[Press release]
In the "Engaging Men for Ending Gender-Based Violence" forum during 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, 200 participants united, vocalizing "End Violence!" through hand gestures. Photo: UN Women/Jaeyeon Jung
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Seoul, Republic of Korea — Established in Seoul with support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea, the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality (“the Centre”), a knowledge hub working to improve the implementation of normative and policy frameworks for women’s empowerment in Asia and the Pacific, celebrated its first anniversary on November 30th.
The anniversary was marked during the forum “Engaging Men for Ending Gender-Based Violence” hosted on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, a global international campaign to raise awareness and call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
The event was attended by around 200 participants, including Kim Hyunsook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family in the Republic of Korea, Alia El-Yassir, Regional Director for UN Women Asia and the Pacific, Caroline Nyamayemombe, Head of UN Women Viet Nam a.i., as well as members of the diplomatic corps in the Republic of Korea, the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, the Korean Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education, military officials, academics, representatives from the private sector and civil society, and gender experts. Kim Eun Mee, President of Ewha Womans University, who is appointed as a National Goodwill Ambassador of UN Women, also participated in the forum.
Established in Seoul in 2022 with support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea, the Centre is the first UN entity in the country dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. At the event, the Centre shared its accomplishments since its establishment last year as a ‘knowledge and partnership hub’ in the Asia-Pacific region in fields, including women's economic empowerment; ending violence against women and girls; women, peace and security; and gender statistics, along with cutting edge issues including gender and climate change, and gender and technology.
In its first year, the Centre has reached over 2,000 participants from 32 countries across Asia and the Pacific including through 8 capacity building activities, 5 research and data activities, and 6 external relations activities. Notably, the Centre organized the '1st Annual Seoul Gender Equality Dialogue: Breaking Gender Barriers for a Better Future of Key Industries' targeting private sector, a ‘Training on Gender Statistics for Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals’ in partnership with Statistics Korea under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the ‘Women’s Peacekeeping Operations Course’ and the ‘Korea Peacekeeping Forum for Women’s Empowerment’ co-hosted with the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, as well as a ‘Cross-country Learning on Empowering Youth to Address Online Gender-Based Violence’ in partnership with the 30 for 2030 Network.
Speaking at the event, Minister Kim Hyunsook said: “The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is looking forward to deepening its ties with the Centre toward stronger gender equality policy with a focus on eliminating violence against women, promoting a gender-equal workplace culture and more.”
Expressing gratitude to those who supported the Centre over the past year, Director Jeongshim Lee stated: “The Centre will continue its effort in advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region, including in the Republic of Korea."
As part of the forum on “Engaging Men for Ending Gender-Based Violence,” Gary Barker, CEO and co-founder of Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice said: “Preventing men’s violence against women and girls requires calling all men and boys into versions of manhood that allow them to be the caring, connected humans we were all born to be. By calling men into care and connection, we create the pathways for them to be allies for living healthier, happier, and more equitable lives.”
Barker is also the co-founder of 'MenCare', a global initiative that encourages men's involvement in childcare in more than 60 countries, and 'MenEngage', a global alliance of over 1,000 non-governmental organizations working to dismantle patriarchal systems.