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Date: Late February – Early March
Location: India, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, JICA Headquarters (in alphabetical order)
Background and Objectives
JICA positions gender equality and women’s empowerment* as one of its key development issues, and is working to promote it through project implementation and organizational management.
Every year on March 8, International Women’s Day, JICA Headquarters and its offices in each country have held various events and initiatives to deepen understanding of gender equality and women’s rights, and to encourage action. These efforts have led to women themselves taking the initiative in taking action, and to their communities and society encouraging them to do so.
This year, each country and office held events in conjunction with International Women’s Day, and we would like to introduce some of the unique initiatives in each country.
* Initiatives and processes that help women become aware of gender-based discrimination and problems, and develop the ability to independently make decisions and practice them, as well as the ability to make self-decisions.
**Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
Efforts in each country
Below are some of the major initiatives.
India (Asia)
For the first time, DE&I training by Herald Bonnie was conducted outside of Japan in collaboration with We-Hub, a women’s entrepreneurship support organization of the government of Telangana state in central India. During the training, about 100 participants, including government officials and local startup CEOs, enjoyed playing games in teams to simulate minority perspectives and deepen their understanding of the “social model” of disability and diversity. There was also great interest in Herald Bonnie’s efforts to change the image of disability through art.
Uganda (Africa region)
For International Women’s Day, the JICA office gathered 91 female students from three schools in the capital city of Kampala and co-hosted a soccer event with a local soccer team, Soltilo Bright Stars FC. Sanitary napkins were distributed after the game to promote women’s interest in soccer as well as to improve understanding of sexuality, reproduction, and reproductive health.
Cameroon (Africa region)
JICA office staff participated in the annual International Women’s Day parade held locally, dressed in bright African cloth clothing, along with Cameroonians who had also participated in training programs in Japan. The sight of Cameroonian women walking strongly reminded us of the importance of promoting gender equality and empowering all people, and provided a valuable opportunity to deepen our awareness of continuing efforts.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (African region)
Every year, the JICA office celebrates Women’s Day, March 8, by making matching outfits out of African cloth parnels. The purpose is to raise awareness of the need to incorporate a gender perspective into their organization and all of JICA’s projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This year’s parnu has “Femme 8 mars (Women March 8)” printed on it.
Sri Lanka (Asia)
To commemorate International Women’s Day, the Sri Lanka Women’s Bureau and JICA held an exhibition of women entrepreneurs in Matara, a commercial city in southwestern Sri Lanka. Approximately 150 women entrepreneurs from across the country participated, leading to the expansion of sales channels.
Nepal (Asia)
A seminar was held to promote women’s participation in JICA training programs. At the seminar, Nepalese government officials and gender representatives discussed issues and countermeasures, and female participants who had participated in JICA training programs gave presentations to familiarize them with training in Japan. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) training was also conducted for JICA staff and JICA experts to deepen common understanding of initiatives in their projects and workplaces.
Papua New Guinea (Oceania)
A march event was held in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, to raise public awareness for gender equality on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The event, co-sponsored by the Papua New Guinea Metropolitan Authority, JICA, UN Women, Australia, and a variety of other local and international organizations, was attended by over 1,500 people, including Prime Minister Malape.
Bolivia (South America region)
The event was attended by 12 women who had participated in previous JICA training programs, and included a booklet sharing their learnings from Japan and their practices in the field, as well as examples of how they are making a difference in society. A video was also created by a female JICA training participant to introduce a project that supports the economic independence of women farmers by using the lessons learned from DX in Japan. The project is opening new avenues for women to connect with markets.
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JICA Headquarters, Japan
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, we held a screening of the Icelandic documentary “Women’s Holiday. An exchange of opinions was also held to deepen understanding of the significance of people taking action in solidarity and social change toward gender equality.
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