GEWAL

2022 International Womens Day Summit

International Women’s Day is the right time to reflect on the current state of women’s inclusion, explore in more detail the opportunities that exist and the actions required to unlock them, and raise awareness of the social and economic importance of women’s inclusion.

Brought to you by the Gender Equality, Wellness and Leadership (GEWAL) Unit of the Motsepe Foundation, the annual International Women’s Day Summits convene equality-driven stakeholders in discussions that merge international and local insights. It has grown to become a globally recognised platform of advocacy.

To build an inclusive society – where the unique needs of women, the youth and other marginalised people are recognised – the perspectives of social and economic outsiders need to be brought to the fore.

Mixing informative and empowering segments, the Summit promotes women leaders as role models to young girls and boys; benchmarks the gains and setbacks to gender equality; charts a way forward; and through consultation, advances individual and collective empowerment.

#BreakTheBias

Inclusion is inherently about expansion. Moving away from a one-size-fits-all and mass production approach, to cater the unique needs of all men and women.

Building this inclusive world can only be made possible if we work toward eliminating bias. Africa requires innovation, thoughtful systems that enable economic resilience, and purposeful individual efforts that will foster social cohesion. These are themes that speak to everyone, not just women and other marginalised groups.

This Summit is a call to action for leaders and all members of society to comprehend and work toward alleviating the gendered dynamics of vulnerability. By tackling our unintentional bias, we can shifting our business and policy approaches to allow for diversification, agency and choice, as well as improved economic and profit outcomes.