Breaking Barriers, Building Leaders

11 March 04:00PM-06:00PMSwedish American Chamber of Commerce

Breaking Barriers, Building Leaderships

–Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Political
Participation and Leadership–

Despite global commitments to gender equality, women and girls remain underrepresented in political leadership. It’s time to change that. This session will bring together grassroots leaders and global advocates to explore innovative strategies for breaking systemic barriers and fostering inclusive leadership. Through global perspectives from Latin America, Africa, South Asia and beyond, we will share best practices, amplify diverse voices, and equip stakeholders with the tools to build a more just and equitable political landscape.

Join The Hunger Project, Plan International and IPPF ACRO for an insightful and action-driven discussion on the sidelines of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Swedish American Chamber of Commerce

900 3rd Ave 29th floor New York NY 10022 USA

Event Highlights:

Insights from local leaders driving change in their communities
Stories of grassroots advocacy and mentorship shaping the next generation of women leaders
Strategies to combat discrimination and gender-based violence in politics

All you need to know:

Date: March 11 | 4 - 6 PM ET

Venue: Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
(A short 15 minute walk from the U.N.)

Refreshments will be served!

Be part of the movement. Let’s turn commitments into action and build a future where women and girls lead without limits.

NB! Registration has now closed, if you need to update your registration please contact liinu.diazramo@thp.org.

Speakers

Rowlands Kaotcha
President & CEO, The Hunger Project

Rowlands Kaotcha is the newly appointed President and CEO of The Hunger Project. Born and raised in rural Malawi, Rowlands has experienced the power of community working toward a brighter future. He is a passionate expert in mobilizing people, particularly women, to drive sustainable change. Rowlands has served in many regional and global leadership roles for The Hunger Project over his 23 years on staff, most recently as the Chief Program Officer. He currently resides in Blantyre, Malawi.

Moderator & Key note speaker.

Ruchi Yadav
Global Program Advisor, The Hunger Project - India

Ruchi Yadav is the Global Program Advisor for The Hunger Project-India. She leads program strategy, implementation and management across six states. She also supervises the training portfolio and is responsible for mainstreaming gender in all interventions. She has been with THP since 2007. She has worked on issues related to women’s rights and human rights in South Asia and South East Asia. Ruchi holds a Masters Degree in International Development from the School of International Service, American University, Washington DC.

Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu
Principal Adviser, Democracy and Inclusion, International IDEA

Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu is International IDEA's Principal Adviser, Democracy and Inclusion. She is a democracy and gender equality advocate and practitioner with several years of progressively responsible engagement in the political participation and representation areas on gender equality and women’s empowerment, political systems, political parties, electoral systems and processes, gender in constitutional processes and outcomes, gender and political financing, parliamentary strengthening and performance through working at national, regional and international levels.

Nereida Hernández
General Coordinator, Fortaleza Organizativa de Mujeres Incluyentes con Identidad, FOMII A.C.

Nereida Hernández is a human rights advocate for Indigenous women and a Zapotec-Spanish interpreter from San Pablo Güila, Oaxaca, Mexico. She holds a Law and Social Sciences degree and has specialized in gender-based violence, languages, and community justice. As General Coordinator of FOMII A.C., she leads projects supporting Indigenous women's rights and provides legal aid to survivors of gender-based violence. Nereida is also a student at the Municipal School for Community-Led Development, a program by The Hunger Project México focused on democracy, participation, and the defense of civic space.

Esmeralda Alfaro
Strengthening Coordinator, Asociación Las Crisálidas, Guatemala

Esmeralda Alfaro Joj, a Guatemalan Mestiza Maya K’iche’, is a feminist and popular educator dedicated to human and reproductive rights. She is the Strengthening Coordinator at Asociación Las Crisálidas and the Intersectoral Group for Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Rights. A member of AMMI and a political leader in women's alliances, she provides political, technical, and organizational support to women’s organizations and advocacy groups for youth, migrants, and people with diverse abilities across various identities and territories.

Sandra
Youth Representative, Plan International USA

Sandra (she/her) is an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about the potential artificial intelligence (AI) has in society but is equally concerned about the misuse of AI, especially as it pertains to women and girls online. Sandra has studied abroad in Lisbon, Portugal to further her interests in multilateral institutions and world government. She is interested in the geopolitical implications of AI’s prevalence and how we can create effective and inclusive policies, laws, and programming for its implementation to advance gender equality.Sandra joined Plan USA as a Youth Leadership Academy participant back in 2020 and joined the Youth Advisory Board in 2022. She was a member of Plan International’s Global Young Influencer Group and Girls Get Equal Group, for which she co-wrote a petition with over 40,000 signatures globally calling for increased digital literacy, co-created a list of recommendations for Meta platforms to combat online gender-based violence, and advised the annual State of the World Girls Report.

Silvia Esquivel
Advocacy Coordinator, Center for Justice, Democracy, and Equality (CEJUDI),

Silvia Elvira Esquivel Canul is a young lawyer and graduate of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY) with a distinguished background in human rights. She has participated in Model United Nations and international competitions, such as YACHAY 2022 in Peru, and has received training in non-discrimination and gender perspective. She completed an internship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and has conducted research on human mobility and LGBTQ+ rights. Currently, she serves as Advocacy Coordinator at the Center for Justice, Democracy, and Equality (CEJUDI), Yucatán, Mexico, where she leads projects on justice and inclusion.

Organized by

The Hunger Project @thehungerproject info@thp.org