International Conference Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Equality
COFACE organised, in cooperation with the UN Focal Point on the Family, the international conference ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Gender Equality: the role of family policies and exchange of good practices’ in the auditorium of the University of Amsterdam, on 19-20 April. The event was supported by the University of Amsterdam and the European Commission, and was organised in partnership with the social entreprise Pro Parents and the Institute on Gender Equality and Women’s History (ATRIA).
The conference put a spotlight on the role of family policies in the implementation of the SDGs and specifically engaged in one of the most important and holistic targets of the SDGs: to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (Goal 5). Policymakers, researchers, employers, parents, civil society representatives… Close to 100 participants from more than 20 different nationalities attended the conference in the Aula Oude Lutherse Kerk, an impressive building of the University of Amsterdam.
The conference was opened by Renata Kaczmarska, Social Affairs Officer, UN Focal Point on the Family, Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE and Dymph van den Boom, Rector of the University of Amsterdam. Jan Vandemoortele, delivered a thought-provoking speech on how sustainable are the Sustainable Development Goals. Pearl Dykstra, Professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam discussed about policies and gender equality in the family realm. “Gender equality requires ungoing maintenance”, said Jet Bussemaker, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. Antia Wiersma, from the Institute on Gender Equality and Women’s History, Atria, stated “Women and men have the same amount of leisure time, but half the career, half the money & twice the worries”. Manuela Geleng, from the DG Employment at the European Commission, explained the role of the EU in implementing the SDGs and promoting gender equality.
The second day was divided into three interactive sessions: (1) Unpaid care and shared responsibilities within the household, (2) The role of civil society organisations in achieving the SDGs and (3) Achieving gender equality and the SDGs through European policies.
For the first time since COFACE obtained the UN consultative status in2014, we organised a joint event with the UN focal point on the family in Amsterdam.
Following the event, COFACE Families Europe published the policy paper: THE ROLE OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY ASSOCIATIONS IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SDGs
More information:
Conference Programme
Pictures of the event
Conference Opener (Annemie Drieskens, Coface Families Europe President)
Uses of time, reconciliation and shared responsability (Ascension Iglesias, UNAF President)
H.E. Minister dr. Jet Bussemaker
Policies and gender equality in the family realm (Pearl Dykstra, Families in Context)
