International Women’s Day 2018

Thursday, 8 March 2018, is International Women’s Day. The observance celebrates women’s achievements and seeks to spark change on issues related to gender equality.  The theme for this year is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”.

Gender mainstreaming, gender sensitization and promoting gender equality and the rights of women worldwide have been important aspects of the training programmes at The Hague Academy for Local Governance. The Academy organises several trainings each year tailored to development officers, municipality officials, regional civil servants and ministry-level professionals and led by Qazal Jamali, the Academy’s expert trainer on gender-responsive governance and female leadership.

“Women play a vital role in lifting their communities out of poverty and promoting social development,” says Jamali. “But transforming women’s lives also requires transforming men’s thinking. From the beginning, our academy strives to promote cooperation within the whole of society and encourage equality.”

In this spirit and to mark International Women’s Day 2018, the Academy is pleased to highlight a selection of our current and past activities. And we encourage you to join the online conversation using the hashtags #IWD2018 #TimeIsNow #Men4Women and following @UN_Women on Twitter.

2018 Training

Gender Responsive Governance | 19-30 November 2018
Designed for both men and women, this 2-week course dives into gender-sensitive topics in local governance and explores the strategies and tools for mainstreaming gender approaches. As a participant, you will learn how to design inclusive policies and projects which can respond more effectively to the needs of women as well as men. Apply now

Articles

Learning from Dutch Successes and Failures in Achieving Gender Equality | September 2017
Nine high-level officials from India’s UN Women office visited The Hague for a tailor-made training aimed at familiarising the delegation with the Dutch national approach to gender equality policymaking.

Peacebuilding in Burundi From a Gender Perspective | September 2016
In the context of peace talks in this small African nation, the Academy facilitated a training on gender in violent conflict and peacebuilding.

Gender and Good Governance in Zanzibar | January 2014
The Hague Academy specialises in tailor-made trainings on gender responsive issues. This one focused on good governance in public service delivery in coordination with the Zanzibar Institute for Public Administration (IPA).

Women still make up fewer than 20% of councillors and just 5% of mayors worldwide, according to UCLG. But it isn’t enough to have women in elected office. All women and girls in our cities and territories must be empowered to participate in economic, cultural and political life.

Publications

A Gender Analysis of the 2017 Kenya General Elections | March 2018
A new report published by NDI and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Kenya) highlights a number of important political gains made by women during the 2017 general elections in Kenya.

Eight ways you can be a women’s rights advocate today, and every day | February 2018
From global marches to social media campaigns like #MeToo, women are raising their voices in unison, calling out sexual harassment, organizing for unequal pay and women’s political representation.

Take Action

Men4Women is a solidarity movement from a past participant of The Hague Academy who works for Free Press Unlimited. Learn more

Gender Equal Cities is a new initiative from URBACT and focused on driving change through gender-sensitive policymaking. Learn more