Why Women are Key to a Better World

Hosted by: AIIAV ACCESS

The event will start on: Wednesday, 19 October 2011 6:00 PM

And will end on: Wednesday, 19 October 2011 7:30 PM

At Dyason House

124 Jolimont Road East , Melbourne Victoria

03 9654 7271     events.vic@aiia.asn.au

Posted by: vic   

An ACCESS event open to all: 

‘A woman multiplies the impact of an investment in her future by extending benefits to the world around her’ [USAID].  Therefore whether the goal is to reduce poverty and hunger; improve health or access to education; or encourage democracy, successful efforts must target women and also consider the broader structural issues at play.   Although this is acknowledged by governments around the world, Millennium Development Goal Three:  ‘Promote gender equality and empower women’ is off track, and poverty reduction, economic growth and broader development indicators are limited because of this. Joanna Hayter and Mina Barling will present on some of the challenges and opportunities to ensuring women are central to development efforts as we countdown to 2015.  

Joanna Hayter is the Executive Director of IWDA, the only Australian development agency solely focused on gender equality and women’s rights.  Joanna has experience ranging across four continents and twenty five countries and her former roles include: Country Director for the Burnet Institute in Burma; Country Director for Save the Children UK in Vietnam; and Regional Director for Africa with the Overseas Service Bureau.  Joanna will draw upon 25 years of experience in the international aid and community development sector to explain how empowering women economically, increasing women’s control over resources, lifting women’s political voice and addressing violence against women can have a profound impact on development and improve the lives of the most vulnerable worldwide.  Joanna will particularly emphasise the importance of women in developing countries as agents of change. 

Mina Barling is the Manager of Policy and Partnerships at Marie Stopes International, a non-government, not for profit organisation that delivers family planning and reproductive healthcare in over 40 countries. Mina has recently returned from an assignment in Cambodia with Marie Stopes International working to increase access to safe reproductive health services, including setting up sexual and reproductive health clinics within garment factory infirmaries. Before this, Mina lived in South Australia where she worked for both non government and government agencies on initiatives including researching positive factors for school retention for high school students who were pregnant and parenting, leading the Women’s Safety Strategy for the Office for Women and Attorney General’s Department, advising the Minister for the Status of Women on gender issues and working in Cabinet Office managing the establishment of The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. She was also a Board Director for the YWCA. Mina will explore how global policies impact maternal health outcomes, with a case study from Cambodia to demonstrate how development partners (and women) navigate around policy trends.

Pre-payment welcomed, or payment at the door:

• $20
• Students free on presentation of a current student card

If you plan to attend this function, please advise us at least 1 day before the event.

Refreshments will be served.