In collaboration with the University of Westminster, GENDRO president, Dr Shirin Heidari, delivered a lecture on gender mainstreaming in international organizations to students in the International Relations Program at the University of Westminster in London, United Kingdom.
GENDRO participated in Policy Workshop: Institutional ambitions and approaches to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in research and innovation (EDI) as part of the INSPIRE Conference in Budapest, Hungary. The INSPIRE Conference brought together over 70 global thought leaders featuring dynamic discussions, including insights on intersectional policy, critical perspectives on sexism-racism in higher education, and an exploration of GEPs through an intersectional lens. As Europe’s Centre of Excellence on inclusive gender equality in research and innovation, INSPIRE serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and innovative policies. The policy workshop discussed the advancement of an ecosystem perspective on EDI; supporting pioneering actions by science institutions on implementing EDI goals in R&I; and policy recommendations for the next EU GE Strategy. The president of GENDRO conveyed insights gained from the development and widespread adoption of the SAGER guidelines as a notable illustration of endeavors aimed at instigating systemic changes within the research ecosystem, with a focus on fostering increased equality and diversity in science.
Event website: INSPIRE Conference 2023: Pioneering Inclusive Gender Equality in R&I
In partnership with the IAS, GENDRO supported the IAS Mentorship Programme, offering a session on how to consider sex and gender considerations in HIV research, policy, and advocacy.
Event website: IAS Mentorship Programmes
Shirin Heidari, Els Torreele, Ahmet Metin Gülmezoglu, Sharifah Sekalala, Naomi Burke-Shyne, Gabrielle Landry Chappuis
From HIV and influenza, to Zika virus, Ebola virus disease, and most recently COVID-19, the gender implications of disease outbreaks and the detrimental effects of a lack of a gender lens in the way governments and societies respond to large-scale and contained epidemics are well documented. Pandemics create differential vulnerabilities with particular negative implications for women in all their diversities and their health, and further exacerbate long-existing, deep-rooted gender inequalities and social injustices, more severely disadvantaging women in low-income and middleincome countries, women in marginalised communities, and women who are criminalised.
The Global Launch of the Commission report on Women, Power, and Cancer, was co-hosted by GENDRO, alongside other partners, at the Geneva Graduate Institute. The report investigates the intersection of women, power, and cancer, beyond the scope of “women’s cancers” and explores various aspects of cancer experiences among women, considering factors such as gender bias and discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The Lancet Commission’s approach is firmly grounded in intersectional feminism. This framework places women’s concerns, voices, and needs at the core of its work. Importantly, this approach doesn’t exclude men but aims to generate evidence that truly reflects the complexity and diversity of women’s experiences.
The launch event featured presentations of key findings and recommendations, by Dr Ophira Ginsburg, NICC, Lead Commissioner, aimed at inspiring real-world action for transformational change. Following her, Dr Shirin Heidari, president of GENDRO and a commissioner to the report, offered remarks on the critical contribution of the intersectional feminist approach to advancing cancer research, prevention, diagnosis and care. She emphasized the need to bring feminism back into conversations about health, especially cancer. Feminism can serve as a powerful lens through which to examine health disparities, and strive for social change and justice.
Distinguished speakers joining the panels, included Ophira Ginsburg, Shirin Heidari, Isabelle Soerjomataram, Verna Vanderpuye, Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy, Somesh Kumar, Jennifer Moodley, Karla Unger-Saldaña, Jérôme Salomon, Monica Bertagnolli, Kalipso Chalkidou, Lynette Denny, Bente Mikkelsen, and Micaela Serafini facilitated by Vania Coelho Wisdom and Richard Horton, The Lancet.
Event website: here.
Recording: (Embed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QFGdyGJD_0
Commission Report: here.
The Commission website: https://womenandcancercommission.org