Universalia is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day, emphasizing today and always the importance of integrating dimensions of gender equality and inclusion into all the work that we do. Together as a firm, we take this opportunity to reflect on key takeaways, lessons, and insights gained through the various mandates we have worked on, and events we have participated in. These experiences have raised critical considerations for gender equality and inclusion, and underscore the importance of an intersectional lens. Some highlights and examples are summarized below:
- Universalia draws on recent work in the areas of sexual and reproductive health rights, gender-based violence, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, harmful gender norms and practices, women and youth empowerment, girls’ education, maternal health and nutrition;
- Identifying barriers and promising practices in adopting gender transformative approaches through our lunch and learn platform and work carried out by Mary Picard for UNICEF Assessing gender transformative approaches;
- Contributing to cross-movement building, such as between the women’s movement and disability movement, youth movements, or environmental movements;
- Applying a gender lens in evaluations;
- Building M&E capacities of women’s rights organizations and groups;
- Navigating the added complexities with gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights in humanitarian settings.