ICRW celebrates top 10 moments of 2019

Media Contact

Anne McPherson

Vice President, Global Communications email [email protected]

Top Ten Moments of 2019

As we come to the end of 2019, we’d like to take a moment to recognize ICRW’s top ten successes from this past year, as voted on by our staff.  We have a lot to celebrate as we head into 2020, and we look forward to the road ahead and the relationships we continue to build. Thank you for your support in helping us advance our critically important work.

(1) GENDER EQUITY MOVEMENT IN SCHOOLS (GEMS) PROGRAM IN RAJASTHAN
Through a new partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), ICRW ASIA will be implementing GEMS Boys in Rajasthan, implementing school-based programs to advance positive masculinities. On November 13th, ICRW signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Rajasthan. This follows over 10 years of program implementation across South Asia.

Pictured (left to right): Dr. Ravi Verma, Regional Director, ICRW Asia; Mr. Abhisehk Bhagotiya State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan, Rajasthan; Mr. Govind Ram Dotasra; Honourable Education Minister Government of Rajasthan; Ms. Manju Rajpal Principal Secretary Education, Rajasthan; Mr. Pradeep Borad, Commissioner Rajasthan School Education Council.

 

(2) TECHNOLOGY-FACILITATED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV)

Photo credit: Nate Langston Palmer/World Bank Group.

Our tech-facilitated GBV work has been growing, including our publication, Defining and Measuring Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence. Featured at a World Bank event and on their blog, we also recently hosted a day-long event at ICRW – including over 100 attendees in house and online – with Article 19. The panel included representatives from USAID and Trollbusters, and we followed the panel with working sessions about breaking down silos across sectors in order to combat the pervasiveness of online GBV.

(3) STELLA MUKASA AWARDS FOR STAFF EXCELLENCE
In May, ICRW launched the inaugural awards, presented to Chisina Kapungu, senior gender and youth specialist in ICRW’s Washington office and Monica Bhalla, senior administration manager in ICRW’s Asia Regional Office. The awards are a great way to highlight the work of our staff and to provide meaningful funding for professional development.

(4) THE SEEP NETWORK’S MEMBER OF THE YEAR

Director Sarah Gammage and Financial Inclusion & Livelihoods Specialist Julia Arnold receive the 2019 Member of the Year award. Photo credit: mari matsuri foto, courtesy of The SEEP Network.

ICRW was named Member of the Year by The SEEP Network at the 2019 SEEP Annual Conference. The Gender, Economic Empowerment & Livelihoods team provided a great deal of work and thought leadership in the lead up to and implementation of the conference, and The SEEP Network recognized the team at the award ceremony in October.

(5) REPORT CARD ON THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL
The Policy & Advocacy and Gender, Economic Empowerment & Livelihoods teams published the 2nd report card on UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ progress towards instituting more feminist policies and procedures across the United Nations. The report was published in January and was featured in Devex and The New York Times.

(6) THE BBC’S 100 WOMEN OF 2019
ICRW Asia’s Director of Policy Analysis Subhalakshmi Nandi was named among the BBC’s Top 100 Women for 2019. “My hope for the future,” said Nandi to the BBC, “is that women will no longer be invisible and uncounted. Women themselves will be organised and will better articulate the work that they do to uphold the entire economy and society. Government data and policy will also respond to the reality of women’s work, both paid and unpaid.”

(7) WOMEN DELIVER 2019 (see our resources shared at the conference)
ICRW had a large presence at the conference in Vancouver, leading and participating in events focused on topics like men & masculinities (unlearning violence), the Women & Girls at the Center of Development (a grand challenge funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) session on shifting power imbalances, women’s economic empowerment, Beijing+25 and the shifting tide in international development (see also our Deliver for Good blog), among other topics. Our team came away from the conference more empowered than ever.

(8) THE LANCET PUBLICATION & PODCAST
In the Lancet’s special theme issue on Advancing Women in Science, Medicine and Global Health, launched on the 8th of February in London, ICRW Asia’s Director Ravi Verma served on its international advisory board and contributed an article in the issue on ‘Engaging men to promote women in science, technology and medicines.’ The Lancet also hosted a podcast interview with Verma. Download the audio track and listen in here.

(9) FEMINIST FOREIGN POLICY
ICRW’s Policy & Advocacy team has launched their Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) initiative, which we look to grow going into 2020. This includes defining what feminist foreign policy looks like and initiating discussion briefs (to be further refined and finalized in the new year) on FFP in the U.S., climate change and accountability mechanisms. The team’s knowledge, strategy and work so far has been featured in Foreign Policy in an argument written by Director Lyric Thompson and has published in the Journal of Diplomacy.

(10) GENDER-SMART INVESTING RESOURCE HUB LAUNCH
In January, ICRW Advisors launched a new resource hub to support companies as they aim to make smarter investments that both enhance returns and advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. So far, there are 4 sectors: agriculture, off-grid energy, power infrastructure and healthcare. ICRW Advisors also provides recommendations to companies as they integrate gender throughout their operations and supply chains.

Thank you for supporting us in 2019


We could not have achieved these top ten moments without the support of people like you.

Please consider making a contribution to ICRW – and enter our raffle before the end of the year.

Help support our work in 2020!