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What motivated you to work on gender equality?

Good question. It was a happy coincidence, actually! Just over 25 years ago, I was living in Jerusalem and preparing to start my post-graduate studies in science education, with the full intention of specializing as a teacher/educator. I was approached by an acquaintance about a work opportunity as a Project Assistant with UNDP for an initiative to support the participation of Palestinian women in the Fourth World Conference on Women convened by the United Nations in Beijing, China. I applied and ended up being selected for the post! It was a difficult choice to make at the time, but I decided to defer my studies to have the opportunity to work with the UN and particularly, what I felt would be a historic global event.

I did not go to Beijing myself to attend what is now considered a landmark world conference on women, but felt really satisfied to help women activists participate. In interacting with these amazing women and hearing about their work, I knew that I wanted to be part of the action. When the visionary agenda of the Beijing Platform for Action came into being, that was it – it was a done deal. I applied to a UNIFEM [former UN Development Fund for Women] post for following up the conference and its platform, and the rest as they say, is history. About my studies, in case you were wondering, I never went back to science education, but years later I did pursue a postgraduate degree specialization in Feminist/Gender Studies.

As the Regional Director of UN Women you are a member of the Regional UN System for Europe and Central Asia, which has been proposing new models of cooperation among UN agencies, programmes and funds, such as the creation of Issue-based Coalitions, including one on Gender Equality. What do you think has been so far the main result of this Issue-based Coalition and how do you consider the cooperation within the UN family, including UNESCO, in this context?

Many times in the UN, the terminology that we use can mystify what we are doing. Luckily, an Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) is exactly what the name implies. It is a group in this case of UN agencies which are coming together to lend their voice, knowledge and resources for combined action around key issues in the region. One of those “big” issues is gender equality. In the Europe and Central Asia region, it has been highlighted both as a central priority in need of accelerated action and as an accelerator for the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals.

It is wonderful that so many agencies have rallied around this issue and brought their expertise and energy into the Issue-Based Coalition on Gender Equality that UN Women co-chairs with UNFPA. This includes UNESCO of course. What has been the main result? There are a couple that I would like to highlight. Oftentimes, “gender” and “women” are marginal issues that become projectized and easily subject to superficial lip service. Through the collective voice and action of all the members of this IBC, we have made sure that it is tabled as a central issue at the UN decision-making tables at national and regional levels.

The other result that we have achieved is the sense of synergy and collaboration among the different agencies whereby each member of the coalition acts as an advocate and expert on behalf of the group as well as using the power of the group to advance gender equality within their respective work in the region. This has certainly been the case with UNESCO in its contributions to the Coalition and also engaging the Coalition to advance gender equality in UNESCO’s mandated areas of work. We really see this as reform in progress.

We recently concluded the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign in December of last year. What have been the main challenges in organizing the campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and Central Asia?

COVID-19 has challenged all of us to work in different ways. In addition, as usual, people innovate and “make it work”. Perhaps one of the most poignant markers of the 16 Days of Activism has been the orange color, which is a symbol of hope, joy and a brighter future. Moreover, this year, perhaps it struck a deeper chord and there was orange everywhere. COVID-19 seems to have deepened empathy; empathy with women who already shoulder twice as much unpaid care and domestic work as men and who have to juggle responsibilities with new work and schooling realities; and empathy for survivors of violence who have been isolated and locked in with their abusers due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In 2020, because of COVID-19, we have seen amazing creativity and new ideas that we are thinking of adopting after the crisis is over. Many activities moved online, which has expanded reach and engagement. At the same time, keeping the theme of the 16 Days very much top of mind, online violence against women and girls and inherent biases in ICT – an area of work that 91�鶹������Ʒ���� done a great deal to highlight – have come into sharper focus.

It will be great to continue to explore all these areas that have been brought into the spotlight because of COVID-19 so that they are not forgotten when things go back to “normal”, whatever that will be. This year, the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women will focus on the theme of women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. There are a lot of important discussions that need to take place and we look forward to everyone becoming part of the conversation.

Could you share one of the most unforgettable experience/lesson learned during the implementation of women empowerment related programmes?

Don’t fall into the trap of being “the” expert. If we want to know what needs to be done to support women survivors of violence, we should talk to these women and the frontline workers supporting them. If we want to know how to support women in business, talk to women entrepreneurs and workers, learn from them. They have the expertise to inform what needs to get done and how it should be done. If you are working on gender equality and women’s empowerment, then you should frame your work through the lens of seeing, understanding and enabling the proper “experts” to be in the conversation.

UN Women and UNESCO are working with partners around the world to close the gender gap in STEM fields and digital technologies. As the Regional Director of UN Women, what is the most important message you would like to pass to young women to help them address these barriers?

Norms change. When I think back to my school and university days, I almost cannot believe how much unacceptable behavior was the norm - so many things that would be immediately shut down in a conversation or situation today. I was not always the one who raised my voice to challenge these norms, even when in my heart of hearts I felt uneasy. I am so thankful to all of those women and men, who did speak up and who still do so. Over the years, I have learned how important it is to speak up and I have added my voice.

We stand on the shoulders of those who fight the good fight and in turn, we must have strong shoulders and support others that face discrimination, bias and injustice, even in their subtlest forms. In my undergraduate years I was a STEM student. I wish I could go back and tell myself to support others when they speak up and not be afraid to use my own voice. Barriers can and should be broken. We must shine light in the darkness. Norms can and do change if we build a critical mass of the willing. We need to support the pioneer women in every walk of life and help them to carry the torch for future generations!

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