Why Women are Key to a Better World

Join IWDA Executive Director Jo Hayter for an event at the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Speakers:
Joanna Hayter, Executive Director of International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA)
Mina Barling, Manager of Policy and Partnerships, Marie Stopes International Australia (MSI)

Date: Wednesday, 19 October 2011, 6-7:30pm

Venue: Australian Institute of International Affairs, Dyason House, 124 Jolimont Rd, East Melbourne

‘A woman multiplies the impact of an investment in her future by extending benefits to the world around her’ [USAID]. Therefore whether the goal is to reduce poverty and hunger; improve health or access to education; or encourage democracy, successful efforts must target women and also consider the broader structural issues at play. Although this is acknowledged by governments around the world, Millennium Development Goal Three: ‘Promote gender equality and empower women’ is off track, and poverty reduction, economic growth and broader development indicators are limited because of this. Jo Hayter and Mina Barling will present on some of the challenges and opportunities to ensuring women are central to development efforts as we countdown to 2015.

In late 2010 Joanna Hayter became the Executive Director of International Women’s Development Agency. IWDA is the only Australian development agency solely focused on gender equality and women’s rights. Joanna has worked in international development and social justice since 1983. With experience ranging across four continents and twenty five countries, her former roles include: Country Director for the Burnet Institute in Burma; Country Director for Save the Children UK in Vietnam; and Regional Manager for Africa with the Overseas Service Bureau. Joanna managed her own consultancy firm for three years with clients including the UN agencies, governments and international NGOs. In this role she provided policy, evaluation and management services in relation to disease control, humanitarian assistance, national strategic planning, capacity development with civil society and institutional strengthening within government systems. Joanna will emphasise the role women play as change agents and how development becomes more effective when we address violence and conflict, increase women’s control over natural resources and expand women’s involvement in political and economic decision making.

Mina Barling is the Manager of Policy and Partnerships at Marie Stopes International, a non-government, not for profit organisation that delivers family planning and reproductive healthcare in over 40 countries. Mina has recently returned from an assignment in Cambodia with Marie Stopes International working to increase access to safe reproductive health services, including setting up sexual and reproductive health clinics within garment factory infirmaries. Before this, Mina lived in South Australia where she worked for both non government and government agencies on initiatives including researching positive factors for school retention for high school students who were pregnant and parenting, leading the Women’s Safety Strategy for the Office for Women and Attorney General’s Department, advising the Minister for the Status of Women on gender issues and working in Cabinet Office managing the establishment of The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. She was also a Board Director for the YWCA. At the forum, Mina will explore how global policies impact maternal health outcomes, with a case study from Cambodia to demonstrate how development partners (and women) navigate around policy trends.

For more information or to register for this event, please visit the AIIA website.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 under Events.