Mekong Institute (MI) and the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) opened the international online training program on “Gender Equality and Women Empowerment: Sharing Good Practices and Experiences” as part of continuing efforts to enhance governance and accountability towards gender balance.
About 132 government officials from 19 countries representing the ministries of education, planning, international relations, foreign affairs, and social welfare and development, as well as agencies spearheading campaigns on social inclusion, gender equality, and child protection enrolled in the interactive two-week sessions.
Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI Executive Director, explained that the training program was designed to help policy makers and implementors advance gender-sensitive public policies and services to increase women’s participation in government and to enable women’s fair access to public decision-making.
To strengthen our gender-responsiveness, we must work together to better understand how formal and informal policies, practices, and procedures across institutions can break gender-based stereotypes,
From June 7 to 18, 2021, experts such as Mrs. Ruengrawee Pichaikul, Director of Gender and Development Research Institute; Dr. Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat, Assistant Professor from the School of Economics, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Thawilwadee Bureekul, Director of Research and Development Office of King Prajadhipok’s Institute; and a social development worker from Thailand’s Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development will present prevailing concepts and practices related to sustainable development goals and women empowerment, women in politics, women in the economy, gender-based violence, gender-mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting and action plan.
MI officials will also facilitate discussions, particularly on practical approaches to set the path for making governments, public administrations, legislatures, and judiciaries more aware of and responsive to the perspectives, interests, and needs of both women and men.
Ms. Hataichanok Siriwadhanakul, TICA Director of the Human Resources Development Bureau, reinforced the value of information sharing in her welcome remarks. “We encourage our participants to share their perspectives so we can jointly build sounding boards and accountability mechanisms that will motivate people across the world to apply innovate ways to promote and protect gender equality and women empowerment,” she said.
This is the third training on gender issues hosted by MI and TICA. The 132 participants who registered come from Algeria, Bahrain, Botswana, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
