected over longer time periods. Covid is no exception with worsened effects such as the increases in domestic violence and the prevalence of women in front-line positions. The focus is on what makes people feel safe and use that knowledge to help in emergencies. Popoki’s friendship story is a drawing project in the wake of the tsunami and nuclear disaster. She learned that drawing helps people express what they cannot say in words and allows space for reflection and helps to bring back the everyday in abnormal times. Drawing weaves stories and social media together, providing connection and conversation that can be done by anyone at any time. It provides something to share with future generations. Covid has removed private spaces for women and projects like these create a way to express, provide a space for laughter, and a way to take back the everyday while providing hope for the future.

2. Leadership and Agency by Women Engineers in South Africa.

Dr. Hannelie Nel, University of Johannesburg Highlights Though women represent 50% of the South African population they earn 20% less than men. Only 6–11% of the engineering workforce are women and 2% of academic staff in higher education are women. This research explored reasons using a qualitative action approach – interviews with women in the technical sectors to determine challenges faced. Results included an 11 chapter report.

Women are experiencing resistance progressing to senior roles, and must also balance family roles, lack of childcare facilities, and gender discrimination in the workplace. Gender equality remains low on the priority list in South Africa, which is struggling with other issues such as violence and racial discrimination, and which is a patriarchal society.

Gender empowerment holds more value for women in engineering than gender equity. In engineering, feminism can aggravate situations where acknowledgment for being a woman is demanded or expected and can be an over-justification. Professional networks, support relationships, and connections are vital for success, as are investments in personal health, routine, and keystone habits. Covid has accelerated automation and digitalization and sped labor market disruption, and disruptive skills are required more often but this trend tends to emphasize occupational gender segregation. The combined effects, also including the double shift (working at work and then working on home responsibilities) are likely to mean a scarring effect on future economic opportunities for women, and portend the possibility of inferior re-employment prospects and lowering income. Women’s collective agency is what can transform society and the means through which women demonstrate leadership and self-actualization. Gender positive recovery policies and practices are needed, especially in the areas of childcare availability, a proactive focus on overcoming occupational segregation by gender, and reskilling policies. Future work will follow up on a 2018 publication “The Development of Women and Young Professionals in STEM Careers”.

3. Transforming the role of Women in the Consulting Engineering Industry in the Post-Pandemic Era. Dr. Michelle Kruger, Chair FIDIC Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Highlights The paper focused on the decimating effect of the pandemic on women in engineering and the fact that there is limited research to quantify the effect.

It is known that when women are well represented at the top echelons of organizations, profit, and share performance can be 50% higher. Women are more likely to embrace employee-friendly policies and champion racial and gender diversity. They are also more likely to sponsor and mentor women.

Post pandemic new need for agility, adjustments to scope and skillsets, tolerance for failure, and understanding the value of humanity, diversity, and age. There are opportunities for working mothers, such as the C-Suite pipeline, and professional reg19

istration. This needs ongoing surveys, interviews, and the creation of training courses. Diversity as a source of revenue and cash flow is of the utmost significance.

4. Enhancing Women’s Leadership Trajectories Via Female Role Models Project with Numbers UNESCO Chair Dr. Asli Mert, Koc University

accessible in remote locations, and fosters a better work-life balance. The paper describes the blended learning model employed, which focused on flex learning. Significance in India is that it mitigates all the challenges mentioned above. The future strategy would focus on inclusive education that’s gender-sensitive and customized for particular villages.

Pa r a l l e l S es s i o n 2 (B r e a ko u t Ro o m 2) Highlights The study looked at 10 sectors (academia, science, and technology, sustainable design, entrepreneurship, business, etc) covering 108 candidates and 82 graduates; conducted 6 training and seminar days, 14 module training with 12 seminar panels and guests, 20 sectoral meetings as part of this leadership project. At the commencement of the project only 31.5% of participants felt confident as leaders, which increased to 81.4% after attending the events. 80% think the project will contribute to their personal and career development. Participants derived great value from the mentorship and togetherness of the project. Sustainability was encouraged through a LinkedIn group called “Role Model Leader Women Network'' and through a maintained website grmlk.ku.edu.tr/en/. Leadership importance was emphasized in the context of Covid. Supporting women in leadership in all sectors leads to better outcomes, including profit, employee-friendly policies, cross-sector, and inter-sector collaboration.

5. Implications of Blended Learning on Women Empowerment in Rural India in Post-pandemic era Ph.D. candidate Rasika Ajay Soman, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Highlights Challenges for women in India include gender-biased norms, restrictions related to schooling, traveling long distances, skill development, and employment, as well as lack of technical knowhow and financial/emotional dependence on family. Blended learning includes flexibility, self-paced learning, group learning, access to technology, one on one attention and has many advantages, including more inclusive education, and lessening of restrictions because it requires less travel and cost, is

Moderated by Dr. Meltem Alkoyak-Yildiz, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 1. Stem Education Michelo K. Moonga, Zambian National STEM Foundation Highlights Many challenges arise from the lack of policy measures from Governments to enhance STEM education. Women bore the brunt of it because of the impact it has had on their income streams. The study also looks at opportunities to collaborate with researchers on policy recommendation papers. The key takeaways are (1) focus on STEM Education in Education Policy Program, (2) integration of STEM oriented programs in the business processes and CPD (Continuous Professional Development), including local value chains, (3) use of technologies that support women to work remotely, (4) build technological infrastructure and economical support that will increase opportunities for women to participate in STEM based careers.

2. Impact of the Covid-19 Lockdown on Economic and Psychosocial Well-being of Rural Women Veena Suresh, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights The study describes the impact of the first lockdown in rural India with focus on women led self help groups. Covid has had a direct impact on the employment status and income of every household. The number of working days has reduced.

Nutrition and quality of food has reduced. There is an adverse effect on the mental health of women.

The impact was different depending on the type of employment available for women. Aids an20

nounced by the Government and private agencies did not reach the rural populations on time. Self help groups functioning came to a standstill by the mere fact that it relied on the coming together of the groups to function. The study also looks at how needs assessment could be very crucial in meeting the genuine needs of people in the community.

The findings of the study will enable the potential stakeholders in the field of rural development to better understand the needs of disadvantaged women groups during disasters.

3. Women’s optimism, and psychological and reflective responses to a global pandemic Dr. Malini Frey, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights How is Covid pandemic affecting overall mental wellbeing? Depression and anxiety are the common mental disorders. The study focused on optimism and the impact of optimism to psychological well-being. The speaker talked about how optimism enhances the speed of mental recovery and compared the perception of people in Spain and Brazil across varying levels of dissatisfaction. Optimism is possibly correlated with compassion, and negative traits such as anxiety go together. The more the optimism, the more the compassion and less the anxiety. Women who are optimistic were also very self-reflective. There are certain opportunities in this regard. Mediators and moderators in relationship between psychosocial variables that affect well-being can help inform details when we design interventions or training programs.

4. Mapping the Mental Healthcare System in Kerala: A Literature Review Amarachi Onyeyirichi Ogbonna, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights There is a lack of mental health professionals and facilities in the state of Kerala. Only 1.16% of the health budget is spent on mental illness. More than 80% of people who are affected by mental health issues do not get support from the public and private healthcare system due to lack of sufficient

mental health professionals, low mental health literacy and awareness, and lack of community mental health facilities. There are about four levels of challenges i.e mental, structure, pattern and event level challenges. The study suggests combining Ayurveda and Allopathic mental health services to bridge the gaps in the system and looks at possibilities to combine ayurveda and allopathic medicine.

5. Impact of poor water services on the incidence of Covid-19 and its implication on the health of rural women in India Martin Kanyagui, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Highlights The study investigated access to water and how it changes during the Covid pandemic. There is a need for equal, if not greater, attention toward females for Covid-19 care. The factors contributing to the higher case female mortality ratio are multifaceted including cultural, financial and institutional.

To reverse the trend, there is a need for a holistic approach which tackles the root cause. There is a need for collaboration between all relevant stakeholders including private, public and cultural for the effect of Covid on women to be resolved. There is an urgent need for collaboration on studies that look at successful collaborative communities and how we can share that knowledge across communities.

Concluding Session In order to make these exchanges fruitful and followed up by concrete actions, Dr. Tarek Rashed introduced the following action items: Follow-up action items: 1. Discussing and endorsing a Declaration to be signed by UNESCO Chairs' 2. Introducing and paving the way for the International Conference on Advancing Women's Empowerment through Systems Model Expansion (AWESOME) (December 6-8, 2021) 3. Organizing a common event or joint initiative for International Women’s Day 2022 4. Exploring the hosting of a summit portal to build a community of interest/practice among members of the Chairs 21

5. Brainstorming other means of routine communication throughout the year (working groups, monthly colloquium, invited talks, shared hashtags, etc.)

6. Determining nominees and plans for hosting W37 Summit 2022

C o n f e r e n c e A g e n da

Dr. Bhavani Rao and Dr. Tarek Rashed warmly thanked each of the participants to the event, including the guest of honours, distinguished guest speakers, UNESCO Representatives, UNESCO Chairs, academics, practitioners and researchers presenting on Day 2.

A p p e n d i c es 1. Conference Agenda 2. Members of the Organizing Committee 3. Opening Addresses 4. Report of the Conference by the General Rapporteur 5. List of Participants

Conference Website https://ammachilabs.org/w36-global-summit/

S i g n e d D ec l a r at i o n Fac e b o o k G ro u p fo r W 3 6 G lo b a l UNESCO C h a i rs https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalunescochairs

AMMACHI L a b s Yo u T u b e C h a n n e l Replays of live-streams, selected speaker talks and much more: youtube.com/ammachilab

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