Thursday 6 June
The Power of Movements: What happens when many demand change
At the heart of global movements for progress lies the power of people joining together and the power of many demanding the same change. Movements have transformed lives, changed the world, and have powered real, sustainable progress. The Power of Movements…
Barkha Dutt
Barkha Dutt is an award-winning TV journalist, anchor and columnist with more than two decades of reporting experience. She is India’s only Emmy-nominated journalist who has won multiple national and international awards, including the Padmashri, which is India’s fourth highest civilian honour.
Barkha graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi with a degree in English Literature. She did her Master’s in Journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Barkha has reported from some of the toughest spots and conflict zones in India and across the world including Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Egypt. Her frontline reporting of the Kargil war first made her a household name.
She is an out spoken feminist voice on the global stage and also the Founder-Editor of Mojo, a multi-media events and content venture. She is also the founder of ‘We The Women’, a multi-city festival and current affairs website that focuses on the biggest gender debates of our time.
She is a featured Columnist with Washington Post; appears regularly as an analyst on CNN and BBC and is also a Contributing Editor at The Week magazine.
Ailbhe Smyth
Ailbhe Smyth is a long-time activist and campaigner on feminist, LGBTI+and socialist issues. She lectured at University College Dublin for many years, where she was the founding head of Women’s Studies, and has published widely on feminism, politics and culture in Ireland. Ailbhe left academia in the mid-2000s to focus on working with women’s community organisations and in social movement politics. She has been involved in many campaigns and was a strategic executive member of the victorious same-sex marriage campaign in 2015. She has been fighting for women’s right to choose for over 35 years, and was Co-Director of the Together for Yes national referendum campaign which removed the near-total ban on abortion from the Irish Constitution with a majority of 66% in 2018. She convenes the Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment, and is a regular contributor to media and national debate on a host of issues in Ireland. In April 2019, Ailbhe was included on the TIME 100 'Most Influential People' list for her work with Repeal the 8th Amendment campaign, along with the other two campaign co-directors.
Zoleka Mandela
Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of the late President Nelson Mandela, is a breast cancer survivor, author, global advocate and campaigner.
Zoleka currently serves as Ambassador for the Child Health Initiative (CHI) and its advocacy campaigning, leading a global call to action for adolescent health. She also campaigns as a leading advocate for action on road traffic injury and traffic safety in memory of her daughter Zenani Mandela, who was killed in a road crash in Johannesburg aged just 13. Zoleka has also campaigned globally on cancer and NCDs with the Union of International Cancer Control (UICC) and NCD Alliance.
Zoleka’s campaigning achievements have been recognised by the United Nations Millennium Campaign and the United Nations Development Programme, and she has addressed the UN General Assembly on her campaign issues.
Zoleka is inspired by her grandfather, Nelson Mandela, her grandmother Winne Mandela, and her family to campaign for humanitarian causes as a committed social activist. Following the legacy of her grandparents she is a passionate supporter of civil rights and women’s empowerment. She is the founder of the Zoleka Mandela Foundation which focuses its activities on road safety, breast cancer and social responsibility.
Haldis Holst
Haldis Holst is Deputy General Secretary of Education International (EI) which represents organisations of teachers and other education employees across the globe and is the world’s largest federation of unions.
Ms. Holst is also currently Chair of the Governing Board of The European Wergeland Centre (EWC). The EWC is a resource centre based in Oslo for education professionals, researchers, civil society, policymakers, parents and students across Europe. In addition, Ms. Holst serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and on the Board of the Global Campaign Against Child Labour.
Ms. Holst graduated as a teacher in 1983, after majoring in English and Physical Education. She has worked as a teacher in primary and secondary schools and has been a union representative at local, regional and national level. In 2001, she became Vice-President of Norsk Lærerlag (NL). After the merger of the two largest teacher unions in Norway in 2002, she was an Executive Board member and later Vice President of Utdanningsforbundet (Union of Education Norway).
Ms. Holst has also served as Norway’s representative on the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and been a member of the Executive Board of Education International. Ms. Holst was Vice-President of EI from 2009 –2012.
Tarana Burke
For more than 25 years, activist and advocate Tarana J. Burke has worked at the intersection of racial justice and sexual violence. Fueled by commitments to interrupt sexual violence and other systemic inequalities disproportionately impacting marginalized people, particularly black women and girls, Tarana has created and led various campaigns focused on increasing access to resources and support for impacted communities, including the ‘me too’ movement.
A proud native of the Bronx, NY, Tarana’s passion for community organizing began in the late 1980’s when as a young girl, she joined a youth development organization called 21st Century, and led campaigns around issues like racial discrimination, housing inequality and economic justice across the city. That work, coupled with a desire to deepen her education and organizing skills led her to attend Alabama State University, a historically black institution. Her organizing and advocacy work continued throughout college and remains a pillar of her professional life.
Her career took an intentional turn toward supporting survivors of sexual violence upon moving to Selma, Alabama to work for 21st Century. She encountered dozens of black girls who were sharing stories of sexual violence and abuse, stories she identified with very well. Tarana realized too many girls were suffering through abuse without access to resources, safe spaces and support, so in 2007 she created Justbe Inc., an organization committed to the empowerment and wellness of black girls. The impacts of Justbe Inc. are widespread, as the program, which was adopted by every public school in Selma, has hundreds of alumni who have gone on to thrive and succeed in various ways. Tarana’s role as the senior director at Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn, NY, an inter-generational non-profit dedicated to strengthening local communities by creating opportunities for young women and girls to live self-determined lives, is a continuation of what she considers her lifes’ work.
Since #metoo, the hashtag she created more than ten years ago, went viral last fall Tarana has emerged as a global leader in the evolving conversation around sexual violence and the need for survivor-centered solutions. Her theory of using empathy to empower survivors is changing the way the nation and the world think about and engage with survivors, and her belief that healing isn’t a destination but a journey has touched and inspired millions of survivors who previously lived with the pain, shame and trauma of their assaults in isolation.
Vanina Escales
Vanina Escales is an essayist and a journalist, and a founder of the movement Ni Una Menos. She was a member of the founding group of journalists, and was the one to propose the name ‘Ni Una Menos’ for their platform. She is director of LatFem, a feminist media based in Argentina, it provides a free access information service, mainly focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. She has been a member of the Communications Area of the Center for Legal and Social Studies -CELS-since August 2014. CELS is an Argentine human rights organization founded during the last military dictatorship.
Between 2010 and 2012, she was a doctorate scholar in the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET, according to its initials in Spanish). She won scholarships from the National Arts Fund for the literature category in both 2003 and 2009. She wrote a biography of the anarchist and feminist writer Salvadora Medina Onrubia (in press), of the philosopher Lou Andreas Salomé (Capital Intelectual, 2008) and compiled two anthologies, accompanied with preliminary studies: Crónicas del Centenario by Juan José de Soiza Reilly (Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina, 2008) and Desobediencia civil y otros escritos by Henry David Thoreau (Editorial Terramar, 2009). Her journalism has centered on problems linked to gender, institutional violence and human rights, and also writes as a critic and cultural journalist.
Tina Tchen
Tina Tchen shares hope, ideas and strategies that inspire others to recognize the power of diverse teams and keep equality on the forefront of the global agenda.
During her eight years at the White House, Tina served as chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, assistant to President Barack Obama, and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, leading the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families and the first-ever United State of Women Summit.
A high-powered lawyer, Tina’s career accomplishments have established her as a powerful advocate for gender equality. Tina is actively involved with the Time’s Up initiative, where 300 prominent women in the entertainment world have banded together to create a legal defense fund which aims to support women dealing with sexual harassment across all industries. Ms. Tchen co-founded the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which is administered by the National Women’s Law Center, and has raised over $22 million to connect victims of workplace sexual harassment with lawyers. She is a partner at Buckley LLP, where she leads the firm’s Workplace Cultural Compliance practice.
A passionate champion for women’s and children’s issues, including women in positions of leadership, Tina shares her unique perspective and insights on workplace culture, breaking through male-dominated industries, and ending campus sexual assault. Energetic, authentic and engaging on stage, she empowers the next generation to raise their voices and take action now to secure a better tomorrow for women and minorities across the country and world.
- Date
- Thursday 6 June
- Location
- Plenary Hall, Vancouver Convention Center
- Hours
- 8:30 am - 10:00 am PST
- Speakers
- Barkha Dutt
- Ailbhe Smyth
- Zoleka Mandela
- Haldis Holst
- Tarana Burke
- Vanina Escales
- Tina Tchen
- Noelene Nabulivou
- Tags
- Plenary
The Power of Movements: What happens when many demand change
At the heart of global movements for progress lies the power of people joining together and the power of many demanding the same change. Movements have transformed lives, changed the world, and have powered real, sustainable progress. The Power of Movements will bring together founders and key catalysts of some of the most important movements of our lifetime. These movements are shaping critical consciousness and marshalling collective action for change - for and with girls and women around the world.
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Moderator: Barkha Dutt, Columnist, Washington Post and Founding Editor, We The Women
Flash Panels:
- Ailbhe Smyth, Co-Director, Together for Yes
- Zoleka Mandela, Ambassador, Child Health Initiative (CHI)
- Haldis Holst, Deputy General Secretary, Education International
- Tarana Burke, Founder, The #MeToo Movement
- Vanina Escales, Founder, The ‘Ni Una Menos’ Movement
- Tina Tchen, Former Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama and Co-Founder of Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund
- Noelene Nabulivou, Political Adviser, DIVA for Equality
- Yvonne Leina Chi, Founder, Gender Danger
Delivering for Girls and Women Award Presentation
The Power of Youth: How young, intersectional feminists are changing the world!
Time to shake things up. In this session, young people from around the world will leverage the WD2019 plenary stage to explore the beauties, complexities, and challenges of being a young, intersectional, and globally oriented feminist advocate in…
Rega Jha
Rega is a writer and creator interested in telling stories across platforms which examine the overlaps of popular culture, digital behaviour, gender politics, and youth wellbeing. She founded BuzzFeed in India in 2014 and served as its editor-in-chief for four years, building up a team and brand that stand for progressive values, authenticity, and social justice among millions of young Indians. Rega studied writing at Columbia University and is 27 years old.
Aya Chebbi
Aya Chebbi is an award-winning Pan-African feminist. She is the first African Union Youth Envoy and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet. She is the founder of multiple platforms such as Youth Programme of Holistic Empowerment Mentoring (Y-PHEM), Afrika Youth Movement (AYM), and Afresist. Aya served on the Board of Directors of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the World Refugee Council, and Oxfam Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct.
Chebbi became a world renowned blogger during Tunisia’s Revolution running Proudly Tunisian. Her blogs were published at OpenDemocracy and Al-Jazeera among others. Since then, she has been traveling across the African continent to support and train thousands of social movement leaders and activists on mobilization, blogging, leadership and non-violence and continues to travel the world as a scholar, mentor, speaker and activist.
In 2012, Chebbi was a Fulbright scholar at Georgia Southern University and 2015 Mo Ibrahim Scholar for her Masters in African Politics at SOAS, University of London. She was recognized in 2016 and 2018 among 100 Under 40 Most Influential Africans in the World. She received the 2016 Inspirational Woman of the Year by Women4Africa Awards, 2017 Pan-African Humanitarian Award by Pahawards and 2018 Young Talent of the year by UNLEASH Festival.
June Eric-Udorie
June Eric-Udorie is a writer and a feminist campaigner based in Great Britain. She is a journalist and blogger for the Guardian and the New Statesman, as well as Cosmopolitan. In 2016, the BBC included her as an inspirational and influential woman on the list of 100 Women. June successfully petitioned to include the study of feminism to the A-level politics curriculum in the UK, and was a member of Plan UK’s Youth Advisory Panel. She is also an FGM Ambassador for Plan UK and the Young Press Officer for Integrate Bristol. June was nominated for the Young Commentariat of the Year in 2015, as well as the Words By Women Award in 2015 and the PRECIOUS Awards for Leadership. She has also been selected as a trainee editor for Random House.
Alencia Johnson
Named to EBONY Magazine’s “Power 100” list of influential African Americans and PRWeek’s “40 Under 40” list, Alencia Johnson is a political operative and strategic communications, sitting at the intersection of social justice, politics, and culture. Alencia advises on strategies to engage women and communities of color and is a sought after cultural commentator.
As the Director of Public Engagement at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Alencia engages political, media, entertainment and corporate influencers to shift mainstream culture with positive perceptions of reproductive rights. Alencia created Planned Parenthood’s Constituency Communications department, responsible for national communication campaigns engaging communities of color and new audiences. She developed communication strategies with campaigns for candidates endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, including Hillary Clinton for America.
In 2012, Alencia served on the campaign to re-elect President Barack Obama, managing surrogate and influencer strategies to reach Black communities and young people.
Alencia has been seen on MSNBC, NewsOne, BET, Huffington Post Live, and featured in NPR, Washington Post, ESSENCE and more. Alencia has been recognized on "The Root 100" list of influential Black leaders, named a "Champion in PR" by PRWeek and received the Woman of the Year Award from Harvard University’s Black Men’s Forum.
Alencia began her communications career at GEICO’s corporate headquarters after graduating from Christopher Newport University.
Deneka Thomas
Deneka Thomas is a Women Deliver Young Leader (Class of 2018) who is an internationally recognized poet, writer, arts educator, and activist from Trinidad and Tobago. Deneka is also the Program Manager of Girl Be Heard Trinidad and Tobago. She is a committee member on the Caribbean Regional Youth Council and has been published in print and online publications, and is currently working on her first collection of poems.
Deneka is the 2018 National Grand Slam Defending Champion and a resident poet and Teaching Artist at The 2 Cents Movement. She also mentors youth through various secondary school poetry clubs across Trinidad and Tobago. Deneka’s passion for empowering young people through art and poetry led her to create and assist in the creation of curriculums, programs, and youth outreach with various organizations.
As an advocate, Deneka is proud to lead one of the most upcoming female-led and serving organizations in her country. She has been the face of many campaigns and initiatives that promote equality and human rights. Her work is a mixture of advocating for women, LGBT rights, environmentalism, and exploring culture and diaspora. She has married her passion for championing women's issues and love for the earth's ecology to create her personal brand of eco-feminism.
- Organization
- Uhai; East African Sexual Health & Rights Initiative
Cleopatra Kambugu
Cleo Kambugu is a Ugandan trans activist and the Director of Programmes at Africa's first Indigenous activist LGBTIQ and sex worker focused fund, UHAI EASHRI. UHAI works to a resource sex worker, sexual and gender minority organizing in Eastern Africa through flexible grantmaking, capacity support and support for convening. It works to resource organizing in three languages in seven countries - Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, DRC, Kenya and Uganda.
Cleo currently co-chairs the Global Philanthropy Project’s trans working group; serves on Astraea Lesbian Foundation's Activist Advisory Board; has facilitated conversations that led to the formation of the International Trans Fund and ISDAO, the West African LGBTIQ activist fund; and she currently sits on the advisory board for Transgender Europe's Trans Violence Tracking and Trans Murder Monitoring Project.
Prior to her 11 years in philanthropy and activism, Cleo worked with the trans community in Uganda to advocate for affirmative trans health services. Her documentary, The Pearl of Africa is available on the Netflix platform and has received global accolades and has been used locally and globally by activist groups to raise visibility about transhealth.
Cleo loves farming and has a degree in agriculture with a focus on Plant Pathology. Her passion to understand the genetic basis of sex and gender drove her to pursue an M.Sc. in molecular biology and biotechnology.
- Date
- Thursday 6 June
- Location
- Plenary Hall, Vancouver Convention Center
- Hours
- 10:30 am - 11:30 am PST
- Speakers
- Rega Jha
- Aya Chebbi
- June Eric-Udorie
- Alencia Johnson
- Deneka Thomas
- Cleopatra Kambugu
- Tags
- Plenary
The Power of Youth: How young, intersectional feminists are changing the world!
Time to shake things up. In this session, young people from around the world will leverage the WD2019 plenary stage to explore the beauties, complexities, and challenges of being a young, intersectional, and globally oriented feminist advocate in 2019. We know by now that youth are powerful – and not just because half the global population is under the age of 30. Youth are powering progress and change in their peer groups, families, schools, communities, city councils and local governments, nations, regions, and the world over. They are meaningfully engaged across all regions of the world: deploying innovative strategies to fuel and sustain movements; battling climate change, mass incarceration, and everyday sexism; running for office and winning; and masterfully applying advocacy tools and tactics in tireless pursuit of gender equality and social change. Join us for fun, inspiration, and challenges to your way of thinking. We will also close out this innovative plenary with news and updates from the Social Enterprise Challenge.
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Host: Rega Jha, Founder, Buzzfeed India
Interviews:
- Cleo Kambugu, Women Deliver Young Leader
- Aya Chebbi, Award-winning Pan-African Feminist Special Envoy on Youth, African Union
- June Eric-Udorie, Writer and Activist
- Alencia Johnson, Director, Public Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Performance: Deneka Thomas, Women Deliver Young Leader
Social Enterprise Award Presentations
The Power of Momentum: What’s next on the trajectory towards gender equality?
It doesn’t stop here. There is much work to be done. There is opposition to the issues, but also many upcoming opportunities that can help move the needle further for gender equality and girls’ and women’s health and rights. The Power of Momentum…
Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga
Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga is an engaged journalist who defends the freedom of expression and gender equality. She is founder and Chief-Editor of Swiss magazine, Klvin Mag, correspondent in Switzerland for France 24 (French International Tv channel) and for CGTN-Français (International Chinese channel in French language). She is vice-president of the Swiss Press Club (Club Suisse de la Presse). She is also a presenter and producer of television news reports.
A TV, radio and print journalist specialized in African politics and women issues, Catherine has been based in Geneva since 1999. She has covered many armed conflicts in Africa and hosted seminars with West African journalists to sensitize them to the duty of non-partisan information.
She is a regular speaker and moderator at high profile conferences on security, humanitarian relief, health care, trade, culture and women’s issues. She has interviewed numerous World leaders.
She often collaborates with international Foundations or NGOs to promote peace, safety and international cooperation through education and training. She was elected vice-president of the Association of the Accredited Correspondents at UN Geneva (ACANU).
Catherine was born in Geneva (Switzerland) to a father from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a Belgian Flemish mother.
The Honourable Maryam Monsef
The Honourable Maryam Monsef is the Member of Parliament for Peterborough—Kawartha, and Canada’s Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality.
After running for Mayor of Peterborough in 2014, she became the first woman to be elected in the federal riding of Peterborough—Kawartha, the first Afghan-Canadian Member of Parliament in Canada’s history, and the first Muslim to serve as a federal Cabinet Minister.
Drawing on her years of experience in community organizing, Minister Monsef has worked with local organizations, including the YWCA of Peterborough and Haliburton Board of Directors, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group, and the New Canadians Centre. She has served as the Vice-President of the YWCA in her riding, and sat on a number of councils and committees dedicated to promoting social and economic justice. She also founded the Red Pashmina Campaign, which raised money to support education for women and girls in Afghanistan.
As Minister for Women and Gender Equality, she has led Status of Women Canada’s transition from agency to the new Department for Women and Gender Equality, and has secured major investments in Canada’s equality-seeking movement, including over $200 million to help prevent and address gender-based violence, and $100 million to build the capacity of women’s organizations from coast to coast to coast. She launched the first-ever federal gender-based violence strategy, has worked with the Minister of Finance to ensure that all federal budgets have to undergo a gender budgeting process; and partnered with the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government to create and pass historic proactive pay equity legislation to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the federally regulated sector.
Minister Monsef has lived in Peterborough since 1996, and has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Trent University. She speaks English, Farsi and Dari, and continues to work on her French.
- Organization
- Moose Hide Campaign
Raven Lacerte
Raven Lacerte is a proud member of the Carrier First Nation and belongs to the Grizzly Bear Clan. She is the Co-Founder and Ambassador for the Moose Hide Campaign, a National grassroots effort to end violence towards Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and children. She is a hunter and a practitioner of traditional Indigenous cultural and ceremonial activities. Raven is a PROUD mother of daughter Cedar Sus! And a proud partner of Dominic Paul.
Saadia Zahidi
Saadia Zahidi is a Managing Director at the World Economic Forum and Head of the Forum's Centre for the New Economy and Society. Her teams work with leaders from business, government, civil society and academia to understand and shape the new economy, advance competitiveness, drive social mobility and inclusion, close skills gaps, prepare for the future of work and foster gender equality and diversity. Saadia founded and co-authors the Forum's Future of Jobs Report, Global Gender Gap Report, and Human Capital Report. Her book, Fifty Million Rising, charts the rise of working women in the Muslim world and is longlisted for the FT/Mckinsey Book of the Year 2018. She has been selected as one of the BBC's 100 Women and won the inaugural FT/Mckinsey Bracken Bower Prize for prospective authors under 35. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College, an MPhil in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of Geneva and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Her interests include the future of work, the impact of technology on employment, education and skills, income inequality and using big data for public good.
Arthur Erken
Since joining UNFPA in 1993, Arthur Erken has held a range of increasingly senior positions, both in policy (ICPD Secretariat; Technical and Evaluation Division; Office of the Executive Director), and programme (Division for Arab States and Europe; Africa Division; Asia and Pacific Division). He has served in both Headquarters and the field.
Since April 2015, he is the Director of the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships. Prior to that, he served as UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, providing strategic leadership and direction to the country programme and office. Prior to that, he served as UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh, where he successfully positioned UNFPA as a leader in maternal health and on the prevention of violence against women.
Arthur Erken, a national from the Netherlands, holds a masters degree in cultural anthropology. He is married and has two daughters.
Emilienne de León Aulina
Emilienne is Mexican and has over 25 years of experience working as a supporter and consultant of local and international human rights and women’s rights organizations. From 2000-2009 she served as the Executive Director of the Mexican Women’s Fund: Semillas. As the Executive Director of Semillas, Emilienne contributed to a very significant growth of the fundraising and grant making of this organization and to the establishment of its endowment. Her most outstanding achievement was to promote a culture of philanthropy in Mexico and to contribute to the founding of a local network of both individual (Red MIM) and corporate donors. Emilienne is acting as the Executive Director of Prospera, the International Network of Women’s Funds since 2010. Prospera has 38 Women’s Funds based in all over the world.
Emilienne has served in various local and international Boards during her career, like Movimiento Ciudadano por la Democracia México (1998-2005), Women’s Funding Network (2001-2008). She is also member of the Board of El Poder del Consumidor in Mexico and She is the actual Chair of the Institute of Leadership Simone de Beauvoir. Emilienne received the E-News XXI Century Leaders Award in 2005.
- Organization
- UN Women
Lopa Banerjee
Lopa Banerjee is the Director of the Civil Society Division at UN Women. She leads UN Women’s work on partnering with, supporting and strengthening women’s rights groups and civil society networks as well as their contribution, participation and influence in policy discussion at global, regional and national levels. Lopa’s work focuses on partnership development with civil society organizations to influence global action on gender equality, in particular related to standard setting, policy discussion and stakeholder accountability.A gender and human rights thematic expert with substantive experience in social policy and governance issues across Asia and Africa, Lopa has worked for over 3 decades on international development, policy advocacy, communication and partnership building, across the UN and in the private sector in different countries. Lopa’s areas of specialization include feminist policy advocacy and analysis, and inclusive partnership development and engagement. She lives in New York City.
- Date
- Thursday 6 June
- Location
- Plenary Hall, Vancouver Convention Center
- Hours
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm PST
- Speakers
- Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga
- The Honourable Maryam Monsef
- Raven Lacerte
- Saadia Zahidi
- Arthur Erken
- Emilienne de León Aulina
- Lopa Banerjee
- Tags
- Plenary
The Power of Momentum: What’s next on the trajectory towards gender equality?
It doesn’t stop here. There is much work to be done. There is opposition to the issues, but also many upcoming opportunities that can help move the needle further for gender equality and girls’ and women’s health and rights. The Power of Momentum will discuss the incredible potential for progress when moments, movements, and investments are linked and coordinated. We will explore the way forward, connecting WD2019, the French G7, ICPD+25, Beijing+25, and other key political moments. And we will discuss how we can seize funding, commitments, and enthusiasm to propel exponential progress.
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Opening Video: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization
Moderator: Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga, Senior Reporter
Panel:
- Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Government of Canada
- Raven Lacerte, Co-Founder and Ambassador, Moose Hide Campaign
- Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director and Head, Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum
- Arthur Erken, Director, Communications and Strategic Partnerships, UNFPA
- Emilienne de Leon, Executive Director, Prospera
- Lopa Banerjee, Director, Civil Society Division, UN Women
The Power of All: Closing celebration of the Women Deliver 2019 Conference
Join the closing plenary of the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, where we’ll come together in reflection and celebration. We will recap the highlights of WD2019, see how people participated through satellite events across the globe, and discuss how each…
Chmba
Chmba (Ellen Chilemba) is a DJ, Producer and Activist. She is the Founder of Tiwale, a women’s center in Malawi supporting girls/women through economic and educational opportunities. Chmba started Tiwale at 17-years-old to end the vicious cycle of child marriage. Tiwale has supported over 250 women in educational and vocation skills training opportunities. Chmba has since shifted to primarily curating educational and collective safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Africans.
For her work, she was named Glamour Magazine’s College Woman of the Year, Forbes’ Africa 30 Under 30, Ashoka Future Forward Winner, Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, Global Citizen Youth Advocate, One Young World Ambassador, Commonwealth Awardee for Excellence in Development and Powell Emerging Leader.
Femi Oke
Femi Oke is an award winning international journalist, broadcaster and co-founder of the diverse moderators bureau “Moderate The Panel.” Based in Washington, D.C., she hosts the interactive current affairs show “The Stream” for Al Jazeera English; is a correspondent for the Al Jazeera documentary series “Fault Lines”; and the social media contributor for NPR’s midday news program “Here and Now.”
Femi’s reporting has been recognized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency and InterAction. Since the 1980s, she has worked for BBC television and radio, Sky TV, all the U.K. terrestrial television networks, CNN and U.S. public radio. As a professional moderator Femi has presided over world class events including European Development Days for the European Commission, NBA Africa Celebratory Luncheon for the U.S. National Basketball Association, and the historic Barbershop Conference at the United Nations Headquarters. She relishes feedback while moderating live events, so if you tweet @FemiOke, be prepared to be part of the program.
- Organization
- Women Deliver
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is an engaged advocate for gender equality and a mother of three young children. Over the past 15 years, she has been involved with a variety of causes as a speaker and mentor, including causes for teenage self-esteem, women and girls’ rights and freedoms, eating disorders and mental health.
In 2013, Sophie received the UN Women National Committee Canada Recognition Award for her contribution to human rights. She received the 2018 Humanitarians Award from the United Nations Association of New York.
As part of her advocacy, she works as an official spokesperson for Plan Canada’s “Because I am a Girl” initiative and the FitSpirit Foundation. She was named influencer for the Deliver for Good campaign of Women Deliver. Sophie is always looking to deepen the conversation around mental and physical well-being and is now the National ambassador and ally to We Well-being to bring awareness on mental health.
As a mother, Sophie’s outdoorsy and energetic personality translates into regular active family time in nature and practicing a multitude of sports. She was honoured as the 100th member of Nature Canada’s Women for Nature initiative for her support of nature and the outdoors and continues to be committed to sharing her passion for nature with Canadians as Honourary Guide for Families for Parks Canada.
Fully bilingual, Sophie studied Commerce at McGill University, and finished her B.A. in Communications at the Université de Montréal. She completed another degree at the École de radio et de télévision Promédia in Montreal. After her studies, she worked in sales and advertising before becoming a television and radio reporter.
Her intrinsic curiosity and her willingness to explore spirituality motivated Sophie to study hatha yoga and attain her certification. She has also completed her “Radiant Child” kundalini yoga teacher training, a practice specifically for children, and has taught classes on a volunteer basis at a public school close to her home.
Katja Iversen
Katja Iversen is the President/CEO of Women Deliver – a leading global advocate for investment in gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women, with a specific focus on maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Iversen, an internationally recognized expert on development, advocacy and communications, has more than 25 years of experience working in NGOs, corporates and United Nation agencies. Previously, she held the position as Chief of Strategic Communication and Public Advocacy with UNICEF, a position she came to after almost six years of leading the team responsible for advocacy and communication on reproductive health with UNFPA. She holds a master’s degree in communications, bachelor’s degree in public administration and certificates in management, conflict resolution, and international development. Iversen has worked in global development for more than 20 years and has an extensive network within the UN, development communities, and global media. She has counseled and trained multiple Fortune 500 executives on cross cultural management and cross cultural communication. She is a member of President Macron’s G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, the Unilever Sustainability Advisory Council, the MIT Women & Technology Solve Leadership Group, and an International Gender Champion. Iversen was recently named 2018 Dane of the Year and included in the top 10 of Apolitical’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. She is also a sought lecturer and speaker.
Girl Be Heard
Girl Be Heard develops, amplifies, and celebrates the voices of young women through socially conscious theatre-making. Founding CEO/Executive Director Jessica Greer Morris will be joined by performing artists Chelsea Allison, Camryn Bruno, Halle Paredes, and Breani Saintonge (aka Purrsian White) who will light up the stage at Women Deliver with their original spoken word poems, raps. Halle wrote the song that will performed.
Girl Be Heard (GBH) runs after school and weekend programs in NYC and Trinidad and Tobago. GBH centers our youth as experts in their own lives. Our education curriculum and methodology is designed to create safe, fun, nurturing spaces for self-expression, grow individual talents (writing, rapping, acting, step dancing, singing) and provide opportunities for youth to “be heard” at open mics and ensemble shows during their first year with us. Economic empowerment is central to our work. After one year, our artist/activists (ages 13 and up) get paid $15 per hour and up for devising and performing their original work.
As a theatre collective, GBH uses performance and personal storytelling to catalyze change around systemic human rights issues youth face around the world. We bring workshops and performances into detention centers, schools, refugee camps, domestic violence shelters, churches, community centers, theaters and countless other venues. We also work in partnership with the United Nations, the State Department, and local elected officials to engage and persuade decision-makers to advocate for, invest in, and create policies that protect, empower, and elevate the status of women, girls, and gender non-conforming youth. GBH has toured 8 countries (Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad, United Kingdom, United States). To bring Girl Be Heard to your community, please contact girlbeheard@girlbeheard.org.
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo, three-time Grammy Award winner, is one of the greatest artists in international music. Time Magazine considers her “the first African diva” and the Guardian has noted her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world. Her ability to mix Beninese traditions with current music along with her striking voice has taken her beyond African borders from Olympia to Carnegie Hall. She has also been recognized for her strong humanitarian commitment. In 2006, she founded The Batonga Foundation, a nonprofit that works to help empower vulnerable young women and girls in her home country of Benin. Her tireless pursuits to help children in need around the world have led her to be appointed as UNICEF’s International Goodwill Ambassador and to receive Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award.
- Date
- Thursday 6 June
- Location
- Plenary Hall, Vancouver Convention Center
- Hours
- 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm PST
- Speakers
- Chmba
- Femi Oke
- Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
- Katja Iversen
- Girl Be Heard
- Angélique Kidjo
- Tags
- Plenary
The Power of All: Closing celebration of the Women Deliver 2019 Conference
Join the closing plenary of the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, where we’ll come together in reflection and celebration. We will recap the highlights of WD2019, see how people participated through satellite events across the globe, and discuss how each and every one of us must go home and use our power – and use it for good. There will be laughter, commitments, and of course – great music to send us off.
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Opening Music: “DJ Chmba” Ellen Chilemba, DJ, Producer, and Activist
Master of Ceremonies (MC): Femi Oke, Senior Host, Al Jazeera English
Celebration Opening: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Deliver for Good Influencer, Women Deliver
Video: Michelle Obama, Former First Lady, United States of America
Closing Remarks: Katja Iversen, President/CEO, Women Deliver
Special Performance: Girl Be Heard
How will you use your power?
-Carolyn Tastad, Group President, North America, P&G
- Lina Abirafeh, Executive Director, the Arab Institute for Women at Lebanese American University
- Sandy Abdelmessih, Young Leader
- Rukshana Kapali, Youth Engagement Working Group Member and Young Leader
- Diana Abou Abbas, Executive Director, Marsa Sexual Health Center in Lebanon
- Winrose Nyaguthii Mwangi, Groots Kenya
- Amadou Kanoute, Executive Director, CICODEV Africa
- Grand Chief Edward John, First Nations Summit Task Group
- Marisa Viana, Executive Coordinator, RESURJ
- Chris Jochnick, CEO, Landesa
- Helga Fogstad, Executive-Director, PMNCH
- Peter Sands, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Loren Rodwin, Managing Director, Social Enterprise Team, OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION
Remarks and Music: Angélique Kidjo, Grammy Award Winning Singer and Activist
Closing Action Items: Katja Iversen, President/CEO, Women Deliver
Closing Music: Angélique Kidjo, Grammy Award Winning Singer and Activist