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Regional Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Leadership Summit
Online Alumni Knowledge Sharing Series
July 28-30, 2021 • 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM PHT • Zoom
The Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program in the Philippines (AAAEP-P) is proud to host the 2021 Regional Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Leadership Summit with the theme "Breaking Barriers: Working Together Towards Inclusive Recovery."
The Regional GEDSI Leadership Summit aims to support the steadfast and ongoing commitment of the Australian Government to promote gender equality and women empowerment as a means to contribute to growth, peace and security, development and stability. This initiative shall bring together around 400 alumni across key sectors in the Philippines and other Australia Awards programs in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss key issues on GEDSI and share best practices towards this advocacy. It is envisioned that participants will be able to develop an action plan to collaborate across the Indo-Pacific region in addressing the challenges faced by women, indigenous
people, LGBTQIA and people with disabilities from achieving their full potential.
Event details
The three half-day virtual Regional GEDSI Leadership Summit will be held on 28 - 30 July 2021. Before the actual event, interactive content will be available through Howspace, the online collaboration platform to be used for the conference. These will include the Social Impact Exhibit and the Virtual Institutional Visits of alumni-led programs supporting GEDSI.
Plenary and Concurrent Session
The program will feature a series of talks from alumni and subject matter experts including panel discussion and workshop sessions:
Keynote Address
Partnerships for Recovery: Regional Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development
The Role of Women in the 4th Industrial Revolution
Panel Forum
Equity and Equality: Leadership Journey Towards Social Inclusion
Concurrent Sessions
Breakout sessions on sectoral themes and issues on GEDSI
Virtual Intitutional visit and social impact exhibit
1. Virtual Institutional Visit
A unique component of the Regional GEDSI Leadership Summit is a virtual institutional visit that will provide an interactive learning experience with staunch alumni advocates from Indo-Pacific at the forefront of GEDSI advocacy. The sessions will be scheduled within one week before the actual Summit and comprise a virtual walkthrough of the organisations and projects through pre-produced videos.
2. Social Impact Exhibit
A photo exhibit of alumni projects and enterprises which benefit women, PWDs and marginalised sectors will also be featured online in Howspace. These may include alumni-owned or Embassy-supported and Alumni Grant Scheme projects.
Speakers - Day 1
H.E Steven J. Robinson AO
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines
Mr Robinson is a Deputy Secretary-level officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who presented his credentials to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on 15 January 2019.
Over his extensive career, Mr Robinson has developed and expanded Australia's relationships with a broad range of countries, with a particular focus on the South East Asian region. He has served in Australia's embassies in Jakarta, Yangon and Bangkok and has held a range of senior postions in Canberra across operational and corporate areas.
In 2009, Mr Robinson was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for service to Australia's international interests through a significant and sustained contribution".
H.E Julie-Ann Guivarra
Keynote Speaker
Ms Guivarra is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade where she served most recently as Australia's Ambassador to th Kingdom of Spain, Andorra and Equitorial Guinea. In this role Ms Guivarra became Australia's first female indigenous Ambassador. Prior to that appointment she served as Australia's lead services negotiator for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) while she was Assistant Secretary of the South East Asia Investment & Services Branch. She has multilateral experience, serving as the Counsellor (Agriculture) in the World Trade Organisation.
She has published on trade issues: "WTO accession negotiations: trends and results in agriculture plurilaterals", WTO Accessions and Trade Multilateralism: Case Studies and Lessons from the WTO at Twenty (2015). Her overseas postings include New Delhi, Geneva and Madrid and in Canberra she has also served as the Assistant Secretary of the South East Asia Analytical and Effectiveness Branch.
Rodora Turalde-Babaran
Concurrent Session Speaker
Ms Rodora Turalde-Babaran has been the Director of Human Development, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Department of the ASEAN Secretariat from September 2014. Ms Rodora is responsible for managing the overall,multifaceted operations of the Human Development Directorate under which are the four divisions namely, Health Division, Education, Youth and Sports Division, Labour and Civil Service Division, and the Poverty Eradication and Gender Division.
Angie received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and is a Gallup-Certified Strengths coach and a NLP practitioner.
Archill Niña Capistrano
Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Children's Legal Bureau Coordinator, Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment, University of the Philippines - Cebu
Arch also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Children's Legal Bureau Inc., a longstanding pro-women and pro-children non-governmental organization in Cebu. She earned her Bachelor of Arts major in Political Science degree (magna cum laude) at the University of San Carlos (USC) in 1996 and proceeded to complete her Bachelor of Laws degree in the same university in 2000.
She designed the first A.B. Political Science International Relations and Foreign Service specialization course offered by the Department of Political Science, School of Law and Governance of USC where she priviouslyworked as faculty member. Archill is also a member of the Philippine Bar and a lifetime member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Cebu City Chapter.
Dr Dennis Alonzo
Bachelor of Education Program Director, School of Education, University of New South Wales Sydney
Dennis is a test and scale developer, program evaluator, curriculum designer, and applied statistician. His area of interest revolves around Assessment for Learning (AFL) particularly in supporting teachers to make highly contextualised, consistent, fair and trusworthy assessment decisions to effectively support student learning.
He also researches on a board range of topics including student IT experiences, blended and online learning,standards-based assessment, equity and gifted education, learning analytics to help inform curriculum design, professional development and policy, and data-driven mining systems for optimum social performance.
Michelle Lacia
Lecturer in Mathematics, Statistics and Assessment of Learning, Notre Dame University, Cotabato City
Michelle is a lecturer both in the undergraduate and graduate school at Notre Dame University, Philippines. Her areas of specialization include Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Statistics, Assessment, and Curriculum in Mathematics. Her research interest involves teaching and assessment practices of mathematics teachers, factors affecting students' performance, problem-solving skills in mathematics, test and scales validity, and test standardization process.
Michelle is also a developer of different learning materials and course packs in mathematics, and training modules for teachers' effectiveness and competencies enhancement. She's currently involved in a module writing project on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. She also participates in different research endeavours including the multinational research project on "Trust in Algorithms".
Mariel Bayangos
Policy Analyst,Department of Education
Mariel is the division chief of the Policy Research and Development Division. She leads the establishment and strengthening of standards and systems on policy development, research management and monitoring and evaluation at the Department of Education. Part of her contribution is the advancing of participatory approach and use of evidence in the policy development process.
Her interests revolve around children participation in governance, teacher agency, risk resilience, school governance, policy advocacy and assessment. Her ongoing work includes affirming the role of education stakeholders in improving the implementation and assessment of education policies, strengthening partnership with research institutions and other government agencies to capture education policy issues in their respective research agenda and translation of education outcomes to program and policy design.
Mercy Masta
Co-founder of the PNG Youth Alliance on HIV and AIDS (YAHA); Board Director, Equal Playing Field
Graduated with a Master of Development and Gender Studies from the University of Melbourne (2012-2014) and has worked in variousDFAT programs including at Post and most recently with Pacific WomenShaping Pacific Developmentas Program Manager. She is currently undertaking a doctoral research on contemporary masculinities that are negotiated, (re)constructed or contested among men in the Pacific region.
Mercy has over 10 years of experience as a development practitioner and hasworked and volunteered in various areas including Health, HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive and Maternal Health, Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment & Rights, and Youth and Adolescent participation and development.
Sri Safitri
DEVP of Customer Experience & Digitalisation; Chief Digital Business Office of Telkom Indonesia
Sri is a leadership expert who delivers high-energy presentations that challenge audiences to leverage their focus and pay attention to what matters most at work and in life. She spoke in many international forums including Telco AI Summit Europe in London, Telcom Multimedia Forum Digital transformation World in France, Digital World Summit in Singapore, and other international forums and summits in Brunei, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Sri has been awarded a number of prizes and honours such as the Top Global CX Leaders 2020, Executive Award in 2018, Women Leadership Award in 2017, and Most Influential Brand Leaders Award in 2016.
Jose Decolongon
COO and Head of Corporate Foresight, Embiggen Consulting; Professor of Future Thinking and Strategic Management, Asian Institute of Management
Jose is a futurist and the pioneer of corporate foresight in the Philippines. His domain of interest include the future of work, the future of corporate innovation, and the intersection of foresight and innovation. He has two decades of international experience in a Swiss multinational organization where led local to global business improvement and strategic transformation initiatives acress the Asia Pacific and Europe.
He is an Australia Awards Scholar and completed his Master of Supply Chain Innovation degree from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.
Nathaniel "Dinky" Von Einsiedel
Principal Urban Planner, CONCEP Inc.
An Architect and an Environmental Planner, and is accredited by the United Nations, World Bank and Asian Development Bank as an Urban Development & Management Specialist.
He obtained his BS in Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines, his MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University in New York, and his PhD in Development Management from Pacific Western University in Hawaii. He has been elevated to the status of Fellow of both the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP).
In 2008, the Philippine Federation of Professional Organizations conferred upon him the Professional Excellence Award. He was also awarded by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) as Outstanding Environmental Planner in 2012. He now leads his own consulting firm, CONCEP, as its Principal Urban Planner.
Speakers - Day 2
Dr Julia Newton-Howes AM
Keynote Speaker
Dr Julia Newton-Howes AM is the CEO of Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government that seeks to catalyse inclusive economic growth in South East Asia through women’s economic empowerment. Investing in Women operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
SBefore joining IW, Julia was CEO of CARE Australia, one of Australia’s largest humanitarian and development organisations. She has also held various senior positions in international development, including at AusAID and the World Bank.
Julia is a Westpac AFR 100 Women of Influence Award Winner (2013), Telstra ACT Businesswoman of the Year (2013), and a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (2014). Julia has a PhD in Materials Science from Imperial College London.
Radha Wagle
Joint Secretary and Chief of Climate Change Management Division - Ministry of Forests and Environment
Dr. Wagle carried out her Doctoral thesis in Women Inclusion in Forest Bureaucracy from Monash University, Australia. She undertook her Master’s Degree from Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), Sweden with a major in Environmental Science.
Dr. Wagle has more than 20 years of experiences in the field of forestry, biodiversity and climate change, more specifically in community forestry, REDD+, sustainable forest management, protected area management and gender equality and social inclusion in forestry and climate change sector. She is the first female Joint Secretary in Nepal’s forest bureaucracy.
She is also serving as a National Gender and Climate Change Focal Person and National Focal Person to UNFCCC and IPCC.
Faiza Rahman Syed
Program Coordinator, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
Faiza is currently working as a Programme Coordinator in National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) from the platform of the Prime Minister’s Office. I am working at the intersection of Humanitarian, Gender, Education, Disaster Response, Recovery and Mitigation.
NDMA was appointed as the lead agency to deal with COVID-19 at National Level by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. COVID-19 left the world grappling to come to terms with the pandemic and the additional growing threat of humanitarian disasters. This platform connects highly impactful social and governmental sector organizations, in need of development interventions that can dramatically scale up the impact.
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh
Founder and Director - Action to the Community Development Institute, Vietnam
She holds a Master degree in Policy Advocacy on Disabilities and Public Management from Sydney University, and a Bachelorsdegreein Special Education for Children with Disabilities from Gent University, Belgium. Lan Anh also holds a certificate on health equity training from Harvard and Yale Universities. Her tremendous efforts in advocatingforPWDs and taking action on disabilityissues have earned her numerous accolades and recognitions.
Over her 19-year career, Ms. Lan Anh has held various leadership positions to facilitate and enhance the social movement of PWDs in Vietnam, including Vice Chair of the Club of Women with Disabilities in Hanoi, Board Member of the Vietnamese Federation on Disabilities (VFD), and a Steering Committee member of Vietnam Women’s Union.
Limia Dewan
Senior Program Manager, Inclusiveness and Capacity Development Unit, BRAC
Ms. Limia Dewan is Senior Program Manager, Inclusiveness and Capacity Development Unit of BRAC Education Programme (BEP).
She joined in BRAC Education Program in 1995 as Material Developer and developed various educational materials, materials on life skill based education and implement Adolescent Peer Organized Network (APON) Boys. She has been working for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) since 2003. Gradually she has taken over responsibility of Education for Ethnic Children (EEC), Multi Lingual Education (MLE), Gender equality and Capacity Development of programmatic staff.
She has obtained extensive experience in designing, planning, implementing for different programme of BEP. As development specialist she has a demonstrated history of over 26 years working in the non-profit organization management industry.
Brenda Andrias
Programme Manager of the Safe and Prosperous Districts Programme with UN Women in Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Brenda Andriasis the Programme Manager of the Safe and Prosperous Districts Programme with UN Women in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Prior to joining the UN Women in PNG, Brenda worked with Pacific Women as the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer. Pacific Women is an Australian Government-funded program that works across 14Pacific Island countries to advance gender equality in the region.
Brenda obtained her Master of Public Policy, fromthe RMIT University in Melbourne (2014-2015), where she received training in project planning and M&E as part of her coursework. Her final research project involved action research on the impact of investing in women-owned small and medium enterprises in South-East Asia.
Cherrie De Erit Atilano
Founding Farmer, President and CEO of AGREA
Cherrie De Erit Atilano is the Founding Farmer, President and CEO of AGREA; an agriculture-focused and for-purpose inclusive enterprise anchored on Ecology of Dignity. AGREA aims to develop a living model of a replicable “one island” economy, founded on sustainable agriculture, livelihood programs, environment, community-based tourism and quality education of the children of farmers and fishermen. She is also a co-founder of HATIENDA Holdings Inc., an agritourism and agri-processing space to produce Filipino agricultural products for local and exports market.
She started working with farmers at the age of 12, by teaching them sustainable ways of farming that she read from a book. She was a working student and a scholar of Negros Occidental –PAGKAON to finish her degree
Amy Haddad
Director, GEDSI, TetraTech International Development
Cherrie De Erit Atilano is the Founding Farmer, President and CEO of AGREA; an agriculture-focused and for-purpose inclusive enterprise anchored on Ecology of Dignity. AGREA aims to develop a living model of a replicable “one island” economy, founded on sustainable agriculture, livelihood programs, environment, community-based tourism and quality education of the children of farmers and fishermen. She is also a co-founder of HATIENDA Holdings Inc., an agritourism and agri-processing space to produce Filipino agricultural products for local and exports market.
She started working with farmers at the age of 12, by teaching them sustainable ways of farming that she read from a book. She was a working student and a scholar of Negros Occidental –PAGKAON to finish her degree
Dr Iderlina Mateo-Babiano
Assistant Dean (Diversity and Inclusion) / Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Melbourne
Iderlina Mateo-Babiano, PhD is Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and Assistant Dean, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Melbourne. She is part of the award-winning Place Agency www.placeagency.org.au. She has convened the Women in Transport leadership (WiTL) knowledge network and led several Placemaking workshops leading to productive collaboration to advance real solutions and opportunities for positive place-based change.
Her latest books are Placemaking Sandbox: Emergent Approaches, Techniques and Practices to Create More Thriving Places (Palgrave, 2020) and Parking: An International Perspective (Elsevier, 2020).
Speakers - Day 3
H.E Penny Williams
Ambassador to Indonesia
Ms Williams is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was recently Deputy Secretary in the Department. She has previously served overseas as High Commissioner to Malaysia and was Australia's first Ambassador for Women and Girls. Ms Williams is Australia's first female Ambassador to Indonesia.
Ms Williams is fluent in Indonesian and holds a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Honours) focused on Indonesia; and a Masters of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development.
Time
Activity
Day 1
1:30 PM
Opening Ceremonies
2:00 PM
Welcome Remarks
H.E. Steven J. Robinson, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines
2:15 PM
Keynote Speech - Partnerships for Recovery: Regional Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development
H.E. Julie-Ann Guivarra, Australian Ambassador for Gender Equality
Photo Opportunity
2:25 PM
Interactive Activity
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Ms. Rodora T. Babaran - Building Inclusive Resilience - Mainstreaming GEDSI in COVID-19 Response and Recovery
- Atty. Archill Nina Capistrano - Children’s Protection Against Abuse and Child Trafficking
- AGS Team : Dr. Dennis Alonzo and Team - Digitalisation of teacher professional learning: The case of providing equal access to data and professional learning tools for teachers
- Mercy Masta - Engaging men and boys on Gender Equality in the Pacific: What men really think
- Samar Hasan - Bridging the Digital Divide: Economic Empowerment for All
- Sri Safitri - Inclusive Technology (I.T): Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Transformation
- Jose Decolongon - The Future of Work - Diversity and Inclusion Matters in the Workplace
- Nathaniel von Einsiedel - Safe Spaces: Building Healthy, Inclusive and Resilient Communities
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Integration and Closing
Day 2
1:30 PM
Opening Ceremonies
2:00 PM
Keynote Speech - The Role of Women in the 4th Industrial Revolution
Julia Newton-Howes
2:45 PM
Call for Action
Where do we go from here? – Crafting innovative solutions to GEDSI issues
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions
- Radha Wagle, PhD - The Role of Women in Climate Change in the Nepalese Context
- Faiza Rehman Syed - The Shadow Pandemic: Arresting the Rise of Gender-Based Violence
- Nguyen Thi Lan Anh - Empowering Persons with Disabilities in the New Normal
- Limia Dewan - Mainstreaming Inclusive Education and Social Inclusion of Students with Disabilities at Brac
- Brenda Andrias - Social Protection for Women in the Informal Economy: Lessons from the COVID-19 Response
- Cherrie Atilano - Championing a New Narrative for Agriculture
- Amy Haddad - Creating Inclusive Workplaces and Communities
- Dr. Iderlina Mateo-Babiano - Inclusive Planning for a Sustainable Future
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Integration and Closing
Day 3
1:45 PM
Panel Forum
Equity and Equality: Leadership Journey Towards Social Inclusion
- Eva Kasim
- Dr. Elise Stephenson
- Jeannie Javelosa
- Hawwa Leesha
- Dr. Shashini Gamage
3:15 PM
Action Planning Workshop
Where do we go from here? – Crafting innovative solutions to GEDSI issues
4:30 PM
Closing Ceremonies
4:50 PM
Closing Remarks
H.E. Penny Williams, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia
Photo Opportunity
Building Inclusive Resilience - Mainstreaming GEDSI in COVID-19 Response and Recovery
Rodora Turalde-Babaran
The presentation highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on GEDSI as well as ASEAN’s swift response to the pandemic, and the ASEAN’s response underscoring sector-specific measures and interventions, as well as other regional responses, including but not limited to the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the Joint Statement of the Special Video Conference of the ASEAN Health Ministers in Enhancing Cooperation on Coronavirus Disease 2019 Response.
Children’s Protection Against Abuse and Child Trafficking
Archill Niña Capistrano
To be loved is essential to persons inasmuch as to be used is true to things. But in a world driven by consumerist growth, much of life becomes (de)valued and commodified to a point that things are loved and people are used. Such is the plight of children as the latest phases of the industrial revolution engender ‘gadgetized consumerism’ to provide a swinging interface for child abuse and exploitation offline and online, now aggravated by the pandemic.
The Philippine experience of this ‘fluid violence’ on children shall be the backdrop of this session as it makes a case for pro-children leadership by drawing from, and dissecting, leadership’s key resource: Power. It shall juxtapose the country’s legal-structural compliance with child rights governance against alternative reports by civil society organizations so as to pay attention to gaps between existing rights protection frameworks and continuing
vulnerabilities of children. Ultimately, the session calls for leadership that is powered up with more fluid mechanisms to engage not only duty bearers but also the children themselves as human rights bearers.
Digitalisation of teacher professional learning: The case of providing equal access to data and professional learning tools for teachers
Dr Dennis Alonzo, Michelle Lacia & Mariel Bayangos
Teachers’ access to professional learning (PL) opportunities is influenced by their gender, indigeneity, and geographical location. It was also documented that the effectiveness of PL is mediated by teachers’ demographic background. In this presentation, we will present our ground-breaking study in providing equal access for teachers to develop their sense of self-efficacy, a construct that is associated with teaching effectiveness and increased student outcomes. This study is in response to the need for supporting teachers to remain effective despite of the changing and evolving context of learning and teaching.
We administered a questionnaire to teachers and the results of structural equation model of 27,823 responses from nine schools division allowed us to identify what factors predict teachers’ sense of self-efficacy. The beta values of the most parsimonious model were used as algorithms to
develop a mobile application designed to provide an assessment tool for teachers to regularly check their sense of self-efficacy beliefs. The use of mobile application breaks the barrier for teachers’ access to data as it generates a real time individual and collective results. The app also links the results of individual teachers to individualised professional development resource which outlines strategies for teachers to implement to help further enhance their self-efficacy. We will discuss how the development and the use of mobile application addresses inclusivity in teacher PL. We will conclude by highlighting research agenda related to developing a body of knowledge about the nexus of technology, inclusivity, access and opportunity.
Engaging men and boys on Gender Equality in the Pacific: What men really think?
Mercy Masta
Gender equality as a goal cannot be achieved if we don’t acknowledge or include ‘men as allies’ working alongside women. Unfortunately, global and local efforts towards gender equality are not achieving the desired outcome of transformation for men and boys. There is also very little known in the region about the extent of positive changes in masculinity. Although there is a growing recognition of the importance of engaging men and boys, current efforts towards reducing gender-based violence and achieving gender equality predominantly focuses on women and girls. In this session, I will discuss the views and experiences of Pacific island men engaged in gender-based violence projects, their concerns, and what they think can be done to meaningfully engage men and boys to reduce violence in the region.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Economic Empowerment for All
Samar Hasan
Although we live in an increasingly interconnected, complex, digitally dependent world, nearly half of the world’s population is still offline. While emerging technologies are transforming the way we live, work and do business, there are 3.7 billion people on the planet, mostly women and from developing countries, who are unable to benefit from new avenues of productivity and opportunities. The situation was alarming to begin with. However, with the onset of COVID-19, it has become even more acute as the digital divide has made it impossible for the disconnected ones to access remote health services, education or remote work.
Considering these issues, this talk aims to present strategies and initiatives to bridge the digital divide to create economic empowerment for everyone. At the same time, the talk will encourage participants to brainstorm in groups about how to bridge this divide for different
target audiences, including women, children, differently abled people and marginalized communities.
Interested individuals should come prepared to share their ideas and creativity!
Inclusive Technology (I.T): Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Transformation
Sri Safitri
My presentation will focus on Inclusive IT, gender and disability gap from the point of view of a woman who chose a career in IT. The presentation will discuss the importance of inclusive IT, how we can harness technology to close the digital gender gap and even successfully being women leaders by leveraging IT. Furthermore, it will also address barriers to inclusive digital technology accessibility in general and in the Indonesian context, challenges and opportunities related to inclusive digital technology accessibility in other countries in Asia and the Pacific. How are they different? What are the similarities? Which good practices have been implemented to promote inclusion of women and people with disabilities through digital technology? What should we do to promote greater access and flexibility for women and people with disabilities? Those are just a few questions that will be answered in the presentation along with personal stories and experiences of leading digital transformation in a giant tech industry in Indonesia.
The Future of Work - Diversity and Inclusion Matters in the Workplace
Jose Decolongon
In today’s VUCA world, leaders are compelled to reframe their view of the future, to proactively identify issues and uncertainties, and to develop a strategic mindset.
This talk is designed both as a provocation and ideation to see what’s possible in the light of various possibilities that lie ahead in the future of work and its implications to diversity and inclusion.
Safe Spaces: Building Healthy, Inclusive and Resilient Communities
Nathaniel "Dinky" Von Einsiedel
The whole world is becoming more and more urban, with communities forming into cities. At first glance, it would seem that the most important asset of any city are its high-quality buildings, sound infrastructure, and a strong workforce. But a closer look reveals that these and all other ingredients of a successful, sustainable, vibrant city have a deeper common foundation: the health, safety and wellbeing of its citizens.
This session focuses on the following questions:
(1) Why is health, inclusiveness and resiliency important for cities, and why is urban development important to health, resiliency and wellbeing?
(2) What are the benefits of mainstreaming health, safety, inclusiveness and resiliency in urban development?
(3) Which urban policies are good for public health, safety, inclusiveness and resiliency?
The Role of Women in the 4th Industrial Revolution
Dr Julia Newton-Howes AM
The current technological revolution holds a lot of promise for women’s economic participation, but this can only be realised through an embrace of diversity and gender equality. The barriers to women accessing economic opportunities can be deeply rooted within our workplaces and more broadly in societies. Too often these barriers are ignored, leading to women being excluded from certain sectors, congregating in low-paid and vulnerable work and with limited access to funding for all but micro entrepreneurial activities. The result is that businesses and economies are under-performing, and in the tech sector, male biases are continually being reinforced in new technologies. There are clear opportunities for change but governments, the private sector and individuals need to act. It is critical that we understand and rethink the factors that limit women’s participation in economic opportunities to capture the full benefits of the fourth industrial revolution.
The Role of Women in Climate Change Adaptation: A Nepalese Context
Radha Wagle
This paper tries to explore the role of women to tackle with climate change issues and various adaptation strategies they implemented in climate sensitive sectors and also examines current policies, plans and programs in terms their effectiveness. This paper is based on review of policies, plan and program of Government of Nepal and research in relation to women in particular and gender dimensions in general in the Nepalese context.
Nepal’s policies and strategies have been gradually transforming towards gender responsiveness. Gender equality has been counted as a crosscutting theme, and has emphasized the involvement of women in decision-making and benefit sharing mechanisms. Dedicated gender equality and social inclusion strategies and action plans have been adopted in various sectors such as agriculture, forestry and climate change. Those policies versioned for mainstreaming gender equality and
women’s concerns in policies, institutions and interventions.
The findings of researches shows that women are heavily involved in environment and climate sectors such as agriculture, forestry, water resource management, however, their representation in decision making is low and their concerns are often not reflected by the mainstream development planning, programming and implementation. Some women friendly climate technology found effective for climate change adaptation. Huge gaps exist between policy and practices. The number of representation women is in decision making level is increasing however women are facing several barriers and challenges such as male supremacists norms, values, power relations between men and women, sexual harassment and gender based violence.
This research recommends that the sensitization about differential impact of climate change along with policy awareness
is necessary among the planners, implementers and community leaders along with capacity development program which will facilitate to translate policy into practice. Networking among and beyond the sector will support to develop the female leaderships and women empowerment in the wider societies.
The Shadow Pandemic: Arresting the Rise of Gender-Based Violence
Faiza Rahman Syed
The capacities of the governments around the world have never been been challenged to this extent to protect their people. COVID-19 is beyond just a health problem. It is a multifaceted menace which has greatly impacted the lives and livelihoods of countless people around the world and Pakistan is no different.
Gender and Child Cell (GCC) has been established under the Disaster Management Act of 2010, which mandates NDMA to develop guidelines and SOPs for gender mainstreaming and gender sensitive adaptation for adequate response to disasters with a special focus on the needs and concerns of vulnerable population (women, children, elderly, people with disabilities). GCC, in itself, is an example of best practice in the region, where NDMA, Government of Pakistan being a signatory to a number of international frameworks, treaties and MOUs has practically stepped up to achieve the above.
I
will also talking about the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan Context. Moreover, how NDMA stepped up to adopt a proactive yet a reflective approach to its overall national and provincial COVID-19 response from a human rights perspective keeping in view all the above shadow pandemic issues.
Empowering Persons With Disabilities in the New Normal
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh
In this topic, I will share the rapid assessment from UNDP done last year. The rapid assessment gives us important insights into the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Vietnam especially in the context of COVID-19 and represents the first step on a longer journey of responding to these challenges.
Mainstreaming Inclusive Education and Social Inclusion of Students with Disabilities at Brac
Limia Dewan
Around the world, about 15% of people face some kind of disability and often get included in the most disadvantaged and marginalized group of children in our education system. Considering this, Bangladesh, like 192 countries, agreed to implement SDG 4 which says to ‘leave no one behind’ and for ensuring that emphasizes on ‘inclusive and quality education for all’. It aims to ensure equal access to proper education for persons with disabilities at all levels of education, and upgrade disability-sensitive education facilities. To develop the situation BRAC is supplementing the government of Bangladesh to enroll, provide educational support and other necessary technical support. BRAC has developed a system of including CWD (children with disabilities) in the educational structure of BRAC and later helps them to be included in the mainstream education. Their type of disability is identified using the standard tool
to create a reasonable accommodation and equitable education in the classroom. Before COVID-19 period, teachers were trained by us to consider the learning demands of the CWD while making the lesson plans and conducting teaching-learning approaches as well as ensuring classroom management such as seating arrangement appropriate for them.
But as COVID-19 spreads, the face to face classroom becomes impossible which is why alternatives were searched. With time, BEP (BRAC Education Programme) came up with the idea of ‘Homeschool’ for primary learners and ‘Radio School’ for pre-primary learners to combat the growing problem of learning loss for all including CWD. In Homeschool, teachers make small groups of 4 learners and teach each group separately through mobile phone conference calls as computers are very expensive for the vulnerable group. For children with disabilities, groups of 2 learners are
formed. We encourage parents to it by the children to support them in class. In Radio School, teachers talk about the must learn contents with rhymes and playfulness and engage the parents/guardians to help the child learn at home with suggested strategy. To conduct homeschool and Radio School, we were given orientation, trainings and detailed guidelines to make it effective. All of us followed the guidelines and took classes though conference call and Radio School.
Social Protection for Women in the Informal Economy: Lessons from the COVID-19 Response
Brenda Andrias
The impacts of COVID 19 was felt differently by various groups of people and from varying socio-economic statuses in the community. Workers engaged in volatile and unstable working arrangements like casual workers, low skilled labours and other less formal working arrangements were some of the first to be impacted. The job losses soon reflected in increase social problems and increased burdens on one or two employed family members.
Championing a New Narrative for Agriculture
Cherrie De Erit Atilano
Transforming our Food Systems to be sustainable, equitable and resilient. A paradigm shift of treating nutritious food not as a commodity but a human right, to make it affordable, accessible and culturally appropriate as well as respect planetary health. What does it take for us to create big changes in the current system that makes us sick and our environment sicker? The topic will tackle safe and nutritious food, sustainable food consumption, boosting nature positive production, building resilience and sustainable livelihoods to the different stakeholders in the food and value chain that leaves no one behind.
Creating Inclusive Workplaces and Communities
Amy Haddad
Inclusive workplaces and communities support individuals in all their diversity to participate and contribute to their full potential. ‘Inclusion practice’ continues to evolve as we seek to implement intersectional approaches that support the ‘whole human’ regardless of gender orientation, sexual identity, ability, age, caring responsibility, ethnic, cultural, indigenous and/or religious status.
This session will explore the opportunities and challenges in creating more inclusive workplaces and communities, including how responding to crises and change can also create opportunities to deepen inclusion and build resilience. We’ll explore the role of organisational culture, as well as institutional and personal leadership, and look at the connections between our workplaces, communities and governments. We’ll also consider whether workplace structures and practices really are ‘neutral’ and explore how
we could create spaces and structures in partnership with those we seek to include.
The session will draw on good/innovative practice, including from participants, with plenty of time for discussion.
Inclusive Planning for a Sustainable Future
Iderlina Mateo-Babiano
Diversity is a fact and Inclusion is a practice. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs define inclusive cities and communities as urban conurbations that “value and embrace diversity across race, gender, class, ability, generations and geography; ensure that the rights and freedom of all people are upheld; and ensure that the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups are responded to and safeguarded” (UN DESA, 2007).
In this presentation, I will use several case studies to introduce the theory and practice of inclusive planning, design and development. We will then explore the potential of adopting these case studies in your own city context. The purpose of this presentation is to (hopefully) inspire you and your team to develop your own place-based goals and action planning supporting more sustainable city futures.
Women in Leadership Network in Bhutan
Tashi Dema - Bhutan
Women in Leadership Network in Bhutan is part of the Australia Awards Women in Leadership Network for South and West Asia. Established in 2015, it has become an important avenue to support the empowerment of women in the region. The Network comprises of nearly 200 women and men committed to collective action, building capacities and capabilities to contribute to the achievement of long-term sustainable development in the region.
In 2019, the Australia Awards Women in Leadership Network in Bhutan conducted a fundraising event to support the education of disadvantaged girls from Zhemgang, a remote area in Bhutan.
Tashi Dema is the 2020 Chairperson of the Bhutan Australia Alumni Association. She currently works as an Editor from Kuensel Corporation Ltd.
